Effect of hypothyroidism and thyroid autoimmunity on the ovarian reserve: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Evidence suggests that hypothyroidism and thyroid autoimmunity (TAI) are possibly associated with ovarian dysfunction. This meta-analysis aimed to investigate whether hypothyroidism and/or TAI affect the ovarian reserve and evaluated using the anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH).

PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Controlled Trials Register databases from inception to October 2020 were searched to identify relevant studies. Studies comparing the AMH levels between the control and the affected groups were included in the data synthesis. The primary endpoint in the meta-analysis was AMH levels compared with the controls.

Nine trials were included in the analysis. The AMH levels were significantly lower in the adults with euthyroid TAI (mean difference -0.12, [95% CI: -0.18 to -0.06]). The AMH levels tended to be lower in subclinical hypothyroidism and overt hypothyroidism than in the control group, although the differences were not significant. The AMH levels were significantly higher in the euthyroid TAI group in the adolescents (mean difference 2.51, [95% CI 1.82 to 3.21]).

TAI and hypothyroidism may affect the ovarian reserve. The opposite effects on AMH levels depending on age suggest that TAI may be implicated in the depletion of follicles in adults following extensive activation of primordial follicles in adolescence.