Graves' disease
Graves' disease (PDF, 100 KB)
Graves' disease (PDF, 100 KB)
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Graves' disease is an autoimmune disease that damages the thyroid gland. Graves' disease affects more women than men. It is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland). Symptoms of Graves' disease may include bulging eyes, weight loss, and a fast metabolism. Hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease is treatable with medicine. But if left untreated, Graves' disease can cause osteoporosis, heart problems, and problems getting pregnant and during pregnancy.
Graves' disease is an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid gland. Your thyroid is a small gland at the base of your neck. Your thyroid gland makes hormones that control many activities in your body, including how fast your heart beats and how fast you burn calories.
In a person with Graves' disease, the immune system makes antibodies that cause the thyroid to make more thyroid hormone than the body needs. Graves' disease most often leads to hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism causes your metabolism to speed up.1
Graves' disease is more common in women than in men. Women are most often affected between the ages of 30 and 60.1
Some women are more likely to develop Graves' disease than other women. Your risk is higher if you:1
Many of the symptoms of Graves' disease are the same as those of other causes of hyperthyroidism. Other signs are found only in Graves' disease.4
Symptoms of Graves' disease include:
The symptoms of Graves' disease can start slowly or very suddenly. Some people do not have any symptoms.
Graves' disease can lead to an eye problem called Graves' ophthalmopathy. It affects up to half of people with Graves' disease.5 The main symptoms of Graves' ophthalmopathy are eyes that seem to bulge out of their eye sockets, problems seeing, and irritated eyes.
Graves' ophthalmopathy happens when cells from your body's immune (defense) system attack the tissues around your eyes. The result is inflammation and swelling in the eye socket, causing the eyeball to bulge out. If left untreated, damage to the nerves in the eyes can also lead to blindness.
Smoking (including secondhand smoke) is the leading risk factor for Graves' ophthalmopathy. Quitting smoking lowers your risk for developing Graves' ophthalmopathy.3 If you already have Graves' ophthalmopathy, quitting smoking can help your treatment work better.
Graves' ophthalmopathy is treated with eye drops and eyeglasses, radiation therapy, or eye surgery. Your treatment will depend on how serious your eye problems are.4
Graves' disease is triggered by some process in the body's immune system, which normally protects the body from infection. In Graves' disease, the body makes an antibody that attacks the cells of the thyroid gland.
Women are more likely to get Graves' disease than men. Graves' disease also affects women differently than men. In addition to causing heart problems and osteoporosis, Graves' disease in women can cause:
To diagnose Graves' disease, your doctor will do a physical exam and may do some tests. Tests that can help you find out if you have Graves' disease include:
Treatments for Graves' disease lower the amount of thyroid hormone in your body or block the action of thyroid hormone. There are three main treatments for Graves' disease:7
Your doctor may also suggest you take a medicine called a beta blocker. Beta blockers block some of the effects of excess thyroid hormone on your body. They slow down your heart rate and reduce symptoms such as shaking and nervousness. Beta blockers work quickly and can help you feel better while you wait for additional treatment to start working.
All medicines have risks. You should talk to your doctor about the benefits and risks of all medicines.
Without treatment, Graves' disease can lead to other health problems, including:
Women with Graves' disease often have irregular menstrual periods. If your periods are irregular, you may not ovulate each month, which can make it difficult to get pregnant.
In a man, Graves' disease can harm the sperm, which can make it difficult for you to get pregnant.10
Treatment of Graves' disease can often make your menstrual periods regular and restore fertility in women and men.11
Normal hormone changes during pregnancy cause thyroid hormone levels to increase. The thyroid gland may also enlarge slightly in healthy women during pregnancy, but not enough to be felt. These changes do not affect the pregnancy or your unborn baby.
Undiagnosed thyroid gland problems can harm you and your unborn baby. Symptoms of normal pregnancy, such as fatigue and feeling hot, can make it easy to overlook thyroid problems that cause the same symptoms. Tell your doctor or nurse if you have symptoms of overactive thyroid or notice a goiter.
Untreated or poorly treated Graves' disease can lead to problems during pregnancy, such as:
It also can lead to serious problems for your baby, such as:
During pregnancy, you may need to see an endocrinologist, a doctor who treats people with hormone problems. Your doctors will check your thyroid levels during pregnancy.
You cannot get radioiodine therapy during pregnancy. It can cause problems with your pregnancy and to your unborn baby. Your doctor may give you anti-thyroid medicine instead. Propylthiouracil (PTU) is safe to take throughout pregnancy.4
Also, your treatment may change during your pregnancy. For some women with Graves' disease, symptoms are worse in the first trimester and then get better for the rest of the pregnancy as thyroid hormone levels change. Some women can stop taking anti-thyroid medicines in the last four to eight weeks of pregnancy if their thyroid activity becomes normal. Your doctor will check your thyroid hormone levels again after childbirth.4
Yes. Mothers taking the anti-thyroid drug propylthiouracil (PTU) can safely breastfeed.12
For more information about Graves' disease, call the OWH Helpline at 1-800-994-9662 or contact the following organizations:
Graves' disease (PDF, 100 KB)
Enter a city, ZIP code (such as 20002), address, state, or place
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The Office on Women's Health is grateful for the medical review in 2016 by:
Ellen Leschek, M.D., Pediatric Endocrinologist, Program Director, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolic Diseases, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Niveditha Mohan, M.D., Internist, Assistant Professor, Arthritis and Autoimmunity Center, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
All material contained on these pages are free of copyright restrictions and may be copied, reproduced, or duplicated without permission of the Office on Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Citation of the source is appreciated.
