Thyroid disease has become very prevalent in today’s world, courtesy of a number of different lifestyle factors. An estimated 1 in 8 women aged 35 to 65 has some form of thyroid disease1 — underactive thyroid being the most common.

More than one-quarter of women in perimenopause are diagnosed with hypothyroidism, in which insufficient amounts of thyroid hormones are produced.

Thyroid hormones2 are used by every cell of your body, which is why the symptoms can vary so widely. For example, thyroid hormones regulate metabolism and body weight by controlling the burning of fat for energy and heat.

Thyroid hormones are also required for growth and development in children. They signal the production of virtually all growth factors in your body, including:

  • Somatomedins (skeletal tissue growth)
  • Erythropoietin (involved in the development of red blood cells)
  • Nerve growth factor
  • Epidermal growth factor

In pregnant women, thyroid hormone is also involved in the production of prolactin, a hormone responsible for milk production.

Poor thyroid function has been linked to a wide array of serious health conditions,3 from fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome, to infertility, autoimmune diseases, and thyroid cancer.4

This is why it’s so important to understand how your thyroid works and what can cause it to dysfunction.


Understanding How Your Thyroid Gland Works

The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped gland found inside your neck, right under your larynx or voice box. A two-inch long, highly vascular gland, it has two lobes located on each side of the windpipe, connected by a tissue called the isthmus.

Your thyroid is responsible for producing the master metabolism hormones that affect virtually every function in your body. It produces three types of hormones:

  • Triiodothyronine (T3)
  • Thyroxine (T4)
  • Diiodothyronine (T2)

Hormones secreted by your thyroid interact with all your other hormones, including insulin, cortisol, and sex hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

The fact that these hormones are all tied together and are in constant communication explains why a less-than-optimal thyroid status is associated with so many widespread symptoms and diseases.

Almost 90 percent of the hormone produced by your thyroid is in the form of T4, the inactive form. Your liver then converts the T4 into T3, the active form, with the help of an enzyme.

T2 is currently the least-understood component of thyroid function and the subject of a number of ongoing studies.

If everything is working properly, you will make what you need and have the correct amounts of T3 and T4, which control the metabolism of every cell in your body.

If your T3 is inadequate, either by scarce production or not converting properly from T4, your entire body will experience the consequences.

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