Skip Navigation


Hum. Reprod. Advance Access originally published online on January 23, 2008
Human Reproduction 2008 23(3):674-678; doi:10.1093/humrep/dem392
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF )
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
23/3/674    most recent
dem392v1
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Lie Fong, S.
Right arrow Articles by Laven, J.S.E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Lie Fong, S.
Right arrow Articles by Laven, J.S.E.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Anti-müllerian hormone as a marker of ovarian function in women after chemotherapy and radiotherapy for haematological malignancies

S. Lie Fong1,4, P.J. Lugtenburg2, I. Schipper1, A.P.N. Themmen3, F.H. de Jong3, P. Sonneveld2 and J.S.E. Laven1

1 Division of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Erasmus Medical Centre, Room Hs-422K, PO Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, the Netherlands 2 Department of Haematology, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands 3 Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

4 Correspondence address. Tel: +31-10-70-33371; E-mail: s.liefong{at}erasmusmc.nl

BACKGROUND: In female cancer survivors, the accelerated loss of primordial follicles as a result of gonadal damage may lead to premature ovarian failure (POF). However, the extent of the damage is unpredictable. Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) constitutes a sensitive marker of ovarian reserve. Serum AMH levels were measured to assess sub-clinical ovarian damage in patients treated with gonadotoxic therapy.

METHODS: In 25 patients with haematological malignancies, serum AMH concentrations were measured prior to and after cancer therapy and were compared with normo-ovulatory controls.

RESULTS: In all patients, AMH concentrations were lower than controls prior to treatment. Thirteen patients were treated with multi-drug chemotherapy. Although in most patients treated with chemotherapy menstrual cyclicity was restored, median serum AMH levels were lower than in controls. Twelve patients had stem cell transplantation (SCT) after total body irradiation. They all developed POF and their serum AMH concentrations were undetectable.

CONCLUSIONS: Female cancer survivors treated with SCT all developed POF. Hence, in these patients fertility preservation should be considered. In patients treated with chemotherapy, ovarian reserve seems to be compromised as well.

Key words: Anti-Müllerian hormone/female cancer survivor/ovarian reserve

Submitted on July 26, 2007; resubmitted on November 6, 2007; accepted on November 14, 2007.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.