CD4 and leucocyte counts of young apparently healthy females during the three phases of menstral cyclein Ekpoma, Nigeria

Abstract

The menstrual cycle is also a window into the general health and well-being of women. This study was aimed at determining the CD4 and leucocyte counts of young apparently healthy females during a single cycle in Ekpoma,Edo State, Nigeria. The study comprised of thirty one (31) subjects aged 17-27 years with a regular 28-day menstrual cycle. The subjects were sampled during a single cycle- that is on the 2nd day, 11th day and 21st day representing menstrual phase (MP), proliferative phase (PP) and secretory phase (SP) respectively. Leucocyte counts were determined using a haematology autoanalyzer while the CD4 counts were done with Partec cyflow machine. The mean of WBC counts were 4.77, 5.10 and 5.10 in the MP, PP and SP respectively. There was no significant difference in both the WBC total and differential counts of the three phases. The mean of CD4 counts were 850.45 cells/μl (MP), 939.77 cells/μl (PP) and 954.03 cells/μl respectively. The CD4 counts in the three phases were also not statistically significant. In this study, we found that the three different phases of menstrual cycle did not have any significant effect on the leucocytes and CD4 counts of the subjects studied.

Key words: Ekpoma, CD4 counts, Leucocye counts, Menstrual cycle