Is there any relationship between cardiovascular risk markers and young women with diminished ovarian reserve?

It has been widely known that cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is increased in menopause. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether this risk was elevated in young women with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR).

A hundred women with DOR and 100 women with normal ovarian reserve (NOR) attending the infertility unit at Suleymaniye Maternity, Research &Training Hospital, were enrolled in the study. CVD risk markers such as insulin resistance (defined by the homeostasis model assessment ratio [HOMA-IR]), C-reactive protein (CRP), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), total cholesterol (TC), and triglyceride (TG) were assessed.

HOMA-IR, CRP, TG, LDL levels were higher and HDL was lower among patients with DOR compared to the controls (p < 0.05 for all). There were positive associations between DOR and HOMA-IR, CRP, TG, LDL levels and a negative correlation with HDL (p < 0.05 for all). However, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that HOMA-IR, CRP, TG, and HDL were independent variables that were associated with DOR.

CVD risk markers were increased in women with DOR. Further studies with larger groups are needed to investigate the nature of the link in these patients.