Prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in women with dysfunctional uterine bleeding in Kano, North-Western Nigeria

Context: Thyroid hormones play a key role in the menstrual and reproductive functions of women. Thyroid dysfunction is marked by a large number of menstrual aberrations. Objective: To determine the incidence of thyroid dysfunction in dysfunctional uterine bleeding (DUB) and its correlation with menstrual patterns. Materials and Methods: The study population consisted of 64 DUB patients aged between 19 and 45 years and an equal number of age-matched women with a normal menstrual cycle. Plasma concentrations of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (T4), and free triiodothyronine (T3) of the participants were measured. Laboratory analyses were conducted on Elecsys 2010 immunology analyzer. Statistical analysis was performed with Microsoft Excel software, and the data were transferred into IBM SPSS version 21.0 for processing. A P-value of <0.05 was considered significant. Results: Among the 64 women with DUB, 21.9% had thyroid dysfunction, of which 14.1% had overt hypothyroidism, 6.2% had subclinical hypothyroidism, and 1.5% had overt hyperthyroidism. The main menstrual complaint among hypothyroid DUB patients was menorrhagia. The only presentation in hyperthyroidism was oligomenorrhea. Conclusion: The prevalence of abnormal thyroid function in this study was high; therefore, screening of DUB patients for thyroid function abnormalities is suggested.