Thyroid disease in women tests. The thyroid is a small gland in the front of the neck. The thyroid makes hormones called T3 and T4 that regulate how the body uses energy. Thyroid hormone levels are controlled by the pituitary gland, which is a pea-sized gland in the brain. It makes thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), which triggers the thyroid to make thyroid hormone. In thyroid disease the immune system makes antibodies that damage thyroid cells and interfere with their ability to make thyroid hormone. Over time, thyroid damage can cause thyroid hormone levels to be too low. This is called an underactive thyroid or
Thyroid is the production of the iodine-containing thyroid hormones, triiodothyronine (T) and thyroxine (T) and the peptide hormone calcitonin. T is so named because it contains three atoms of iodine per molecule and T contains four atoms of iodine per molecule. The thyroid hormones have a wide range of effects on the human body. These include: After secretion, only a very small proportion of the thyroid hormones travel freely in the blood. Most are bound to thyroxine-binding globulin (about 70%), transthyretin (10%), and albumin (15%). Only the 0.03% of T and 0.3% of T traveling freely have hormonal activity. In addition,