CROSS PLAINS, Wis. -- The number of women experiencing problems with their thyroid gland is on the rise and the rate of thyroid cancer has nearly doubled in recent years, according to local health officials.

Sandy Dresen, of Cross Plains, is a busy mother of four with a hectic life. She said that some days it's a struggle just to get out of bed, WISC-TV reported.

"I think it takes a bigger toll almost than I'm willing to admit," said Dresen.

Three years ago, Dresen was working full-time, raising three boys and in the middle of remodeling her home when she found out she was pregnant with her fourth child.

"I was tired. I felt run down, but it was just part of being a mom," said Dresen.

But the fatigue wasn't her hectic life or her pregnancy, but was her thyroid.

"I went in the first part of January for my first prenatal appointment with my OB-GYN and he found a lump in my neck," said Dresen. "I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer."

Dresen said that she didn't know anything about a thyroid, but learned quickly.

Thyroid disease affects 10 times more women than men, WISC-TV reported.

"The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped structure here which sits right at the top of a windpipe," said endocrinologist Dr. Herb Chen. "Although it looks pretty big, it's actually very thin and so often, it's difficult to feel."

Chen is the chief of Endocrine Surgery at the University of Wisconsin Hospital.

"The thyroid's job is to control your metabolism basically," said Chen. "It plays a huge role in just regulating how we feel on a day-to-day basis."

If a thyroid is overactive, it's called hyperthyroidism, or Graves' disease.

The symptoms are similar to having too many cups of coffee. It consists of weight loss, a racing heart and anxiousness. What's far more common, especially in women, is hypothyroidism. That condition is when the thyroid is under active, WISC-TV reported.

Symptoms of hypothyroidism include fatigue, weight gain, cold intolerance, and loss of hair, health officials said.

"Generally, those conditions can be treated without surgery," said Chen. "Usually, if you're under active you can get a thyroid hormone pill to take everyday to replace the function of your thyroid. But if it's overactive there are different treatments available, both radioactive iodine, surgery and medication."

According to the American Cancer Society, thyroid cancer is more rare, but increasing every year.

"Last year, there were over 30,000 cases in the United States," said Chen. "Probably about five years ago, there were about 20,000, so it's risen about 50 percent."

Medical experts attribute the rise to exposure to radiation and family history. But researchers like Chen believe the increase is due to technology, being able to detect cases more often.

"I think a lot of the reason we see the increase is technology-based because some people believe that if we all lived long enough, a thyroid cancer would eventually pop up in our thyroid," said Chen.

A cancer diagnosis is always life-altering, but Chen said that thyroid patients are lucky in many ways.

"If you're going to get cancer, God forbid, one of the best cancers to get is thyroid cancer because most patients who get thyroid cancer live a normal life after their treatment," said Chen. "They live a normal lifespan. They'll undergo some treatments which basically are safe and very well tolerated. They'll live a long healthy life."

Dresen is living proof of that. She had a healthy pregnancy, is taking her medicine and is gradually feeling like her old self again.