Abstract
Context: The interindividual variation in the age-related decline of ovarian follicles is wide. Hence, it is important to identify reliable, sensitive, and specific markers to assess the ovarian reserve of the individual woman. Objective: The aim of this study was to characterize the relation between age and ovarian reserve parameters in a population of healthy women with regular menstrual cycle. Design and Setting: We conducted a prospective, population-based, cross-sectional study. Participants: A total of 366 health care workers aged 21-41 years employed at a University Hospital were included. Interventions: There were no interventions. Main Outcome Measures: Serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) concentration, antral follicle count (AFC), antral follicle size categories (small: 2-4 mm; intermediate: 5-7 mm; and large: 8-10 mm), and ovarian volume were measured. Results: Serum AMH level declined by 5.6% peryear (95% confidence interval 3.7-7.4%, P < .001), AFC (2-10 mm) declined by 4.4% per year (3.2-5.7%, P < .001), and ovarian volume declined by 1.1% per year (0.2-2.0, P = .002), respectively. The mean proportion of small follicles decreased with age (P= .04), the proportion of intermediate follicles displayed no significant change with age (P = .58), and the mean proportion of large follicles increased with age (P < .001). The prevalence of large follicles increased with decreasing serum AMH concentration [odds ratio 1.04 per 1 pmol/L (1.02-1.06), P < .001, area underthe curve 0.66], and with decreasing total AFC [odds ratio 1.04 per follicle (1.02-1.05), P < .001, area under the curve 0.62]. Conclusion: Chronological age was inversely related to serum AMH concentration, total AFC, and ovarian volume. Subclasses of AFC sized 2-4 and 5-7 mm decreased with increasing age, whereas AFC sized 8-10 mm increased with increasing age. Within AFC, a shift toward larger follicles with increasing age was observed. The occurrence of large follicles was more strongly related to biological age in terms of AMH and AFC than chronological age.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism |
| Volume | 98 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1602-11 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| ISSN | 0021-972X |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Apr 2013 |
Keywords
- Adult
- Age Distribution
- Aging
- Algorithms
- Anti-Mullerian Hormone
- Cell Count
- Cross-Sectional Studies
- Female
- Humans
- Menstrual Cycle
- Organ Size
- Ovarian Follicle
- Ovary
- Reproduction
- Young Adult