Thyroid Nodules and Uterine Fibroids Correlated Among Reproductive-Aged Women

Investigators of this study recommend further analyses of potential pathogenetic mechanisms that may cause a possible correlation of fibroids with thyroid cancer.



Researchers from Wenzhou Medical Center observed that among reproductive-aged women, thyroid nodules were positively correlated with uterine fibroids. These findings, from a retrospective review, were published in the Endocrine Journal.

Electronic medical records for women (N=853) aged 24 to 51 years who had health check-ups between 2017 and 2018 at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical Center in Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China, were included in this study. The women received a standard medical examination with laboratory testing, a thyroid ultrasound, and a transvaginal pelvic ultrasound.

Among the patients, 432 had uterine fibroids and 421 did not. These 2 patient groups did not differ for baseline demographic parameters.

Thyroid nodules were observed to be more prevalent among women with uterine fibroids (65.28%) than women without fibroids (52.73%; odds ratio=1.69; 95% CI, 1.28-2.22; P <.001).

No significant difference was observed between women with and without uterine fibroids for number of thyroid nodules (c2=0.23; P =.63), composition of nodules (c2= 1.34; P =.51), or Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System risk stratification score (c2=0.56; P =.76). Women with uterine fibroids had a higher prevalence of thyroid nodules >1 cm (25.53%) than women without fibroids (17.57%; c2=4.59; P =.03).

No significant difference was observed between women with and without thyroid nodules for uterine fibroid maximum diameter (1.7 vs 1.5 cm; P =.24), volume (1.59 vs 1.03 cm3; P =.19), size (c2=0.09; P =.77), location (c2=2.78; P =.43), or type (c2=0.91; P =.61). Women with thyroid nodules were more likely to have multiple uterine fibroids (57.09%) compared with women without nodules (42%; c2=8.93; P =.003).

Patients with and without thyroid fibroids had similar thyroid function, with the exception of total triiodothyronine (1.01 ng/mL; interquartile range [IQR], 0.92-1.12 vs 1.04; IQR, 0.93-1.14; P =.02), respectively.

The major limitation of this study was the absence of data on estrogen, antithyroglobulin, and antithyroperoxidase levels, which may have been significant cofactors in this analysis.

These data indicated that thyroid nodules may be associated with uterine fibroids. Further analyses are needed to investigate potential pathogenetic mechanisms that may cause this association and for the possible correlation of fibroids with thyroid cancer.

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