Impact of Obesity on Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) Levels in Women of Reproductive Age

• Main Authors: Alexis L. Oldfield, Maryam Kazemi, Marla E. Lujan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-07-01
• Series: Journal of Clinical Medicine
• Subjects: obesity; Anti-Müllerian hormone; ovary; body mass index; menstrual cycle
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/10/14/3192

Obesity negatively impacts reproductive health, including ovarian function. Obesity has been posited to alter Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) production. Understanding biological factors that could impact AMH levels is necessary given the increasing use of AMH for predicting reproductive health outcomes in response to controlled ovarian stimulation, diagnosing ovulatory disorders, onset of menopause, and natural conception. In this narrative review, we evaluated the impact of obesity on AMH levels in healthy, regularly cycling reproductive-age women (18–48 years). Thirteen studies (<i>n</i> = 1214 women; (811, non-obese (body mass index; BMI < 30 kg/m²); 403, obese (BMI > 30 kg/m²))) were included, of which five reported decreased AMH levels with obesity, whereas eight showed comparable AMH levels between groups. Inclusion of women with higher obesity classes (Class 3 versus Class 1) may have been a factor in studies reporting lower AMH levels. Together, studies reporting AMH levels in otherwise healthy women remain limited by small sample sizes, cross-sectional designs, and lack of representation across the entire adiposity spectrum. Ultimately, the degree to which obesity may negatively impact AMH levels, and possibly ovarian reserve, in otherwise healthy women with regular menstrual cycles should be deemed uncertain at this time. This conclusion is prudent considering that the biological basis for an impact of obesity on AMH production is unknown.