Study of Prevalence of Subclinical Hypothyroidism in Menstrual Irregularity Cases in the Thyroid Opd of a Tertiary Care Hospital

Aims: 1. To retrospectively study the prevalence of Subclinical Hypothyroidism in women of the reproductive age group having menstrual irregularities. 2. To assess the association between menstrual irregularities and Subclinical Hypothyroidism.

Material and Methods: Case records of 60 women with menstrual irregularity, who were referred to the thyroid OPD of a tertiary care hospital in Mumbai during the year 2012 were retrospectively analysed. Women in the reproductive age group (15 to 40 years) were included.

Results and Discussion: Subclinical hypothyroidism was found to have high prevalence of 43.33%. The term "subclinical" is a misnomer as the condition is clearly associated with various symptoms of overt hypothyroidism particularly those of reproductive disoders. There is a clear association between subclinical hypothyroidism and menstrual irregularities. The most common menstrual irregularity found was metrorrhagia [irregular cycles] (in 38.46%) and the most common gynaecological condition was primary infertility (in 19.23%). It was also found that women suffering from subclinical hypothyroidism are at a higher risk of having delayed menarche, menstrual irregularities, reduced fertility and bad obstetric outcomes such as miscarriages.

Conclusion: This study re-emphasises the need for creating increased awareness about the presence of subclinical hypothyroidism amongst women who have reproductive disorders. Universal TSH screening, while yet not a recommendation, should be considered especially for high risk women in the reproductive age group. Thus early diagnosis&timely treatment can be given.