Is Ovarian Reserve Impacted in Anorexia Nervosa?

Hypothalamic amenorrhea is common in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with anorexia nervosa (AN), and ovarian reserve is not routinely assessed. AN increases rates of fertility problems, but how or when AN negatively influences future fertility is unclear. We sought to determine whether biomarkers of ovarian reserve were impacted in AYA with AN.

Cross-sectional study.

Tertiary care center.

Females with AN and amenorrhea (n = 97) at the pre-intervention visit of a clinical trial, n = 19 females without an eating disorder or menstrual dysfunction.

Serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) concentrations.

AMH levels were higher in AYA with AN than unaffected adolescents (4.7 vs. 3.2 ng/mL; P = .03). Neither FSH nor inhibin B differed between groups. In 19.6% of participants with AN, AMH levels were elevated above the normal range (>6.78 ng/mL). These subjects had a longer disease duration than those with normal AMH levels (9 vs. 3 mos; P = .03); age or degree of malnutrition did not differ between AN subjects with normal or elevated AMH.

AMH levels appear to be normal or elevated in AYA with AN. Low AMH in a patient with AN should raise clinical concern regarding ovarian reserve, and should not be attributed to degree of malnutrition alone. Currently, AMH is not regularly assessed during routine AN clinical care. However, our findings suggest some clinical utility in identifying those patients with reduced ovarian reserve. Potential links between the hypothalamic amenorrhea suffered by patients with AN and PCOS should be explored.