Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding Hypothyroidism Among Infertile Women With Hypothyroidism

Abstract

Objective: The study was designed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of hypothyroidism among infertile women with hypothyroidism.
 Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was performed in an outpatient environment of infertility centers. We used a validated questionnaire to assess hypothyroidism KAP. Using frequency counts (n) and percentages (%), discrete data were summarized. The Chi-square/Fisher test was used between groups to compare.
 Results: The mean age of participants was found to be 32±5.77 years. It was found that 72% of the subjects had poor knowledge, 44% were extremely concerned, and 81% were practicing with a moderate level of precaution. Among the consequences of hypothyroidism, 68% of the study subjects most properly-recognized menstrual disturbance, followed by 66%, 51%, and 48% of study subject properly-recognized weight gain, fatigue, and muscle aches/pain as a clinical manifestation of hypothyroidism. Most patients (98%) adhered to their medications. Nearly half of the study patients (45%) did not avoid cabbage, cauliflower, or soya.
 Conclusion: Our study highlighted the significance of investing appropriate time to provide patients with a comprehensive education to bridge the gaps in patient care. The findings also indicated that it be better for the understanding of the patients if health-care providers could provide patients with data sheets explaining the disease or having some pictorial/pamphlets about the disease’s reality and myths.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Reproductive-Aged Bangladeshi Adult Females with Hypothyroidism

“…Prasanna et al found similar findings among infertile females with hypothyroidism. 20 Age and educational status were associated with attitude in our study, which is similar to that study too. 20 Maheshwari et al found that more than half of the study population had incorrect knowledge, beliefs, and practice that improved after education.…”

“…20 Age and educational status were associated with attitude in our study, which is similar to that study too. 20 Maheshwari et al found that more than half of the study population had incorrect knowledge, beliefs, and practice that improved after education. 21 The practice domain showed that more than one-third of the females with hypothyroidism forgot to check the expiry date before buying levothyroxine.…”

“…Around two-thirds of the study participants omitted the drug if they missed it. Prasanna et al (2020) found 68% of the study population missed doses and 60% took other medicine at a time. 21 A study conducted in Delhi, India among 250 participants (~86% females) showed that ~90% of the study participants were adherent to treatment.…”

“…Beliefs in alternative medicine were also reported in other studies at different percentages. 17,20,22 Nearly 42.0% of our study participants did not visit physicians according to the advice.…”