TOPLINE

Postmenopausal women with thyroid-related polyautoimmunity (the co-occurrence of autoimmune thyroid disease [ATD] with at least one other autoimmune disorder) had a higher prevalence of premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) and early menopause than those with non-autoimmune endocrinopathies and those with isolated ATD.

METHODOLOGY

• Researchers conducted a retrospective analysis to assess the prevalence of POI in women with thyroid-related polyautoimmunity.
• They evaluated data from 7690 postmenopausal women who had been menopausal for at least 3 years without any menstrual bleeding. Of these, 5697 had non-autoimmune endocrine disorders (group A), 1689 had isolated ATD (group B), and 304 had thyroid-related polyautoimmunity (group C).
• A total of 213 women had precocious menopause (POI plus early menopause), of whom 115 had POI and 98 had early menopause.
• POI was defined as complete and irreversible secondary amenorrhoea occurring before the age of 40 years, and early menopause was defined as menopause occurring before the age of 45 years.

TAKEAWAY

• The prevalence of POI was higher in group C than in group B (5.92% vs 1.84%; P = .0002) and group A (5.92% vs 1.16%; P < .0001).
• The prevalence of early menopause was significantly higher in group C than in groups B and A (7.23% vs 0.89% and 1.07%, respectively; P < .0001).
• Overall, 24.4% of women with precocious menopause had at least one miscarriage during the first trimester, and the prevalence was significantly higher in group C than in groups B and A (3.61% vs 0.71% and 0.53%, respectively; P < .0001).
• A family history of autoimmune disease was the more relevant independent factor associated with POI in polyautoimmunity.

IN PRACTICE

"Our present data suggest that young women with thyroid-related poly-autoimmunity and born to a family with thyroid autoimmunity and/or poly-autoimmunity are at risk of POI and should have their ovarian reserve checked early to guide fertility preservation and family planning," the authors wrote.

SOURCE

This study was led by Maria Flavia Bagaglini, Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy. It was published online on September 07, 2026, in Frontiers in Endocrinology.

LIMITATIONS

The study was limited by its retrospective design.

DISCLOSURES

This study did not receive any specific funding. Two authors declared serving as editorial board members of Frontiers.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.