“How can I know if my thyroid is healthy?”
I'm 35, and I would like to know the condition of my thyroid. I have thyroid disorders in my family history, and I want to know if I'm at risk of the same. What tests should be done?
4 Answers
If you have a family history of thyroid disease, you should have your thyroid test done by blood. It may be likely you too will develop a form of thyroid dysfunction.
You may want to see your doctor regarding a blood test. TSH is a good screening test to start, and if abnormal, your doctor can do further blood tests or thyroid ultrasound.
You probably are at risk. Simple blood tests, TSH, and free T4 can show if you have thyroid hormone over or under production. They won’t show if you have a lump in the thyroid, called nodule. Your doctor should feel your thyroid at every exam to detect those.
1) See a physician familiar with thyroid disease, 2) have that physician palpate your thyroid for size & nodules, 3) give the physician a good health history, 4) have the Dr. draw blood for a Free T4 (a measurement of amount of thyroid in the blood) and a TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone-the hormone that comes from the pituitary gland & regulates the thyroid). If there are any abnormalities, there are other tests that can be done but these are first to establish whether there is a reason to go further or find there is no thyroid disease.
Good luck.
Good luck.
