Endocrinologist: Your Diabetes, Thyroid & Hormone Specialist

In most cases, people visit an endocrinologist when their primary care doctor refers them to one. The purpose of the referral is for an expert diagnosis or treatment of an endocrine problem. However, an endocrinologist is not a surgeon. If you need surgery, your endocrinologist will refer you to a surgeon.

If you require continuing care for an endocrine condition, your endocrinologist will let you know if you should continue to see him or her or return to your primary care doctor. In general, your primary care doctor can treat and manage uncomplicated hormonal disorders. For more complex hormonal conditions, your endocrinologist will most likely remain involved in your treatment.

Consider seeking care from an endocrinologist under the following situations: 

• You are diagnosed with more than one endocrine problem or a complicated endocrine disorder.

• You are looking for a second opinion about an endocrine diagnosis or treatment strategy.

• You are newly diagnosed with an endocrine disease and require expert treatment recommendations.

• You have an endocrine disorder that has been stable, but you are now having problems managing it.

• You require an expert diagnosis for new symptoms of an endocrine disorder.

An endocrinologist treats conditions and diseases that involve hormonal imbalances or other problems with your body’s endocrine glands. Hormones act as chemical messengers in your body. Because of this, hormone or gland problems affect many of your body’s systems and are often connected. These conditions include:

• Bone disorders including osteoporosis, osteomalacia (rickets), hyperparathyroidism (overactive parathyroid), Paget’s disease, and bone problems from long-term corticosteroid use

• Cardiovascular endocrine problems including endocrine-related high blood pressure, high cholesterol or cholesterol problems, primary aldosteronism, and pheochromocytoma (a rare adrenal gland tumor)

• Diabetes including type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes, diabetic neuropathy, and prediabetes

• Endocrine gland cancers including thyroid cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, testicular cancer, adrenal cancer, and pituitary cancer

• Growth disorders including acromegaly, gigantism, growth hormone deficiency, short stature, early puberty, delayed puberty, and Turner’s syndrome

• Hormone abuse including abuse of anabolic steroids, steroid precursors, supplements, and endocrine disruptors, such as estrogen blockers

• Obesity and overweight including metabolic syndrome and weight problems related to thyroid, adrenal, ovarian, pituitary and insulin disorders

• Pituitary disorders including benign tumors, growth problems, hypopituitarism (underactive pituitary), hyperprolactinemia (too much prolactin), and Cushing’s syndrome

• Reproductive conditions including infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, erectile dysfunction, decreased sex drive, low testosterone, premature ovarian failure, menopause, and Klinefelter’s syndrome

• Thyroid disorders including hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid), hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid), Grave’s disease, Hashimoto’s disease, thyroid nodules, postpartum thyroiditis, and goiter

An endocrinologist can order or perform a wide variety of diagnostic and screening tests for endocrine or hormonal health problems. These tests include:

• Biopsies including fine-needle aspirations

• Blood tests including hormone blood levels, blood chemistries, and blood glucose tests

• Hormone tests including dexamethasone suppression tests, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation tests, corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) stimulation tests, and oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT)

• Imaging exams including radioisotope scans, bone density tests, ultrasounds, CT (computed tomography) scan, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), and EKGs (electrocardiograms)

• Urine tests including urinalysis and 24-hour urine collections

Endocrinologists order or perform various procedures and treatments to manage hormonal conditions. If you need surgery, your endocrinologist will refer you to either a general surgeon or a specialized surgeon depending on your condition. Common endocrinology procedures and treatments include: 

• Counseling including behavior modification for obese and overweight patients

• Diet including medical weight loss treatments and nutrition education

• Exercise and fitness counseling including weight-bearing exercises and cardiovascular conditioning

• Medications including hormonal therapy, hormone replacement, hormone blockers, vitamins, diabetes medications, insulin, targeted biologic therapies and cancer chemotherapies

• Radiation including radioactive isotopes for hyperthyroidism, radiation therapy, and other applications

• Recommendations and referrals for surgery including partial or full removal of an endocrine gland, weight loss surgery, and surgery to remove cancerous and noncancerous tumors

To find a doctor with the right qualifications, look for an endocrinologist who is board certified in endocrinology. Board certification verifies that a doctor has completed an endocrinology residency and passed an exam verifying her expertise. A board-certified endocrinologist is an MD or DO who has completed subspecialty fellowship training and has earned certification in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism by the American Board of Internal Medicine or in endocrinology by the American Osteopathic Board of Internal Medicine. Both Boards require prior residency training and certification in internal medicine. To maintain board certification, an endocrinologist must participate in an ongoing certification program.

To set up an appointment with an experienced endocrinologist today, discover board-certified endocrinologists near you.

When you call a doctor’s office for information, ask about his expertise and success treating your particular condition. Some endocrinologists focus their practice on one or two endocrine system diseases and are highly skilled at treating them, such as:

• Bone disorders

• Diabetes

• Growth disorders

• High blood pressure

• Lipid and cholesterol disorders

• Obesity and overweight

• Pituitary gland disorders

• Thyroid diseases

If your child needs to see an endocrinologist, look for a board-certified pediatric endocrinologist. Pediatric endocrinology is a subspecialty of pediatrics.