Differences of the association of anti-Müllerian hormone with clinical or biochemical characteristics between women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to compare the associations of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) with clinical or biochemical characteristics between women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). We also explored the optimal cutoff point of AMH to diagnose PCOS. A cross-sectional study was performed in 87 women diagnosed with PCOS and 53 healthy control subjects. Body mass index (BMI), indices of insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome-related variables, reproductive hormones and serum AMH were measured in all subjects. We conducted receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to determine the cutoff of AMH for diagnosis of PCOS. Serum AMH levels were significantly (p <0.001) higher in women with PCOS after adjustment for age and BMI. AMH levels were not significantly related with obesity, indices of insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome-related variables in both PCOS and control groups. In the control group, AMH levels showed positive correlations with total testosterone (p <0.001), free testosterone (p=0.024), and adiponectin (p=0.002), and showed negative correlations with age (p=0.010) and estradiol (E2) (p=0.012). However, only total (p=0.044) and free testosterone (p=0.012) levels showed significant positive correlations with serum AMH level in PCOS group. ROC curve analysis showed a cutoff point for AMH of 7.82 ng/mL (sensitivity 75.9%, specificity 86.8%) for diagnosis of PCOS. Differences of the association of AMH with clinical or biochemical characteristics between women with PCOS and control groups were observed. This might contribute to the pathogenesis of PCOS, although further investigation is necessary to elucidate the detailed mechanism.