Many middle-aged women experiencing menopausal-like symptoms may be experiencing thyroid-related problems. They are often difficult to tell apart but lab tests may help with the diagnosis.

Millions of women with menopausal-like symptoms may be suffering from undiagnosed thyroid disease. These non-specific symptoms consist of fatigue, depression, mood swings, weight gain, irregular menstrual periods, and sleep disturbances.

These are frequently associated with menopause, especially when they occur in women who are in their 40s.

However, only one out of four of these women who have described these menopause-like symptoms with a physician are actually tested for thyroid disease.

Perimenopausal Symptoms

It is common for women in their late 40s to their early 50s to expect the symptoms of menopause. This perimenopausal stage is the period when the signs and symptoms of menopause have not stabilized. Menopause is defined as the complete cessation of menstrual periods and loss of fertility. Before this occurs, a woman may undergo a long transition stage, called perimenopause, which may start as early as their mid-30s, although most women experiences changes in their mid to late 40s. This transition period may last for five to ten years, during which, one may undergo these signs and symptoms:

Irregular menstrual periods
Longer or shorter periods
Heavy menstrual flow or spotting
Absent periods
Menstrual cramping
Breast tenderness
Premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, which consists of fatigue, irritability, food cravings, and depression
Sleep problems

Hot flushes alternating with intermittent coldness

Weight gain

Menopause is a natural stage in a woman’s life that begins with a gradual decline in estrogen levels and ends with cessation of menses and with the ovaries failing to release eggs.

Symptoms related to these hormonal changes may come and go, some days being better than others are, especially during the long perimenopausal stage. For some women, undergoing these changes may be very challenging and they may feel that these are unnatural or perhaps related to some other health condition. They may seek medical consultation for vague symptoms, for which they may not get satisfactory treatment.

However, the diagnosis of menopause is usually made retrospectively, since it is established only a year after menses disappear.

Source: steady health