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Thyroid Awareness Month: 2001

Thyroid Through the Ages: Midlife (Menopause)

Midlife

Millions of American women with unresolved menopausal-like symptoms may actually be suffering from an underlying thyroid condition. Symptoms of menopause such as skin dryness, hot flashes, mood swings, depression and weight gain, mimic the symptoms of either hyper-or hypothyroidism. Since the symptoms of thyroid disease and menopause often overlap, the two conditions can be confused and may go undetected.

• Women are five to eight times more likely than men to suffer from thyroid disease.
• Incidence of hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) increases with age, with peak onset occurring between the ages of 35 and 60.
• An estimated 1 in 3 women over age 40 on hormone replacement therapy for symptoms of menopause continue to experience mood swings, depression and sleep disturbances - signs which indicate that an underlying thyroid problem may be present.
• Left undetected and untreated, thyroid disease can lead to serious long-term complications such as osteoporosis and elevated cholesterol levels, which can increase the risk for heart disease.
• Women need to request a thyroid function test at least once during menopause to avoid being medicated with estrogen replacement when the real need may be thyroid hormone replacement. AACE recommends that all women over 40 have a TSH test since studies have shown that 10 percent of women in this age group have undiagnosed thyroid disease.

<<< The Reproductive Years (Pregnancy) The Senior Years (Aging) >>>

Previous Thyroid Awareness Month Campaigns

• Thyroid Awareness Month 2007 – How's Your Thyroid - Who needs to know?
• Thyroid Awareness Month 2006 – A Thyroid Imbalance? Target Your Numbers
• Thyroid Awareness Month 2005 – A Healthy Thyroid: You Make The Difference
• Thyroid Awareness Month 2004 – Take Control of Your Health: Keep Your Thyroid in Balance
• Thyroid Awareness Month 2003 – Thyroid Undercover – Hiding in Plain Sight
• Thyroid Awareness Month 2002 – The Neck’s Generation
• Thyroid Awareness Month 2001 – The Neck’s Time is Now – Think Thyroid
• Thyroid Awareness Month 2000 – Take Cholesterol by the Neck
• Thyroid Awareness Month 1999 – Thyroid: The Missing T in HRT
• Thyroid Awareness Month 1998 – When the Blues Hit
• Thyroid Awareness Month 1997 – 1995 – Not available on AACE Online

Thyroid Awareness Month is supported through an unrestricted grant from Abbott Laboratories.