Objective To investigate influence of iodine-131 (131I) treatment following total thyroidectomy on menstrual rhythm and fertility of childbearing age patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Methods The clinical data of 342 childbearing age patients with PTC treated with total thyroidectomy from January 2007 to December 2016 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were designed to 131I treatment group (126 cases) and non-131I treatment group (216 cases) according to the postoperative treatment. The menstrual rhythm and pregnancy after operation were regularly followed-up on postoperative 1 month. The age, nationality, occupation, menstrual rhythm, and pregnancy were analyzed by two independent samples t or Chi-square or Fisher test. Results ① There were no significant differences in the age, nationality, and occupation between the 131I treatment group and the non-131I treatment group (P>0.05). ② Compared with the non-131I treatment group, the proportions of the irregular menstruation were significantly increased on the 1st month and 3rd month of follow-up (P<0.05) in the131I treatment group, which had no statistically significant differences on the 6th month and 12th month of follow-up in two groups (P>0.05). Further the analysis results of the age stratification showed that had no significant differences at different follow-up time in these two groups (P>0.05). ③ The success rate of pregnancy also had no significant differences in these two groups both in the general and the age stratification analysis results (P>0.05). Conclusions 131I treatment following total thyroidectomy can affect menstrual rhythm of women in childbearing age at the early stage (within 6 months), but there is no abnormal menstruation on 6 months later, which dosen’t effect on pregnancy in women of childbearing age, and it is recommended that pregnancy should be renewed in 1-year after 131I treatment.