Evaluation of ovarian reserve in Hashimoto's thyroiditis

Abstract

Human ovary is commonly the target of an autoimmune attack in cases of organ- or non-organ-specific autoimmune disorders. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) is likely to be associated with ovarian dysfunction and diminished ovarian reserve. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the possible negative association between this significantly prevalent autoimmune disease and the ovarian reserve. Thirty-two premenopausal women with primary hypothyroidism, who under replacement therapy with thyroxine were recruited. Forty-nine healthy female subjects who had normal anti-thyroid antibody levels and were comparable with the HT group in terms of age and BMI values, comprised the control group. There was no statistically significant difference between the study and the control patients in terms of antral follicle count. Serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels were significantly higher in woman with HT compared to the control group. The results of this study found no impairment in ovarian reserve parameters of patients with HT. Interestingly, the results revealed a significant increase in serum AMH levels of the patients with HT compared to controls. Hashimoto's thyroiditis may share a common etiologic linkage with polycystic ovary syndrome; therefore, leading to elevated serum AMH levels, which we are currently unable to define elaborately.

Chinese abstract

人类卵巢经常成为器官特异性或非器官特异性自身免疫性疾病的靶器官。桥本甲状腺炎(HT)或与卵巢功能不全和卵巢储备功能降低有关。本研究的目标为评估这种常见的自身免疫性疾病与卵巢储备可能存在的负相关性。 32名原发性甲状腺功能低下并使用甲状腺素进行替代治疗的绝经前妇女被纳入了此项研究。对照组包括49名抗甲状腺抗体正常的，与HT组年龄和BMI值相仿的受试者。在窦卵泡数方面，实验组和对照组并无明显的统计学差异。与对照组相比，HT组血清抗苗勒氏管激素水平显著升高。研究结果未发现HT患者的卵巢储备相关参数受到损伤。有趣的是，研究结果显示出HT患者相比较对照组AMH的显著升高。 桥本甲状腺炎与多囊卵巢综合征或具有相同的病原学联系。因此，导致了血清AMH的升高，这是我们目前无法精确判定的。

• AFC
• AMH
• Hashimoto's thyroiditis
• ovarian reserve
• PCOS