Thursday 20 October 2005
Anti-mullerian hormone implicated in PCOS
Source: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 2005; 90: 5536-43
Investigating whether anti-mullerian hormone could play a role in the accelerated development of follicles in polycystic ovaries.
The molecular basis for the disordered early follicle development characteristic of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) has been illuminated in a study by UK researchers.
Given that the increased progression from the primordial to the primary stages of folliculogenesis seen in PCOS patients is similar to the ovarian phenotype of anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) knockout mice, the team explored the role of the hormone in polycystic ovaries.
AMH expression was compared between archive ovarian tissue from seven normo-ovulatory women and 16 women with polycystic ovaries, five of whom were anovulatory. Ovaries were classified by histology, ultrasound, and the menstrual cycle history of the patient.
First observed at the primordial stage, AMH expression was detected in significantly fewer of the primordial and transitional follicles of anovulatory women with polycystic ovaries than in those of regularly menstruating women, irrespective of ovary type.
"These findings indicate a relative deficiency of AMH in primordial and transitional follicles in ovaries from anovulatory women with polycystic ovaries. This may contribute to disordered early follicle development in PCOS," the researchers conclude.
Posted: 19 October 2005
http://www.orgyn.com/en/news/2005/Week_42/Day_3/Anti-mullerian_hormo.asp?C=22527386451323611111 
Anti-mullerian hormone implicated in PCOS 