Page last updated: October 18, 2018.
Graves' disease is an autoimmune disease that damages the thyroid gland. Graves' disease affects more women than men. It is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland). Symptoms of Graves' disease may include bulging eyes, weight loss, and a fast metabolism. Hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease is treatable with medicine. But if left untreated, Graves' disease can cause osteoporosis, heart problems, and problems getting pregnant and during pregnancy.
Graves' disease is an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid gland. Your thyroid is a small gland at the base of your neck. Your thyroid gland makes hormones that control many activities in your body, including how fast your heart beats and how fast you burn calories.
In a person with Graves' disease, the immune system makes antibodies that cause the thyroid to make more thyroid hormone than the body needs. Graves' disease most often leads to hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism causes your metabolism to speed up.1
Graves' disease is more common in women than in men. Women are most often affected between the ages of 30 and 60.1
Some women are more likely to develop Graves' disease than other women. Your risk is higher if you:1
Many of the symptoms of Graves' disease are the same as those of other causes of hyperthyroidism. Other signs are found only in Graves' disease.4
Symptoms of Graves' disease include:
The symptoms of Graves' disease can start slowly or very suddenly. Some people do not have any symptoms.
Graves' disease can lead to an eye problem called Graves' ophthalmopathy. It affects up to half of people with Graves' disease.5 The main symptoms of Graves' ophthalmopathy are eyes that seem to bulge out of their eye sockets, problems seeing, and irritated eyes.
Graves' ophthalmopathy happens when cells from your body's immune (defense) system attack the tissues around your eyes. The result is inflammation and swelling in the eye socket, causing the eyeball to bulge out. If left untreated, damage to the nerves in the eyes can also lead to blindness.
Smoking (including secondhand smoke) is the leading risk factor for Graves' ophthalmopathy. Quitting smoking lowers your risk for developing Graves' ophthalmopathy.3 If you already have Graves' ophthalmopathy, quitting smoking can help your treatment work better.
Graves' ophthalmopathy is treated with eye drops and eyeglasses, radiation therapy, or eye surgery. Your treatment will depend on how serious your eye problems are.4
Graves' disease is triggered by some process in the body's immune system, which normally protects the body from infection. In Graves' disease, the body makes an antibody that attacks the cells of the thyroid gland.
Women are more likely to get Graves' disease than men. Graves' disease also affects women differently than men. In addition to causing heart problems and osteoporosis, Graves' disease in women can cause:
To diagnose Graves' disease, your doctor will do a physical exam and may do some tests. Tests that can help you find out if you have Graves' disease include:
Treatments for Graves' disease lower the amount of thyroid hormone in your body or block the action of thyroid hormone. There are three main treatments for Graves' disease:7
Your doctor may also suggest you take a medicine called a beta blocker. Beta blockers block some of the effects of excess thyroid hormone on your body. They slow down your heart rate and reduce symptoms such as shaking and nervousness. Beta blockers work quickly and can help you feel better while you wait for additional treatment to start working.
All medicines have risks. You should talk to your doctor about the benefits and risks of all medicines.
Without treatment, Graves' disease can lead to other health problems, including:
Women with Graves' disease often have irregular menstrual periods. If your periods are irregular, you may not ovulate each month, which can make it difficult to get pregnant.
In a man, Graves' disease can harm the sperm, which can make it difficult for you to get pregnant.10
Treatment of Graves' disease can often make your menstrual periods regular and restore fertility in women and men.11
Normal hormone changes during pregnancy cause thyroid hormone levels to increase. The thyroid gland may also enlarge slightly in healthy women during pregnancy, but not enough to be felt. These changes do not affect the pregnancy or your unborn baby.
Undiagnosed thyroid gland problems can harm you and your unborn baby. Symptoms of normal pregnancy, such as fatigue and feeling hot, can make it easy to overlook thyroid problems that cause the same symptoms. Tell your doctor or nurse if you have symptoms of overactive thyroid or notice a goiter.
Untreated or poorly treated Graves' disease can lead to problems during pregnancy, such as:
It also can lead to serious problems for your baby, such as:
During pregnancy, you may need to see an endocrinologist, a doctor who treats people with hormone problems. Your doctors will check your thyroid levels during pregnancy.
You cannot get radioiodine therapy during pregnancy. It can cause problems with your pregnancy and to your unborn baby. Your doctor may give you anti-thyroid medicine instead. Propylthiouracil (PTU) is safe to take throughout pregnancy.4
Also, your treatment may change during your pregnancy. For some women with Graves' disease, symptoms are worse in the first trimester and then get better for the rest of the pregnancy as thyroid hormone levels change. Some women can stop taking anti-thyroid medicines in the last four to eight weeks of pregnancy if their thyroid activity becomes normal. Your doctor will check your thyroid hormone levels again after childbirth.4
Yes. Mothers taking the anti-thyroid drug propylthiouracil (PTU) can safely breastfeed.12
For more information about Graves' disease, call the OWH Helpline at 1-800-994-9662 or contact the following organizations:
This content is provided by the Office on Women's Health.
A federal government website managed by the Office on Women's Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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1-800-994-9662 • Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET (closed on federal holidays).