THE MENSTRUAL PATTERN IN THYROID DISEASE*†

Abstract

INTRODUCTION CLINICIANS have long recognized that diseases of the thyroid gland in the premenopausal female often are associated with abnormalities of menses. Most texts on the subject describe amenorrhea in patients with thyrotoxicosis, and menorrhagia in patients with myxedema. W. O. Thompson (1) and Lerman (2) emphasized how little is actually known of the relationship of the thyroid and menstruation. It is not clear whether the menstrual dysfunctions occur because of abnormalities of the pituitary, of the end organs involved, or of utilization of the various hormones peripherally. The observations reported here were obtained in order to describe and define further the menstrual abnormalities of thyroid disease. METHODS Premenopausal female patients attending the Thyroid Clinic of the Massachusetts General Hospital over a twelve-month period, who showed definite clinical and laboratory evidence of hyperthyroidism or of myxedema, were included in this study. Thyroid status was established by the usual p...