THYROID FUNCTION ACROSS MENOPAUSAL TRANSITION: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY OF PERI-MENOPAUSAL AND POST-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN

Abstract

Objective: Our study aimed to determine the frequency of thyroid disorders in peri-menopausal and postmenopausal women and to determine any association of thyroid disorders with menopausal symptoms.

 Material and Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was carried out at Hayat Abad Medical Complex from January 2025 to August 2025. The sample size was 246. All peri and post-menopausal women aged 45 to 50 were included. The women who were on hormone replacement therapy and had known thyroid disorders were excluded from the study. They were examined clinically. Serum TSH, free T4 was sent to the hospital lab. The Menopausal Rating Scale (MRS) was used to assess the severity of menopausal symptoms.

Results: The study cohort consisted of 246 peri and post-menopausal women. Amongst them, 52.1% were postmenopausal and 47.9% were peri-menopausal.The frequency of subclinical hypothyroidism was12.2%, hypothyroidism, 8.7%, hyperthyroidism, 1.3% and euthyroid, 74.8%. While there was no significant difference in the median total MRS score between the groups with different thyroid problems, participants with hypothyroidism tended to have more psychogenic symptoms, while those with hyperthyroidism tended to have more somatic symptoms. Thyroid conditions did not significantly correlate with MRS score.

Conclusion: Women with hypothyroidism showed a tendency toward more psychogenic symptoms, and those with hyperthyroidism reported relatively higher somatic complaints; the overall MRS scores did not differ significantly among the various thyroid disorder groups.