Did you know that women are up to 10 times more likely to have thyroid disease than men?
The symptoms are common for both men and women, with a few male-specific symptoms which we will discuss today.
Men with thyroid dysfunction may have symptoms that are more specific to males, such as:
- Balding/hair loss
- Lower sex drive
- Decreased testosterone levels
- Gynecomastia, male breast enlargement
- Loss of muscle mass and/or strength
- Lower libido
- Erectile dysfunction
- Infertility due to lower sperm quality and count
Graves’ disease is relatively uncommon in men, occurring at a rate of around 1 per 10,000. The rate is nearly eight times higher in women. Once Graves disease is treated, men will often swing hypothyroidism:
Common symptoms of hyperthyroidism include:
- Weight loss
- Feeling nervous or anxious
- Faster heartbeat
- Heart palpitations
- Muscle weakness
- Feeling hot
- Enlarged thyroid
- Sweating
- Tremor
- Increased appetite
- Difficulty sleeping
- Fatigue
Unfortunately, your GP may overlook thyroid symptoms in men since thyroid dysfunction is not nearly as common as it is in women. So if you (or a man in your life if he is not reading this) are ticking a lot of those symptoms, then contact us to get a more thorough screening to pick up the problem.
Why are we different?
GPs and endocrinologists are trained to diagnose and treat diseases – and disease is a state of the degenerative process that is usually irreversible. Our medical system is amazing at dealing with this – for instance if you have a clogged artery they can fix it and save your life!
But medicine does not delve into understanding the root cause of earlier pre-disease progression and the testing they can access through Medicare doesn’t pick up early and mid-disease change markers – or if it does, the reference ranges used are just too wide.
Symptoms are secondary to these tests – so even if you feel terrible and display the symptoms, if your tests come back in the acceptable range, no treatment can be offered. GPs are not trained to reverse early diseases using food as medicine, herbal medicine, or nutritional intervention.
As a functional medicine clinic, we look for the root cause of the symptoms and treat that. If you would like to address your health with a holistic approach that takes into factor the driving underlying cause, CLICK HERE and book your first appointment.
But I’ve Been Told My Thyroid Is Normal….
This is more common than you may know. If you have symptoms, then something has not been identified. Listen to our podcast to discover the reasons why thyroid diagnosis can be hit and miss.
References:
Thyroid Disorders and Semen Quality | Biomedical and Pharmacology Journal (biomedpharmajournal.org)