People often sort of automatically tie the word “thyroid” to women’s health. Like from pregnancy complications to weight gain and hormonal imbalance, thyroid disorders are presented as a kind of female problem
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Dr. Narendra BS
People often sort of automatically tie the word “thyroid” to women’s health. Like from pregnancy complications to weight gain and hormonal imbalance, thyroid disorders are presented as a kind of female problem. And even though women are diagnosed more often, this situation has quietly made a risky blind spot around men and their thyroid health.
Still, lots of men end up living with undiagnosed thyroid troubles because neither they or their doctors, at first glance, really zero in on the thyroid gland. New evidence from clinicaldiagnosisare hinting that thyroid disorders in men may be muchmore than what we assumed before, especially when it comes to metabolism, mood and the mental health picture, sexual wellbeing,and even fertility.
The thyroid gland,a small organ in the neck, makes hormones that help control metabolism, energy production, body temperature, heart rhythm, and even hormonal balance. But when that gland’s hormone production is disrupted, like being underactive, what doctors call hypothyroidism, or too active, aka hyperthyroidism, the consequences can spread out pretty far, and it’s not always obvious at first.
For men, the symptoms often show up in a way that’s not immediately tied to the thyroid,or they get waved off as “just stress” or “normal ageing,” sometimes even burnout, or low testosterone. Stuff like ongoing fatigue, unexplained weight gain, a low, flat mood, hair thinning, difficulty focusing, muscle weakness, erectile dysfunction, and reduced desire are among the more typical signs. Since a lot of these feel similar to lifestyle issues and mental health problems, thyroid conditions in men can end up unnoticed for years, even while the body is sending the same quiet signals over and over.
One of the most overlooked parts is male fertility. Studies seem to suggest that thyroid hormones play a big part in sperm production and how sperm move, and in general reproductive wellness. If thyroid hormone levels get out of whack, it can upset the testes and interfere with spermatogenesis, meaning the whole sequence where sperm are made and then get matured.
Research in peer-reviewed journals has shown that both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism can come with fewer sperm, abnormal sperm shape, and reduced motility. A few studies have also reported links to erectile dysfunction and changes in testosterone levels. Importantly, many of these reproductive effects may improve once thyroid function is corrected through treatment.
A 2025 meta-analysis looking at subclinical hypothyroidism in men found that even a slightly off thyroid situation could, in a bad way, mess with sperm quality and fertility markers. The authors basically emphasized that thyroid testing should be included as part of the routine check when clinicians are assessing male infertility cases, not as an afterthought.
The whole thing gets more complicated because men, statistically, are less likely to get screened for thyroid disorders in the first place. You can find this theme in news reports and what endocrinologists keep saying, thyroid conditions are often treated like a woman’s issue, so men may get diagnosed late. A lot of times, the symptoms are handled as if they are just from obesity, depression, poor sleep, or stress. In other words, they are not always investigated in a hormonal way.
That delayed diagnosis can end up causing long-term consequences. When hypothyroidism is left untreated, it may raise the risk of high cholesterol cardiovascular disease, poor circulation, and metabolic dysfunction. Hyperthyroidism, however, can also contribute to anxious feelings, an irregular heartbeat, muscle wasting, and weaker bones.
Another concern emerging from recent research is subclinical thyroid disease, where thyroid-stimulating hormone levels become abnormal but symptoms remain subtle or are absent. These “borderline” thyroid changes are getting picked up more and more during routine health checkups in India, but still many people just ignore them because they don’t feel visibly unwell. Experts keep warning that if subclinical thyroid disorders are left untreated, they may slowly progress and start nudging metabolism, heart vascular health, and fertility in time.
Honestly awareness is probably the biggest missing piece, and it’s not small. Men are less likely to talk about symptoms like sexual dysfunction, low energy, mood shifts, or fertility struggles openly. Because of that, thyroid disease in men stays under- recognised even with the growing scientific evidence.
Doctors now more and more recommend that men having unexplained fatigue, sudden weight changes, ongoing hair fall, fertility problems, depression-like symptoms, or sexual well-being concerns should think about thyroid testing as a part of a broader checkup. A plain blood test that measures TSH, T3 and T4 levels can often show crucial answers pretty fast.
The thyroid itself might be a small gland, but its effect on male health is anything but small. It matters to break the myth that thyroid disorders are only for women, because earlier detection can really help, not only with long-term quality of life but also with reproductive health and general wellness for men
(The writer is Lead Consultant, Endocrinology and Diabetology at Aster Whitefield Hospitals)