Plagued by a constant feeling of tiredness? Or perhaps you’re mysteriously gaining weight – and no, sorry to break it to you, those midnight 'healthy kale chips' raids do not count. If these symptoms sound uncomfortably familiar, maybe you should glance at your thyroid's direction. Ah yes, that small butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of your neck, incognito superhero, the unassuming guardian of your metabolic factories. But when this vigilante loses its beat, it can cause Hypothyroidism. Translation? An underactive thyroid, leading to a truckload of health woes.

Throw out your magnifying glasses and deerstalkers, because the signs aren't always obvious. Our buddy Hypothyroidism likes playing hide and seek, with the symptoms appearing gradually. So, expect the usual suspects like weight gain, fatigue, depression, hair loss, and a host of others. But don't expect a eureka moment because these symptoms often creep up and can easily get ignored or confused with other conditions.

Before you scream "Why me?!", let's hit the facts: Hypothyroidism can affect anybody with a thyroid (so, well, everyone). Sometimes a baby even arrives in the world already sporting it – this is called congenital hypothyroidism, which sounds as scary as it is, but thankfully it can be detected early with routine screenings.

Wondering who's on the hit-list for this condition? ‘Welcome to the club’ notes are most likely to be received by females, the over 60s, and people with a range of other health conditions. Even pregnancy can play a role here, causing changes in thyroid function that might result in hypothyroidism.

The usual culprit behind most cases of hypothyroidism in the US is Hashimoto's disease, where your very own immune system decides to take down the thyroid gland. Plot twist, it's not the only player. Rarely, it can be a result of pituitary disease, or an overdose of iodine.

Beware of the notorious complications of hypothyroidism. The effects can mess around with your sex life (yes, you heard it right!), making it harder to get an erection among males while lowering desire in both males and females. Other consequences are, unfortunately, rather less entertaining.

For those who have resolved to play detective to confirm if they are in the grips of this hormonal villain, your doctor can schedule blood tests and imaging tests. These can measure how much of hormones your thyroid is dolling out and let's not forget to mention the radioactive iodine uptake test – measuring how much iodine your thyroid snatches from your blood. Sounds like a sci-fi thriller, right?

As for the treatment, there are notably straightforward. You'll pop a pill that replaces the hormones your sluggish thyroid forgot to make. Frequent blood tests with your healthcare provider will help figure out your dosage before your new life with hypothyroidism starts on a regulated routine of blood work every six months. Bring on the lifestyle and diet changes.

Grim as it sounds, once your treatment begins, it’s usually well managed which means Hypothyroidism scores pretty low on the life-ruining scale. So, hypothyroidism might have thought it had the last laugh, but it didn't count on us having the antidote to the nonsense.