COMMUNITY-BASED STUDY OF THYROID DYSFUNCTION AND MENSTRUAL IRREGULARITIES IN REPRODUCTIVE-AGE WOMEN AND ITS TREATMENT
Main Article Content
Keywords
Thyroid dysfunction, menstrual irregularities, subclinical hypothyroidism, reproductive age, community-based study
Abstract
Background: The hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis is an important regulator of the menstrual cycle and it is influenced by thyroid hormones. Thyroid disease is a frequent but underdiagnosed disorder in women of reproductive age and commonly is linked to menstrual dysfunction.
Objective: To determine the frequency of thyroid dysfunction and its association with menstrual irregularities among reproductive-age women in a community-based setting.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was a community-based study in January 2024 to January 2025 at Pak International Medical College Peshawar. A sample of 72 women aged 1845 years was taken through non-probability consecutive sampling. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on demographic characteristics, menstrual history and clinical features. ELISA was used to determine the levels of thyroid functions such as serum TSH, FT3, and FT4. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 25. Associations were evaluated using Chi-square test at p 0.05 which was regarded as statistically significant.
Results: The mean age of participants was 29.8 ± 6.4 years. Thyroid dysfunction was observed in 47.2% of participants, while 58.3% reported menstrual irregularities. Subclinical hypothyroidism was the most common thyroid disorder (25.0%). A significantly higher proportion of women with thyroid dysfunction had irregular menstrual cycles (61.9%) compared to euthyroid women (38.1%) (p = 0.003).
Conclusion: Thyroid dysfunction is highly prevalent among reproductive-age women and is significantly associated with menstrual irregularities. Routine screening and early management of thyroid disorders may improve menstrual health and reproductive outcomes.
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Sidra Sajid
Training Medical Officer, Department of Obstretics and Gynecology, Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan
Mustafa Waheed
Lecturer, Department of Public Health, Khyber Girls Medical College, Peshawar, Pakistan
Samina Firdous
Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Pak International Medical College, Peshawar, Pakistan
Samina Firdous
Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Pak International Medical College, Peshawar, Pakistan
Saleha Afridi
Associate Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Fazaia Medical College Islamabad, Pakistan
Anjum Mahmood
Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Pak International Medical College, Peshawar, Pakistan
Sayed Khan
Assistant Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Gomal Medical College, Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan
