Reproductive health problems associated with thyroid disorders among health science students

Background: Thyroid disorders feature among the most frequent endocrine disorders in India. There is rarity of studies with respect to reproductive health problems faced by women with thyroid disorders. Objectives: This study was done to assess reproductive health problems among female students with thyroid disorders. Settings and Design: Cross sectional study done at a private medical, dental and nursing college. Method and Materials: Data was collected among female students using a self-administered questionnaire. Height and weight of all participants was recorded using standard procedures. Statistical Analysis: Chi square test Results: Mean age of the 466 participants was 20.4+1.5 years. As many as 25(5.4%) had thyroid disorders and all these were cases of hypothyroidism. Difficulty in maintaining ideal body weight (P=0.006) and trouble in controlling excess weight (P<0.001) in the past 6 months was significantly more among hypothyroid participants. Similarly these cases reported frequent late menstrual periods (P=0.027) and irregular menstrual periods (P=0.001) over the past 6 months. Overweight was significantly more among hypothyroid participants compared to others (P=0.045). Conclusions: Reproductive health problems were associated with hypothyroidism among participants in this settings. Suitable remedial measures added with awareness programs on these aspects needs to be conducted among students with hypothyroidism.