Assessment of Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) And Luteinizing Hormone (LH) Levels in Patients Undergoing Haart Regimen in Nigeria

The main objective is to establish the effect of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) on the Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing Hormone (LH) of young reproductive women during therapy. The research was prospective and targeted at younger reproductive aged women attending University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Edo State, Nigeria, a premier and multi-specialty healthcare provider in West Africa and a referral centre for HIV treatment and control in the southern part of Nigeria and the rest of the country. A targeted population of one hundred (100) HIV seropositive women between 18-40 years old (mean = 29years) starting their first onset of HAART regimen were monitored for nine (9) months after initiation. The FSH and LH were monitored at three (3) monthly intervals and checked at the different phases of their menstrual cycles. Another fifty (50) HIV sero-negative women of same age range (mean = 32years) were used as controls. Pregnant women were excluded. All subjects were recruited at the point of their first awareness of their HIV status. After counselling and with informed consent, their specimens were collected for analysis before they embarked on HAART regimen and monitored thereafter. HIV infection significantly (p<0.05) raised FSH and LH in both the Follicular and Luteal phases of their menstrual cycles leading to amenorrhea in some cases. HAART led to significant reductions in the first few months of administration with subsequent increases by the ninth (9th) month, in both phases. This study has shown that while HAART is effective in improving the CD4+ TCell Counts in the sero-positive patients and reducing the raised FSH and LH in the first few months, its ability to control with prolonged administration is doubtful and could explain the adverse menstrual disorders experienced by these category of women