Abstract
BackgroundTo analyze the characteristics of basal thyroid hormone levels in infertile women consulting for assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment.MethodsThis was a retrospective study. Serum TSH, FT3 and FT4 levels of women seeking ART consultation were tested routinely. Analyses were performed based on age and sampling time. One-way ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test was used to compare the continuous data among the groups, and the chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test was used to compare categorical data where appropriate.ResultsA total of 6426 women were initially included in the study. After exclusion criteria were applied, the remaining 4126 women were categorized into different groups. The prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism significantly decreased with age and sampling time, from 21.09 to 11.91% and from 28.57 to 10.67%, respectively (P < 0.001, respectively). Mean serum TSH, FT3, and FT4 levels decreased significantly with age (P = 0.017, < 0.001, < 0.001, respectively). In the context of sampling time, TSH levels from early in the morning were significantly higher (P < 0.001), while FT4 and FT3 levels were similar in different groups (P = 0.258, 0.300, respectively).ConclusionsThe prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism significantly decreased with increasing age and sampling time, as did the serum TSH levels. Even though, the establishment of reference interval of TSH level based on age or sampling time was not recommended. Full consideration of age and sampling time should be carefully taken before initiation of treatment.
Highlights
To analyze the characteristics of basal thyroid hormone levels in infertile women consulting for assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment
The guidelines released by the American Thyroid Association (ATA) and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) both recommended screening for Thyroid stimulating hormones (TSH) in infertile women [3, 4], as did the expert consensus released by the Chinese Medical Association (CMA) [5]
To understand the thyroid status of infertile women in our region, and what factors may impact on the assessment of thyroid function, this study retrospectively analyzed the serum TSH, free triiodothyronine (FT3) and free serum thyroxine (FT4) levels based on age and sampling time of infertile women who received ART counseling in the Department of Reproductive Medicine
Summary
To analyze the characteristics of basal thyroid hormone levels in infertile women consulting for assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinology (AACE) did not recommend general screening for thyroid function in women preparing for pregnancy (or the application of ART) or those who were already pregnant [2]. When the blood samples are collected on the early morning (before 9:00), TSH levels are significantly higher than that of the later morning from the same patients [6, 7]. As expected, when one euthyroid women is sampled early in the morning, the TSH levels may exceed the upper limit of the reference range, which helps the clinician to make the diagnosis of SCH
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