Value of thyroid function tests in routine screening of women investigated for infertility.

Women presenting with infertility traditionally have been screened for thyroid function, yet recent guidelines have indicated that this is unnecessary in asymptomatic patients. A retrospective analysis of the results of routine thyroid function screening showed that occult thyroid dysfunction is common: 5.1% of the population studied had abnormal thyroid function tests. Therefore, it is recommended that assessment of thyroid function in women attending an infertility clinic should be continued.

Plasma prolactin measurement is not indicated in women in the routine investigation of uncomplicated infertility.

Measurement of plasma prolactin frequently forms part of the routine investigation of infertile couples. In 315 consecutive women attending an infertility clinic in a university teaching hospital, all of those with increased plasma prolactin concentrations would have been detected from their symptoms. All women with prolactin concentrations in the range 500--800 miu l(minus sign1) appeared to be ovulating. These data support previous proposals in guidelines published by both the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE, 1996) and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG, 1998) that there is no benefit in measuring plasma prolactin in the investigation of infertility in women who are menstruating normally and have no other clinical indications.