Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2008 Mar;23(3):674-8.
doi: 10.1093/humrep/dem392. Epub 2008 Jan 23.

Anti-müllerian hormone as a marker of ovarian function in women after chemotherapy and radiotherapy for haematological malignancies

S Lie Fong  1 , P J Lugtenburg, I Schipper, A P N Themmen, F H de Jong, P Sonneveld, J S E Laven
Affiliations

Anti-müllerian hormone as a marker of ovarian function in women after chemotherapy and radiotherapy for haematological malignancies

S Lie Fong et al. Hum Reprod. 2008 Mar.

Abstract

Background: In female cancer survivors, the accelerated loss of primordial follicles as a result of gonadal damage may lead to premature ovarian failure (POF). However, the extent of the damage is unpredictable. Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) constitutes a sensitive marker of ovarian reserve. Serum AMH levels were measured to assess sub-clinical ovarian damage in patients treated with gonadotoxic therapy.

Methods: In 25 patients with haematological malignancies, serum AMH concentrations were measured prior to and after cancer therapy and were compared with normo-ovulatory controls.

Results: In all patients, AMH concentrations were lower than controls prior to treatment. Thirteen patients were treated with multi-drug chemotherapy. Although in most patients treated with chemotherapy menstrual cyclicity was restored, median serum AMH levels were lower than in controls. Twelve patients had stem cell transplantation (SCT) after total body irradiation. They all developed POF and their serum AMH concentrations were undetectable.

Conclusions: Female cancer survivors treated with SCT all developed POF. Hence, in these patients fertility preservation should be considered. In patients treated with chemotherapy, ovarian reserve seems to be compromised as well.

PubMed Disclaimer

MeSH terms