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Everyday health Note · 4 min read
Tired, cold, gaining weight? Check her thyroid
An underactive thyroid is more common in women and after 60, and its symptoms look a lot like ageing. A simple TSH blood test tells you
The Pushpa team · 4 sources
An underactive thyroid is more common in women and after 60, and its symptoms look a lot like ageing. A simple TSH blood test tells you
The Pushpa team · 4 sourcesFeeling tired all the time, cold when others aren't, putting on weight, constipation, low mood. In an older woman it all sounds like getting older. It can also be an underactive thyroid. NIDDK says it is much more common in women and in people over 60, and that symptoms alone can't tell you
Symptoms usually develop slowly, the NHS says, which is exactly why they get missed
A blood test for TSH and T4 shows how the thyroid is working. If she's on treatment, NIDDK says the test is repeated 6 to 8 weeks after starting or changing the dose, and once the dose is stable, after 6 months and then once a year
How Pushpa helpsPushpa can remind her about the thyroid tablet at the right time, keeps her TSH results side by side, and tells the family when the next test is due
General information, not medical advice. In an emergency in India, call 112
Report sent to the family
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