Antimüllerian hormone levels decrease in women using combined contraception independently of administration route.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of continuous use of oral (OC), transdermal, and vaginal combined contraceptives on the pituitary-ovarian axis and inhibition of follicular development. DESIGN: Spin-off study of a prospective, randomized trial. SETTING: University clinic. PATIENT(S): Forty-two of 54 healthy women completed the study. INTERVENTION(S): Treatment with combined OCs (ethinyl E2 [EE] and desogestrel), transdermal patches (EE and norelgestromin), or vaginal rings (EE and etonogestrel) for 9 weeks continuously. Blood sampling was performed before and at 5 and 9 weeks of treatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Changes in serum hormone levels induced by combined contraceptives. RESULT(S): Serum antimüllerian hormone (AMH), FSH, inhibin B, LH, and E2 levels had decreased significantly in all study groups after 9 weeks of treatment. Significant declines were already detected after 5 weeks' use of combined contraceptives with regard to all hormone levels apart from those of serum AMH, where the decrease between baseline and 5 weeks was only moderate. Between groups, serum levels of AMH, inhibin B, LH, and E2 were comparable at baseline and after 5 and 9 weeks of treatment. CONCLUSION(S): The decrease of serum AMH levels during the use of all combined contraceptives indicates that folliculogenesis is arrested independently of administration route. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01087879.

Postnatal developmental changes in the pituitary-ovarian axis in preterm and term infant girls.

CONTEXT: Postnatal pituitary-testicular activation in infant boys is well characterized. However, the ovarian response to pituitary activation in infancy is less well understood. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to compare postnatal developmental changes in the pituitary-ovarian axis in preterm and term infant girls. PARTICIPANTS AND DESIGN: Sixty-three infant girls, divided into three groups according to gestational age (GA) [i.e. full term (FT; n = 29; GA, 37-42 wk), near term (NT; n = 17; GA, 34-37 wk), and preterm (PT; n = 17; GA, 24-34 wk)] were examined monthly from 1 wk (D7) to 6 months (M1-M6) of age and reexamined at the corrected age of 14 months (cM14). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We performed a longitudinal follow-up of urinary FSH and serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels and the number of follicles in transabdominal ovarian ultrasonography. RESULTS: The postnatal FSH surge was stronger and more prolonged in NT and PT girls than in FT girls (P ≤ 0.001). Increased folliculogenesis and a rise in AMH levels were observed in all three groups after the FSH surge. In NT and PT girls, follicular development was delayed in comparison with FT girls, and a decrease in high FSH levels around the 40th postmenstrual week was temporally associated with the appearance of antral follicles in ultrasonography and an increase in AMH levels. CONCLUSIONS: The postnatal FSH surge results in transient ovarian stimulation in term and preterm girls. A delay in ovarian folliculogenesis shown in ovarian ultrasonography and by low serum AMH levels may provide an explanation for the exaggerated FSH surge in NT and PT girls.