THE EFFECT OF HYPOTHYROIDISM ON REPRODUCTION IN THE FEMALE ALBINO RAT

Abstract

There are many indications in clinical medicine that hypothyroidism is associated with inadequate reproductive function. Myxoedematous women, for example, often suffer from menstrual disturbances and seldom conceive and bear children [Rose, 1942]. A low metabolic rate is also often found in women attending fertility clinics [Nicodemus & Ritmiller, 1945], and many clinicians believe that thyroid extract is the most useful hormone in the treatment of infertility. Experimental analysis of the apparent relationship between the thyroid and ovary has not, however, led to clear-cut conclusions. Thus, removal of the thyroid seems to have no effect upon the development of the reproductive system up to the time of maturity [Hammett, 1926], oestrous cycles beginning at ages within the normal range [Long & Evans, 1922; Lee, 1929]. According to Evans & Long [1921], too, the oestrous rhythm in the mature rat is unaltered by thyroidectomy. Later workers, however, report that both dioestrus and