Idiopathic Premature Ovarian Failure and its association to the abnormal longitudinal changes of telomere length in a population of Iranian Infertile Women: A pilot study

Abstract

BachgroundThe premature ovarian failure (POF) is a reason of infertility that affects about 1–4% of women before age 40. The importance of telomeres' length in different diseases has been explored before. This study examines the association between the relative telomere length and idiopathic POF in a group of Iranian women. MethodsThe blood genomic DNA was extracted from 40 idiopathic POF patients (case group) and 40 fertile women (control group). The relative telomere length (RTL) was evaluated by quantitative Real-Time PCR using specific telomeric primers. RTL was calculated as T (telomere)/S (single copy gene) ratio and compared between infertile and fertile groups. ResultsA strong association was considered between telomere size and idiopathic premature ovarian failure. In patients the relative telomere length showed to be significantly longer than those of control group (P < .05, 95% CI). ConclusionOur findings demonstrate a possible relationship between telomere lengthening and idiopathic POF. The reason of the observed elevated telomeres' genetic material could be explained by numerous probable mechanisms like reduced ovarian cell division rate, a sudden increase in the estrogen level before menopause and after egg depletion, and/or an autoimmune condition which could change the composition of blood cells and their consequent conversion to the cells with longer telomeres in patients. More experiments with larger population are necessary to confirm the results of present study.