The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland that sits in the base of your neck. It’s a master gland that controls our metabolism, helping the body convert food into energy and fuel.

This energy is then used by all of our body’s other systems. It controls breathing, heart rate, the nervous system, body temperature, weight, and much more. So, if the thyroid is not functioning properly, we can feel a number of major symptoms in nearly every part of the body.

Some common symptoms of hypothyroidism in women include weight gain or weight loss resistance, fatigue, anxiety and depression, constipation, hair loss, feeling cold all the time, and brain fog. If you’re feeling a combination of these, it’s probably time to get your thyroid checked. 

So, let’s explore what hormones the thyroid gland produces and needs in order to function properly and do its job maintaining our metabolism.

T3: Thyroxine

This is your active thyroid hormone that tells your cells how much energy to use. While all of the hormones mentioned here are important, T3 is certainty the most important, as it’s what directly communicates with the rest of your body. You make about 20% of the T3 that your body needs, and the rest is converted from stores of T4.

T4: Triiodothyronine

Is the inactive thyroid hormone. Your must body convert this T4 into T3 in order to use it, which makes up the other 80% of the T3 that your body needs. So, it’s there for your body to access, once it has been converted properly. If you are dealing with a slow thyroid, this conversion is not happening as quickly or often as it should be. 

Reverse T3

This is a marker that looks at whether your body is taking that T4 and converting it to T3, or if it’s reverting back to it’s inactive state. If you have a lot of reverse T3, then something is off. While not a hormone, it can help indicate how healthy the thyroid is. 

TSH: Thyroid-stimulating hormone

This is also not a thyroid hormone, but is actually released from the pituitary gland in your brain. TSH a hormone that controls your thyroid by sending a signal to your thyroid to release more T3 and/or convert more T4 into T3, based on what your thyroid needs in that moment. Often times, conventional doctors will only test for and supplement TSH. And while that’s important, it may not actually be what your body needs. So make sure you’re asking for that full thyroid panel when you get tested!

If you think you may have an issue with your thyroid hormones, it’s important to talk to your doctor. But first, read this post on everything you need to know about thyroid testing so that you can make sure you are getting the right test that will show what treatment you really need.

I have a free guide on the secret to reading your thyroid blood test results, so that you can better understand what your tests are showing, what your body is missing, and to make sure you are treating the root cause of your symptoms, and not just masking them.