Thyroid Research (Aug 2022)
Evaluation of anti-Müllerian hormone in pre-menopausal women stratified according to thyroid function, autoimmunity and age
Abstract
Abstract Background AMH is a reliable index of ovarian reserve. It is not clear whether, or how much, thyroid function and/or thyroid autoimmunity can impair ovarian function and AMH secretion in the long term. Aim This retrospective cross-sectional study compared AMH levels in pre-menopausal women with/without positive thyroid autoimmunity or hypofunction. Methods From January 2019 to May 2022, AMH was evaluated in 250 pre-menopausal women not undergoing assisted fertility procedures who were referred to a secondary endocrine centre. Thyroid function and autoimmunity, sonographically measured thyroid volume, FSH and E2 in the early follicular phase, and PRL and progesterone in the luteal phase were also evaluated. Exclusion criteria were: age 46 years) no significant difference emerged between those on/off L-T4 treatment in groups of the same age-range. In women on- or off-L-T4 treatment, AMH was negatively related with age on univariate and multivariate analyses (P < 0.0001). In both groups, AMH was negatively related to FSH (P < 0.0001). On multivariate analysis, AMH was positively related to the age of the mother on spontaneous menopause (P = 0.006) and negatively to thyroid volume (P = 0.02) in women on L-T4. AMH levels were significantly (P = 0.03) higher in TPOAb-negative than in TPOAb-positive women, but age was significantly (P = 0.001) lower in TPOAb-negative than in TPOAb-positive women. Conclusions In our cohort of women, age proved to be a better predictor of AMH levels than any of the other factors linked to thyroid function and autoimmunity. Our data do not support the hypothesis that subclinical hypothyroidism and/or autoimmunity are associated with decreased ovarian reserve. However, a larger number of cases is needed in order to obtain conclusive data.
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