The Relationships between Serum DHEA-S and AMH Levels in Infertile Women: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study

• Main Authors: Li-Te Lin, Kuan-Hao Tsui
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-03-01
• Series: Journal of Clinical Medicine
• Subjects: DHEA-S; dehydroepiandrosterone; anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH); ovarian reserve; infertile women
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/10/6/1211

The relationship between serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-S) and anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) levels has not been fully established. Therefore, we performed a large-scale cross-sectional study to investigate the association between serum DHEA-S and AMH levels. The study included a total of 2155 infertile women aged 20 to 46 years who were divided into four quartile groups (Q1 to Q4) based on serum DHEA-S levels. We found that there was a weak positive association between serum DHEA-S and AMH levels in infertile women (r = 0.190, <i>p</i> < 0.001). After adjusting for potential confounders, serum DHEA-S levels positively correlated with serum AMH levels in infertile women (β = 0.103, <i>p</i> < 0.001). Infertile women in the highest DHEA-S quartile category (Q4) showed significantly higher serum AMH levels (<i>p</i> < 0.001) compared with women in the lowest DHEA-S quartile category (Q1). The serum AMH levels significantly increased across increasing DHEA-S quartile categories in infertile women (<i>p</i> = 0.014) using generalized linear models after adjustment for potential confounders. Our data show that serum DHEA-S levels are positively associated with serum AMH levels.