An endocrinologist is a medical doctor specializing in the endocrine system—the glands (like thyroid, pituitary, adrenal, pancreas) that produce hormones that regulate body functions like growth, metabolism, and mood. They diagnose and treat hormone imbalances and related disorders, most commonly diabetes, thyroid diseases, pituitary/adrenal gland issues, infertility, and metabolic conditions, helping restore hormonal balance through medications or other therapies.

Thyroid disease treatments depend on whether the thyroid is underactive (hypothyroidism) or overactive (hyperthyroidism) and include medication, radioactive iodine therapy, or surgery.

Thyroid surgery, or thyroidectomy, is a procedure to remove all or part of the thyroid gland, a butterfly-shaped gland in the neck that produces hormones regulating metabolism. It is performed for conditions like thyroid cancer, nodules, or hyperthyroidism. Surgery can be a complete removal (total thyroidectomy) or a partial removal (thyroid lobectomy), and a total removal requires lifelong thyroid hormone replacement therapy.