Menopause, anti-Müllerian hormone and cognition in a cohort of women with persistent symptoms following TBI: a case for future research

ABSTRACT

Objectives: Primary: To explore anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) levels in community dwelling women following TBI. Secondary: To explore the relation of AMH to menstrual cycle, cognition, distress and symptoms of menopause.

Setting: Large adult TBI outpatient clinic in Toronto Canada.

Research design: Prospective study of 10 women with persistent symptoms who were one or more years post TBI.

Methods: Consenting participants provided a serum sample for AMH levels, and completed the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS), Symptom Checklist-90 r (SCL-90 r), Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neurological Status (RBANS) and a health questionnaire.

Main outcomes and results: This study found lower than expected levels of AMH in 50% of participants relative to age matched norms and 50% of participants experienced new onset of menstrual changes. Also notable were findings of lower-than-expected cognitive scores in women over 35 and reports of menopause-related symptoms across all ages groups.

Conclusions: As our understanding of the role of AMH grows, examining changes in this novel biomarker in the long-term post-TBI is warranted. Future research should be sufficiently powered to expand on and validate the study’s findings.

KEYWORDS:

• TBI
• hormones
• menopause
• cognition
• distress
• long-term outcomes

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research [CWG-126580].