Thyroid Function Profile in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders affecting women of reproductive age and is characterized by reproductive, hormonal and metabolic abnormalities. Thyroid dysfunction, particularly subclinical hypothyroidism and autoimmune thyroid disease, has been reported with variable frequency among women with PCOS. Thyroid abnormalities may further contribute to menstrual irregularities, infertility and metabolic dysfunction. The present study was undertaken to assess the thyroid function profile in women with PCOS and compare it with apparently healthy women.
Materials and Methods: A hospital-based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted at Jangaon Government Hospital, Telangana, India, among 120 women aged 18–40 years. The study included 60 women diagnosed with PCOS and 60 age- and BMI-matched healthy controls. Serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4) and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (anti-TPO) were estimated. Anthropometric and selected metabolic parameters were also assessed. Data were analyzed using independent Student’s t-test, chi-square test and Pearson correlation analysis. A p value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: Women with PCOS demonstrated significantly higher serum TSH compared with healthy controls (3.42 ± 1.48 vs. 2.31 ± 1.02 mIU/L; p<0.001). FT3 and FT4 were significantly lower in the PCOS group. Anti-TPO concentrations were significantly higher in women with PCOS. Subclinical hypothyroidism was observed in 13.3% of women with PCOS compared with 3.3% of controls (p=0.049). TSH showed significant positive correlations with BMI, fasting insulin and HOMA-IR.
Conclusion: Women with PCOS demonstrated significant alterations in thyroid function, characterized predominantly by higher TSH concentrations, lower thyroid hormone concentrations within the reference range and increased frequency of subclinical hypothyroidism and anti-TPO positivity. Assessment of thyroid function may therefore be clinically useful in women with PCOS, particularly those with menstrual irregularity and metabolic risk factors.