Association of Uterine Fibroids with Various Age Related Parameters Among Premenopausal Women: A Prospective Analytical Study in a Tertiary Health Care Center

Abstract

Background: Uterine fibroid is the commonest gynaeclogical tumor and is responsible for much of the morbidity among women. It’s poor management can lead to mortality. Parity and various age parameters (age at menarche, actual age and menstrual age) have been postulated to have influence on the development of fibroids. Some works have been done on some of these variables, while there is little or no work documented with regards to others. The objective of this study is to check for association between parity as well as various age variables with uterine fibroids among premenopausal women. Methodology: This is a prospective analytical study carried out on premenopausal women referred for transabdominal ultrasound (TAUS) and hysterosalpingography (HSG) on account of infertility. They were recruited consecutively over a period of six months. Institutional ethical clearance and subjects’ consent were obtained appropriately. Both the TAUS and HSG were performed the same day but HSG was performed after TAUS. The data was analysed with Statistical package for Social Sciences version 23. Simple descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test for difference in means and Fisher’s exact test for association were carried out. In all the tests for significance, p-values ≤0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 200 subjects were recruited out of which 108 knew their age at menarche while 92 had forgotten theirs. Fibroids were found more frequently among those of older age (19.3% among those aged 20-29 years, and 35.7% among those aged 40-49 years), older menstrual age, late onset of menarche (17.7% among those with menarche age of 13-16 years and 20% among those of menarche age of ≥ 17 years) as well as those with low parity. With regards to all of these variables, independent sample t-test showed no statistically significant difference in means between subjects with fibroids and those without (p-value ˃0.05). Fisher’s exact test found no significant association between the presence of fibroids and those variables (p-value ˃0.05). Conclusion: Though fibroids were found more frequently among those of older age, older menstrual age, late onset of menarche as well as those with low parity, no significant association was found between the presence of fibroids and those variables.