The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your lower neck. A thyroid biopsy is a procedure that helps diagnose or rule out thyroid cancer.

As an oncologic endocrinologist at MD Anderson, I often perform thyroid biopsies and order thyroid biopsies to be performed by radiologists. Here, I’ll answer some of the most common questions I get about them.

A doctor usually...

Ever heard someone blame their inability to lose weight on a “thyroid problem?”

While “thyroid problems” can and do cause people real issues, an inability to lose weight generally isn’t among them. Instead, symptoms of thyroid dysfunction range from insomnia, constipation, and hair loss to fluid retention, fatigue and temperature intolerances. They can even negatively affect your heart function and menstrual cycle.

So, how...