Anti-Mullerian hormone: correlation with testosterone and oligo- or amenorrhoea in female adolescence in a population-based cohort study

• Published in: Human Reproduction
• Main Authors: Pinola, P., Morin-Papunen, L.C., Bloigu, A., Puukka, K., Ruokonen, A., Jarvelin, M-R., Franks, S., Tapanainen, J.S., Lashen, H.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press 2014
• Subjects: Northern Finland
• Online Access: https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/107879/; https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/107879/1/Anti-M%C3%BCllerian%20hormone%3A%20correlation%20with%20testosterone%20and%20oligo-%20or%20amenorrhoea%20in%20female%20adolescence%20in%20a%20population-based%20cohort%20study.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/deu182

Study questions: Can serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels measured in female adolescents predict polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)-associated features in adolescence and early adulthood? Summary answer: AMH levels associated well with PCOS-associated features (such as testosterone levels and oligoamenorrhoea) in adolescence, but was not an ideal marker to predict PCOS-associated features in early adulthood. What is known already: Several studies have reported that there is a strong correlation between antral follicle count and serum AMH levels and that women with PCOS/PCO have significantly higher serum AMH levels than women with normal ovaries. Other studies have reported an association between AMH serum levels and hyperandrogenism in adolescence, but none has prospectively assessed AMH as a risk predictor for developing features of PCOS during adulthood. Study design, size, duration: A subset of 400 girls was selected from the prospective population-based Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 (n = 4567 at age 16 and n = 4503 at age 26). The population has been followed from 1986 to the present. Participants/material, setting, methods: At age 16, 400 girls (100 from each testosterone quartile: 50 with oligo- or amenorrhoea and 50 with a normal menstrual cycle) were selected at random from the cohort for AMH measurement. Metabolic parameters were also assessed at age 16 in all participants. Postal questionnaires enquired about oligo- or amenorrhoea, hirsutism, contraceptive use and reproductive health at ages 16 and 26. Main results and role of chance: There was a significant correlation between AMH and testosterone at age 16 (r = 0.36, P < 0.001). AMH levels at age 16 were significantly higher among girls with oligo- or amenorrhoea compared with girls with normal menstrual cycles (35.9 pmol/l [95% CI: 33.2;38.6] versus 27.7 pmol/l [95% CI: 25.0;30.4], P < 0.001). AMH at age 16 was higher in girls who developed hirsutism at age 26 compared with the non-hirsute group (31.4 pmol/l [95% CI 27.1;36.5] versus ...