Serum kisspeptin levels along reproductive period in women: is it a marker for aging?

Abstract

Objective

To demonstrate the change in serum kisspeptin levels during the reproductive period in healthy women and to investigate the relationship with other reproductive hormones.

Methods

One hundred thirty-one healthy women with normal menstrual history were included and serum kisspeptin, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), estradiol (E₂), and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels were determined on cycle day 3. The data were analyzed in 5-year age groups.

Results

Serum kisspeptin levels of all women were found to be significantly and negatively correlated with age (r= −0.458). The kisspeptin levels were the highest in the group of women aged between 20 and 24 years compared to other age groups above 25 years (p < .01, p < .001, p < .0005, p < .0005). There was not any significant correlation between serum kisspeptin levels and AMH, FSH, LH, TSH, E₂, and body-mass index (BMI), respectively. The Scatter and Violin plots showed that most of the women over 35 years of age had serum kisspeptin levels under the level of 500 pg/ml. The kisspeptin levels of women over 35 years of age clustered closely as opposed to the kisspeptin levels of those below the age of 35, which were scattered. The median serum kisspeptin levels were found to be high in women below the age of 35 (p < .0005).

Conclusion

In healthy women, serum kisspeptin level is the highest in the group of women aged between 20 and 24 years and declines with age. It tends to be below the level of 500 pg/ml in women over the age of 35.

育龄期女性的血吻肽水平:是衰老的标志吗？ 摘要

目的:研究健康女性育龄期血吻肽水平的变化, 并探讨其与其他性激素的关系。

方法:纳入131名有正常月经史的健康女性, 在月经周期第3天测血吻肽、卵泡刺激素(FSH)、黄体生成素(LH)、促甲状腺激素(TSH)、雌二醇(E2)和抗苗勒管激素(AMH)水平。数据以5岁年龄组进行分析。

结果:所有女性的血吻肽水平与年龄呈显著负相关(r=-0.458)。与25岁以上的其他年龄组相比, 20-24岁组别中吻肽水平最高(p<0.01, p<0.001, p<0.0005, p<0.0005)。血吻肽水平分别与AMH、FSH、LH、TSH、E2和体重指数(BMI)之间没有任何显著相关性。散点图和小提琴图显示, 大多数35岁以上女性的血吻肽水平低于500 pg/ml。35岁以上女性的吻肽水平紧密聚集, 而35岁以下女性的吻肽水平分散。35岁以下女性的血吻肽水平中位数较高(p<0.0005)。

结论:在健康女性中, 血吻肽水平在20-24岁组别中最高, 并随年龄而下降。在35岁以上的女性中, 它往往低于500 pg/ml。

Keywords:

• Kisspeptin
• reproduction
• menopause
• age

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.