Abnormal Uterine Bleeding among Women Visiting Gynecology Out-patient Department of a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

INTRODUCTION: Abnormal uterine bleeding accounts for more than 70% of complaints in peri- and post-menopausal women. The main purpose of investigating them is to rule out premalignant and malignant endometrial lesions. This study aimed to find out the prevalence of abnormal uterine bleeding among out-patients visiting the gynecology department of a tertiary care hospital. METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of a tertiary care center from August 1, 2020 to April 23, 2021. Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Committee of the same institution (IRC-LMC 07-C/020). A total of 2680 women visiting gynecology outpatient departments were included by convenience sampling technique. Women with abnormal uterine bleeding were evaluated by endometrial thickness measurement and endometrial biopsies. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 16 was used for data analysis. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation. RESULTS: Among 2680 women visiting the gynecology outpatient department, the prevalence of abnormal uterine bleeding was 240 (8.9%) (7.82-9.98 at 95% Confidence Interval). The mean endometrial thickness was 10.15±6.63mm. Majority of patients 104 (43.3%) had endometrial thickness >10mm. Sixty-six (27.8%) patients had disordered proliferative endometrium while endometrial carcinoma was noted in three (1.2%) patients. Atrophic endometrium was observed in 17 (7.2%) and endometrial hyperplasia in nine (3.8%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of abnormal uterine bleeding was found to be higher in comparison to other studies. Disordered proliferative endometrium was the most common histopathological finding followed by secretory phase endometrium.