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Prolactin Levels Among Infertile Women in Maiduguri, Nigeria
Abstract
Materials and Methods:The records of 104 females undergoing infertility investigation at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and for whom no organic cause had been found were scrutinised to extract the details of their modes of clinical presentation. All had plasma prolactin level assays.
Results: The patients were aged between 20 and 40 years (mean: 28.3 years). Thirty-three (31.7%) of them had primary infertility while 71 (68.3%) had secondary infertility. Of the 104 patients, 33 (31.7%) had abnormal plasma prolactin levels. The women with secondary infertility were more likely to have abnormal prolactin levels: 22 (21.1%) compared to only 11(10.6%) among patients with primary infertility. About one-third of the patients presented with amenorrhoea (2% with primary and 34.6% with secondary amenorrhoea). Among patients presenting with amenorrhoea only 13 (12.5%) had elevated prolactin levels. Twenty four (23.1%) of the patients had galactorrhoea, of whom only 10 (9.6%) had hyperprolactinaemia. Patients with secondary infertility were more likely to have galactorrhea (17.3%) compared to patients with primary infertility (5.8%). The association of hirsutism, amenorrhoea and hyperprolactinaemia was not a common finding in our patients.
Conclusion: The use of dopaminergic-agonist therapy in women with unexplained infertility requires careful consideration, ensuring that the plasma prolactin levels and the clinical mode of presentation are factored into the decision to prescribe the drugs.
Key Words: Infertility, Anovulation, Prolactin, Amenorrhoea
[Trop J Obstet Gynaecol, 2003, 20: 97-100]
