Hormonal Profile of Some Infertile Women in Bida Nigeria

The desire for reproduction is a basic human instinct and it is well known that infertility is one of the psychosocial problems affecting many couples worldwide. The aim of this study is to evaluate the hormonal profile of infertile women in Bida metropolis. A total of 200 subjects comprising of 160 infertile and 40 fertile women as controls were recruited into this cross-sectional study in Bida metropolis. Serum luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), prolactin (PRL), progesterone and estradiol were determined using enzyme immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Infertile women had significantly higher LH and prolactin level (P<0.05) and statistically lower progesterone and estradiol level (P<0.05) when compared to fertile women. There was no significant difference in FSH level of infertile women (P>0.05) when compared to fertile women. Non-menstruating women had lower FSH and progesterone level (P<0.05) and significantly higher prolactin and estradiol level (P<0.05) when compared to menstruating women. There was no significant difference in LH level of non-menstruating women (P>0.05) when compared to menstruating women. Hormonal abnormalities were observed in 83.3% of the infertile women. This comprises of 30% secondary hypogonadism, 20% hyperprolactinemia/ hypogonadism, 13.3% primary hypogonadism, 13.3% hyperestrogenemia and 6.7% hyperprolactinemia. This study has shown that infertility remains a major problem affecting women of child bearing age. It is therefore recommended that couples should seek medical care on time as well as determine their hormonal status in order to correct any abnormality that might have arisen.