Elevated serum anti-mullerian hormone in adolescent and young adult Chinese patients with polycystic ovary syndrome

Abstract

Purposes: To explore the serum anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) level in adolescent and young adult Chinese patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and to evaluate its diagnostic value for PCOS.

Study design: Serum AMH was measured in a cohort of 47 adolescent and young adult Chinese patients with PCOS and 40 age-matched controls. Its diagnostic potential was evaluated by Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves.

Results: The serum AMH level was higher in PCOS patients than in controls (9.85 ± 4.93 ng/mL vs. 7.13 ± 3.02 ng/mL, P = 0.002), and positively related to the mean ovarian volume in PCOS patients (r = 0.319, P = 0.029). The area under the ROC curve for AMH reached a value of 0.664 (0.551-0.778, 95% confidence interval). The best compromise between specificity (70%) and sensitivity (61.7%) was obtained with a cut-off value of 8 ng/mL.

Conclusions: Serum AMH levels are elevated in adolescent and young adult Chinese patients of PCOS. Serum AMH measurement offers a relatively poor diagnostic potency with a sensitivity of 61.7% and a specificity of 70% at 8 ng/mL.