What is Hashimoto's Thyroiditis?
Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, also known as lymphocytic thyroiditis and Hashimoto’s disease, is a form of hypothyroidism that affects 90% of all hypothyroid cases in the United States. It is an autoimmune disease in which the individual’s own immune system attacks, damages, and eventually destroys the thyroid gland.
Common symptoms of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis include:
Constipation
Fatigue
Hair Loss
Low Mood
Memory Loss
Muscle Cramps
Weight Gain
Poorly managed or untreated hypothyroidism can result in the development of an enlarged heart (cardiomyopathy), congestive heart failure, and fluid around the lungs.
Understanding Your Thyroid Condition
- Anxiety and Panic Disorders
- Coarse Dry Hair and Skin
- Constipation
- Depression
- Difficulty Getting Pregnant and Maintaining Pregnancy
- Difficulty Losing Weight Despite Reducing Food Intake
- Fatigue
- Feeling Cold (Hands/Feet)
- Hair Loss (Scalp or Outer Third of Eyebrows)
- Heavy Menstrual Flow
- Irregular Periods
- Irritability
- Lethargy
- Memory Loss
- Muscle aches and pains
- Slowed Heart Rate
- Swelling
- Weakness
- Weight Gain
Signs of Severe Thyroid Symptoms Include:
- Increased or Enlarged Tongue Size
- Jaundice (Yellowing of Skin and Whites of Eyes)
- Slowed Speech
Autoimmune Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism develops as an individual gradually loses more and more thyroid tissue as a result of the attack of their own immune system against the thyroid gland.
Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism can occur in a person’s teenage years or young adulthood, but it is more likely to affect individuals in middle age. Like all autoimmune diseases, there is a strong genetic tie to the development of Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism.
If you are experiencing difficulty getting pregnant, or maintaining pregnancy, we will check your thyroid function while completing a comprehensive laboratory evaluation to determine any underlying imbalances contributing to infertility. This has been very successful.
