Evaluation of Serum Testosterone Levels as Immuno-Enhancer in Nigerian Woman Positive to Autoanti-microsomal Antibodies and Experiencing Secondary Infertility and Spontaneous Abortion

Abstract

In this study, One hundred and forty-eight (148) healthy euthyroid Nigeria women, all volunteers were grouped into two (2) sets of seventy four (74) in the test (subjects) and control groups.
The Anti-thyroperoxidase (anti TPO) antibody, ELISA assay carried out showed that 20 (58.%) of the secondary infertile and 33 (82)% of the spontaneous abortion groups have the anti TPO titer mean value of 22.09+ 11.74 units/ml and 54.91 + 7.64 units/ml respectively. These were compared with anti TPO titer mean value from 9 (26%) non pregnant- Nulligravida and 10 (25%) pregnant with 28.83+ 2.50unit/ml and 11.87+ 1.52 units/ml respectively. The students t-test statistical analysis at p<0.05 showed that there was statistical significance in the differences.
There was high level of testosterone titer above the male range in all the categories of women positive to anti TPO antibody. However, the secondary infertile group with the testosterone titer mean value of 3.03 + 0.33 ng/ml showed no significant difference when compared with the pregnant and non-pregnant –nulligravidae control having testosterone titer mean value of 5.37+ 0.42ng/ml and 1.03 + 0.46 ng/ml respectively. Conversely there was statistical significant differences when the testosterone titer mean value of the spontaneous abortion group of 10.81+ 5.55gn/ml was compared with that of the control non-pregnant Nulligravidae of 1.30 + 0.46 ng/ml and pregnant of 5.37+ 0.42ng/ml at p< 0.05. This thus showed that the observed increase in the serum free testosterone level in women with anti TPO antibody was significant and may vary with different physiological conditions in women.


Keywords: Testosterone, Pregnancy, Secondary Infertility and Anti-microsomal antibodies.

Nigerian Journal of Health and Biomedical Science Vol. 6 (1) 2007: pp. 21-24