Thyroid Health
Could your thyroid be contributing to how you feel?
Fatigue, changes in weight, feeling unusually cold or warm, hair changes, constipation, brain fog, mood changes and menstrual changes can all occur with thyroid conditions—but they can also have many other causes.
I provide evidence-based thyroid care for women who are experiencing symptoms, have abnormal thyroid results, or want help understanding what their thyroid testing means.
The goal isn't to order every thyroid test available. It's to understand your symptoms, determine which questions actually need answering, and use appropriate testing to guide your care.
Could your symptoms be related to your thyroid?
You may benefit from thyroid-focused assessment if you're experiencing:
Persistent fatigue or low energy
Feeling unusually cold or heat intolerant
Constipation or other changes in bowel habits
Changes in your menstrual cycle or heavier periods
An abnormal TSH or other thyroid blood test
Unexplained changes in weight
Hair thinning or changes in hair or skin
Brain fog, difficulty concentrating or mood changes
A family history of thyroid disease
A diagnosis of hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or another thyroid condition
These symptoms aren't specific to thyroid disease, which is why a thoughtful assessment matters. We'll consider your symptoms and health history alongside your laboratory results rather than assuming your thyroid is the explanation.
A thoughtful approach to thyroid care
Thyroid health is more than a single lab result.
During your assessment, we'll look at your symptoms, menstrual and reproductive history where relevant, medical and family history, medications and supplements, and any previous laboratory testing.
When additional testing is appropriate, we'll focus on tests that can actually help answer the clinical question. This may include thyroid function testing such as TSH, free T3, free T4 and thyroid antibodies when clinically indicated.
If your results suggest a thyroid condition, we'll discuss what they mean, what your options are, and whether additional medical care or coordination with your primary care provider or other specialist is appropriate.
More testing isn't necessarily better. The goal is getting the right information and knowing what to do with it.
What does working together look like?
Your first appointment is an opportunity to talk through your symptoms, menstrual history, health history, medications, existing lab work and what you'd most like help with.
Your treatment plan is individualized to your situation. Depending on your needs, this may involve lifestyle strategies, medications or hormone therapy discussions, targeted supplementation, additional testing or referral.
We'll identify the most relevant clinical questions and determine whether additional testing, treatment, monitoring, or referral makes sense for you.
Your care doesn't end with a treatment plan. Follow-up allows us to assess what's helping, what isn't, and what needs to change.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Hypothyroidism can cause symptoms such as fatigue, feeling cold, constipation, dry skin, hair changes, changes in weight, brain fog, low mood and menstrual changes. Symptoms vary from person to person and can overlap with many other conditions, so symptoms alone cannot diagnose a thyroid disorder.
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Possibly—but symptoms such as fatigue, weight changes, hair loss, brain fog and menstrual changes aren't specific to thyroid disease. A thyroid assessment looks at your symptoms and health history alongside appropriate blood testing to determine whether thyroid dysfunction may be contributing.
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The appropriate tests depend on your symptoms, medical history and the clinical question. TSH is commonly used to assess thyroid function, with free T4 and thyroid antibody testing used when appropriate. More testing isn't automatically better; the goal is to order testing that will meaningfully change what we do next.
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TSH is one of the primary blood tests used to assess thyroid function, but it needs to be interpreted in context. The meaning of a TSH result depends on factors such as your symptoms, other thyroid hormone results, medications and clinical history. If you already have thyroid testing, we can help you understand what your results mean and what questions may need further investigation.
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Hashimoto's thyroiditis is an autoimmune condition in which the immune system targets the thyroid. It is a common cause of hypothyroidism. Thyroid antibodies can sometimes help identify autoimmune thyroid disease, but testing and interpretation should be considered in the context of your overall clinical picture.
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Your appointment begins with a detailed review of your symptoms, health history, menstrual history where relevant, medications and supplements, and any previous laboratory results. We'll determine whether thyroid testing or other investigation is appropriate, review your results if testing has already been completed, and develop a practical plan based on your individual needs and goals.