If you’ve been feeling off lately, tired for no reason, foggy, or just not yourself, your thyroid may be involved. Hypothyroidism affects millions of women and often goes undiagnosed for years. Symptoms get brushed off as stress, parenting, aging, or mood issues.

What you’re feeling is real. And you can get answers.

What Is Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism happens when your thyroid isn’t making enough thyroid hormone. This small gland in your neck influences almost every system in your body. When it slows down, you feel it everywhere. Energy drops. Digestion slows. Metabolism shifts. Mood and cycles change.

Your pituitary releases TSH to tell your thyroid to produce T4 and T3. When your thyroid can’t keep up, TSH rises and symptoms begin. One of the biggest root causes is Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune process where the immune system targets thyroid tissue.

Why You Can Still Have Symptoms With “Normal” Labs

This is where so many women get dismissed. TSH is only the signal. It doesn’t tell us:

• how well you’re converting T4 into active T3

• how well your cells are using thyroid hormone

• whether inflammation is slowing the process

• whether your immune system is already attacking the thyroid

This is why symptoms often show up long before standard labs shift. Your body feels changes early. The basic lab ranges simply don’t catch them.

From years of reviewing thousands of thyroid panels, the pattern is clear. Women often sit in the grey zone for years. They feel the changes before TSH rises enough for a doctor to act.

What Happens in the Early Stages of Hashimoto’s

Hashimoto’s can be active long before your thyroid “fails.” Antibodies can be elevated while your T4 and T3 still fall within the reference range. During this stage, women often feel:

• tired

• cold

• puffy

• mentally slow

• more anxious

• more inflamed

And yet they’re told everything is fine.

Early Hashimoto’s is slow, subtle, and easy to brush aside. But this is the stage where your symptoms are whispering for support.

To read more on Hashimoto's click here.

20 Signs You Might Have Hypothyroidism

1. Deep, Persistent Fatigue

• This isn’t regular tiredness. It’s exhaustion that sleep doesn’t fix.

2. Brain Fog

• Trouble concentrating, word-finding issues, or feeling mentally slow.

3. Feeling Cold

• Cold hands and feet. Wearing more layers than everyone else.

4. Unexplained Weight Gain

• Slower metabolism makes your body store more fat.

5. Constipation

• Sluggish digestion, bloating, or infrequent bowel movements.

6. Dry Skin

• Rough, flaky skin that stays dry even with moisturizer.

7. Hair Thinning

• Excess shedding, thinning eyebrows, brittle hair.

8. Muscle Weakness

• Heaviness in your legs. Fatigue after simple activities.

9. Joint Pain

• Ongoing stiffness or achiness.

10. Low Mood

• A heaviness, sadness, or emotional flatness.

11. Anxiety or Irritability

• Feeling on edge or overwhelmed more easily.

12. Puffiness

• Swelling around the eyes or face, especially in the morning.

13. Hoarse Voice

• A deeper, raspy, tired-sounding voice.

14. Difficulty Swallowing

• A sense of fullness or tightness in the neck.

15. Slow Heart Rate

• A resting heart rate that feels slower than normal.

16. Sleep Issues

• Restless sleep or waking unrefreshed.

17. Heavy or Irregular Periods

• Longer, heavier, or unpredictable cycles.

18. Fertility Struggles

• Trouble conceiving or recurrent early losses.

19. Numbness or Tingling

• Hands falling asleep easily or tingling fingers.

20. High Cholesterol

• Cholesterol stays high despite diet and lifestyle changes.

What To Do If These Signs Feel Familiar

Don’t rely on a TSH test alone. It’s not enough for many women.

A Complete Thyroid Panel Should Include

• TSH

• Free T4 and Total T4

• Free T3 and Total T3

• Reverse T3

• Anti TPO antibodies

• Anti thyroglobulin antibodies

This gives a full picture of signal, production, conversion, and autoimmunity.

Natural Ways to Support Your Thyroid

These steps help rebuild your foundation and work alongside medication if needed.

Eat nutrient dense meals

• Protein, healthy fats, colourful vegetables, minerals.

Support gut health

• A healthy gut supports thyroid hormone activation and immune balance.

Manage stress

• Chronic stress raises reverse T3 and lowers free T3. Your body downshifts when survival mode is active.

Key nutrients

• Selenium, zinc, iodine, iron, and vitamin D are commonly low in women with hypothyroid symptoms.

Reduce endocrine disruptors

• Use cleaner skincare, cookware, and cleaning products.

Balance blood sugar

• Build meals around protein and fibre to prevent energy drops and hormonal stress.

Monitor levels regularly

• Optimal thyroid support is based on how you feel, not just the reference range.

Trust What Your Body Is Telling You

• If something feels off, pay attention to it. Women are dismissed far too often when it comes to thyroid symptoms.

Next Steps:

Hypothyroidism is common. It’s also very treatable when you use the right testing and the right plan.

You deserve clarity. You deserve support. You deserve to feel like yourself again.

If you want help getting to the root cause of your symptoms, I offer a full thyroid assessment where we go deeper than standard blood work and look at your thyroid through an optimal, whole-body lens.

Reach out anytime if you’re ready for answers.

The first step to work together is a free 10min discovery call.