COMPARISON OF FREQUENCY OF ANTITHYROID PEROXIDASE ANTIBODY IN FEMALES WITH AND WITHOUT RECURRENT MISCARRIAGE

Abstract

Background: Recurrent miscarriage (RM) is a distressing reproductive problem with multifactorial etiology. Increasing evidence suggests that thyroid autoimmunity, particularly antithyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) antibodies, may play a role even in euthyroid women.

Objective: This study was conducted to compare the frequency of anti-TPO antibody positivity in females with and without recurrent miscarriage.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, from November 2024 to April 2025. A total of 212 women aged 18–35 years were enrolled using non-probability consecutive sampling. Group I included women with recurrent miscarriages (n=106), and Group II included women without miscarriages (n=106). Exclusion criteria included uterine anomalies, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, hypertension, and polycystic ovarian disease. Blood samples were collected for measurement of anti-TPO antibodies.

Results: The mean age of participants was 29.8 ± 4.1 years in Group I and 28.9 ± 3.9 years in Group II. The mean BMI was 25.7 ± 3.5 kg/m² in Group I and 25.2 ± 3.2 kg/m² in Group II. Anti-TPO antibody positivity was observed in 24 (22.6%) females in Group I compared to 8 (7.5%) in Group II (p = 0.002). Stratification showed higher antibody positivity among women aged >30 years (30.4% vs. 16.7% in Group I, p = 0.04) and those with BMI ≥25 kg/m², although not statistically significant in all subgroups. Conclusion: Anti-TPO antibody positivity is significantly more frequent among females with recurrent miscarriage compared to those without.