Spot Hashimoto’s Without Lab Tests. Look For These 8 Signs.

Hashimoto’s is the #1 cause of hypothyroidism in developed countries and it’s more common than you think. 

And so many women suffer from low-grade chronic symptoms of this autoimmune disease for years before they get a proper diagnosis. 

Fortunately, there are some simple ways to determine if you have this common condition and you don’t even necessarily have to get lab tests to confirm (though, it’s always good to get confirmation!). 

If you haven’t been feeling like yourself lately or if you know something is up in your body but haven’t been able to put your finger on it, it may be Hashimoto’s. 

If that’s you, here’s what you need to know: 

1. Hoarseness or Change in Your Voice

Hashimoto’s leads to inflammation in the thyroid gland which causes it to enlarge. 

Because your thyroid gland sits at the base of your neck, if it enlarges, it can put pressure right on your vocal cords. 

This causes a shift in your voice making it sound raspier and deeper, and can even cause bouts of hoarseness (1). 

It’s never normal for your voice to change, so if you’ve noticed this symptom (along with some of the others), Hashimoto’s may be the culprit. 

2. Swelling in the Neck

The swelling that we just mentioned of the thyroid gland can push backward on your vocal cords, but it can also push forward. 

And when it pushes forward it protrudes from the skin and causes an enlargement of your neck. 

This is called a goiter and is a common symptom of Hashimoto’s. 

Again, it’s never normal for there to be swelling in your neck and because there are very few things in your neck that are capable of swelling to large sizes, this symptom is almost always a dead giveaway of a thyroid problem. 

You can confirm it’s a thyroid problem with an ultrasound if needed. 

3. Unexplained Weight Gain

This is one of the biggest and it impacts up to 70% of patients with Hashimoto’s. 

In this autoimmune disease, your immune system attacks and slowly destroys your thyroid gland leading to a decline in important thyroid hormones like T4 and T3. 

These hormones are in charge of your metabolism, so when they decline, you will see a steady decline in your caloric burn day to day. 

This translates into steady weight gain (2), even with diet and exercise and it’s the symptom that most women with Hashimoto’s are aware of first. 

Not only do these changes lead to weight gain, they also make losing weight much more difficult. 

So another way to tell if you have Hashimoto’s is to pay attention to how hard it is to lose weight. 

If you’re doing everything right, diet, exercise, sleep, etc., but still not losing weight, then there’s a very high chance it’s your thyroid. 

Lots of problems can lead to weight gain, though, so don’t go blaming your thyroid if you know you’re pounding down food you shouldn’t.

4. Low Energy or Fatigue

If you’re constantly feeling drained, even after a full night’s sleep, it’s probably your thyroid.

Your thyroid helps to control and regulate energy production in just about every cell in your body.

So when thyroid hormones decline, your cells will have a hard time producing the energy they need to function.

This will be felt by you as a global sense of fatigue, the inability to get up and go, or feeling like you need to take a nap.

5. Unexplained Hair Shedding

You would think that this is an easy one to spot but the average person doesn’t notice that they are losing hair until 50% of it is gone!

So if you even start to get the suspicion that you are losing hair or seeing changes to your hair texture, it’s time to think about your thyroid.

Hashimoto’s impacts your hair because it impacts the hair follicle (3).

And because hair is considered a cosmetic feature of the body, it’s often the first to go when you have a global hormone problem.

How this presents for most women is a slight increase in hair loss when they shower.

So if you see this sign, act on it right away.

It’s always better to start treating your thyroid early to prevent further hair loss than to sit around and let it impact your life.

By the way, you don’t necessarily have to experience overt hair loss either.

Instead, you may see changes to your hair texture including a thinning of the hair strands themselves.

Another tell-tale sign of Hashimoto’s is the thinning of the eyebrow at the tips.

Very few conditions cause this symptom so if you see it along with more hair in the shower, it’s almost guaranteed to be your thyroid.

6. Dry Skin

Just like your hair, your thyroid can impact your skin as well.

And while this may not seem like a big deal, it actually is.

When thyroid hormone declines, your sweat glands are less functional.

This means your skin loses its ability to retain moisture leading to dry, cracked, scaly skin.

But in addition, the more sinister problem comes from your inability to excrete toxins which normally are eliminated through sweat.

This means your body as a whole is less efficient at detoxifying harmful compounds that may build up.

The best way to tell if your dry skin is from your thyroid is whether or not it’s combined with decreased sweating.

If you notice both then there’s a good chance it’s Hashimoto’s.  

7. Swelling of Your Face

Do you ever wake up with puffy eyes, swollen cheeks, or an otherwise bloated appearance in your face?

If so, it could be your thyroid.

A decline in thyroid hormone results in a build-up of sugar molecules that hold onto water.

The result is fluid retention and swelling wherever those molecules accumulate.

That could be anywhere, by the way, but it’s often found in the face (4).

This symptom is not as common as the others we’ve discussed, but it does occur in as many as 40% of women with Hashimoto’s.

8. Aches and Pains, Especially in the Muscles and Joints

Hashimoto’s is an inflammatory state and this inflammation isn’t just isolated to the thyroid gland.

It can, and does, exist in other tissues such as your muscles and your joints (5).

And when it does, you’ll feel that inflammation as aches and pains.

Despite what other doctors might tell you, even if you are older, you should NOT be experiencing aches and pains. They are not automatically a product of getting older, even though that’s what you’ve been told.

What is true is that this a very non-specific symptom, but if you combine it with something like unexplained weight gain and extra hair loss in the shower drain, there’s a good chance that all of these are connected through your thyroid.

9. Feeling Like You Are Cold All the Time

Some signs are more specific for Hashimot’s than others and this is one that is pretty darn specific.

If you are someone who needs to wear socks to bed or someone who wears a sweater in the summer, there’s a good chance Hashimoto’s is to blame.

Why?

Because your thyroid regulates both your metabolism and heat production.

If your body is less efficient at burning energy for fuel (manifested as a decline in your metabolism), you won’t produce as much heat and your core body temperature will fall (5).

When this happens, you will feel cold constantly.

And not only will you feel cold, but you’ll feel irritable when you are cold.

That cold sensitivity is a very specific sign of a thyroid problem.

Wrapping it Up

Having just one of these symptoms won’t tell if you have Hashimoto’s.

But as you start stacking them on top of each other, the likelihood that you do gets higher and higher.

If you have 1-2 symptoms, there’s probably a 10-20% chance that you have this thyroid problem.

But that number jumps up to the 80%+ range if you have 4-5 or more.

And if that’s you, it’s time to get your thyroid checked.

The best and easiest way to confirm a diagnosis of Hashimoto’s is by testing for thyroid antibodies.

But most doctors won’t do this unless you specifically ask for it. So make sure you go in prepared.

And, by the way, if you want to learn exactly which tests are needed you can check out this article next.