 [ Symptoms ] what are the symptoms of hypothyroidism [ Disease ] symptoms of hypothyroidism usually appear slowly over months or years symptoms and signs may include coarse and thinning hair dry skin brittle nails a yellowish tint to the skin slow body movements cold skin inability to tolerate cold feeling tired sluggish or weak memory problems depression or difficulty concentrating constipation heavy or irregular menstrual periods that may last longer than 5 to 7 days other less common symptoms may include an enlarged thyroid gland  goiter  modest weight gain often or less swelling of the arms hands legs and feet and facial puffiness particularly around the eyes hoarseness muscle aches and cramps in general how bad your symptoms are depends on your age how long you have had hypothyroidism and the seriousness of the condition the symptoms may be so mild and happen so slowly that they go unnoticed for years the older you are the more likely you are to notice symptoms mild subclinical hypothyroidism often causes no symptoms or vague symptoms that may be attributed to aging such as memory problems dry skin and fatigue symptoms of hypothyroidism during and after pregnancy include fatigue weight loss dizziness depression and memory and concentration problems some women develop a goiter because of the variety of symptoms hypothyroidism can be mistaken for depression especially during and after pregnancy in older people it may be confused with alzheimer is disease dementia and other conditions that cause memory problems symptoms of hypothyroidism in infants children and teens although rare hypothyroidism can occur in infants children and teens in infants symptoms of a goiter include a poor appetite and choking on food symptoms of hypothyroidism may include dry scaly skin in children and teens symptoms include behavior problems and changes in school performance children and teens may gain weight and yet have a slowed growth rate teens may have delayed puberty and look much younger than their age webmd medical reference from healthwise this information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information © 1995 2011 healthwise incorporated healthwise healthwise for every health decision and the healthwise logo are trademarks of healthwise incorporated