Thyroid

Common Signs and Symptoms

• Fatigue or sluggishness
• Brain fog or poor memory
• Anxiety, low mood or irritability
• Weight gain or difficulty losing weight
• Hair thinning or hair loss
• Cold hands and feet or feeling cold all the time
• Dry skin or brittle nails
• Irregular or heavy periods
• Constipation or slow digestion
• Heart palpitations or insomnia (with overactive thyroid)

What Is the Thyroid?

The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland in your neck that plays a big role in how your body functions. It produces hormones that regulate your metabolism, energy, body temperature, mood, digestion and even menstrual cycles. When the thyroid is out of balance, either underactive (hypothyroidism), overactive (hyperthyroidism), or affected by autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto’s or Graves’, you can feel it in almost every area of your health.

At MNMC, we understand how complex thyroid health can be, and how frustrating it is to feel “off” when your blood tests are called “normal.” We’re here to look deeper, connect the dots, and help you feel like yourself again.

Thyroid changes are one of the most common drivers of brain fog and poor concentration, and a frequent reason behind a late or missed period.

What Sits Behind Thyroid Symptoms

The thyroid rarely goes wrong in isolation. What our practitioners look at:

• Autoimmunity. Hashimoto’s and Graves’ disease are the most common causes of thyroid dysfunction, which is why antibodies matter and why a TSH-only screen can miss the mechanism entirely.
• Iodine and selenium status. Both are required to make and convert thyroid hormone, and both can be too low or, with iodine, too high.
• Iron and ferritin. Low iron impairs thyroid hormone production and independently causes many of the same symptoms.
• Conversion rather than production. T4 has to convert to active T3, and that conversion is impaired by stress, inflammation, low calorie intake and nutrient gaps.
• Gut health. A meaningful share of T4 to T3 conversion depends on the gut, and autoimmunity frequently travels with intestinal permeability.
• Postpartum and perimenopause. Both are common windows for thyroid problems to surface or change.
• Stress load. Sustained cortisol suppresses conversion, which is why symptoms worsen in the hardest periods.

Because the symptom picture overlaps so heavily, the pattern across several symptoms matters more than any single one.

Testing Beyond a TSH Screen

Most standard screens measure TSH alone, and TSH can sit inside the reference range while free T3, free T4 or antibodies tell a different story. A fuller panel covers:

• A full thyroid panel measuring TSH, free T4, free T3, reverse T3 and thyroid antibodies (TPO and TgAb)
• Iron studies with ferritin, plus zinc and selenium
• Vitamin D and B12
• Iodine status, interpreted carefully rather than supplemented on assumption

We read results against your symptoms rather than in isolation, and a family history of thyroid or other autoimmune conditions is a reason to look more closely rather than a diagnosis on its own. Nodules, a goitre or significant swelling need medical assessment and imaging rather than functional testing.

How Our Practitioners Approach Thyroid Health

Your first appointment goes through your symptoms, your full history including postpartum and family history, your energy and temperature patterns, your cycle, your diet and any previous results you have. Bring your blood work, because reading what you already have against how you actually feel is often the most useful part of the consultation.

From there the work is on what supports thyroid function and conversion: iron and nutrient status, selenium and iodine where testing supports it, blood sugar, gut health, stress load and sleep. Where autoimmunity is present, the focus shifts toward the immune picture rather than the gland alone.

You do not need to stop thyroid medication to see us, and you should not. We work alongside your GP and endocrinologist, never instead of them, and our practitioners will never advise you to stop or change prescribed medication. Keeping your medical team involved is part of safe care and we are happy to share our findings with them.

Consultations are available at our South Melbourne clinic or by telehealth Australia-wide, and test kits can be posted where testing is appropriate.