A three-year review of reproductive hormonal profiles of infertile women attending gynaecological clinics at UITH, Ilorin

Abstract

Background: Reproductive hormonal profile is an invaluable tool in evaluation of infertile women. It aids the diagnosis of biochemical causes of infertility and monitoring of patients on treatment for infertility of various causes. This study highlights the various patterns of hormonal profile results obtained from female patients being evaluated for infertility and seeks correlations between these patterns, age at presentation and anovulation.

Methodology: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study of 555 women who carried out hormonal profile as part of their evaluations for infertility, over a 3-year period between 1st of January 2013 and 31st of December 2015.

Results: Of the 555 women whose results were reviewed, 188 (33.9%) had primary infertility and 367 (66.1%) had secondary infertility. The mean age of the participants was 33.7±5.3 years. Two hundred and twenty one (38.1%) were anovulatory, 229 (41.3%) had adequate ovulatory cycles and 105 (18.9%) had ovulatory cycles with luteal phase insufficiency. The pattern of hormonal abnormalities included 15 (2.7%) with hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism, 29 (5.2%) with normogonadotrophic normogonadism, 57 (10.3%) with hypergonadotrophic hypogonadism, 78 (14.1%) with hypergonadotrophic normogonadism. Three hundred and seventy six (67.7%) had normogonadotrophic normogonadism with 80 (14.4%) being hyperprolactinemic and 16 (2.9%) had hyperandrogenism.

Conclusion: Secondary infertility, hypergonadotrophism, anovulation and hyperprolactinemia are relatively common findings among our patients.

Keywords: Reproductive, Hormonal patterns, Infertile, Women.