Association of antimüllerian hormone levels with menstrual-cycle type and dysmenorrhea in young asymptomatic women.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the association between antimüllerian hormone (AMH) levels and menstrual-cycle and lifestyle characteristics among young Japanese women.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

University.

PATIENT(S): Female students aged 20-22 years (n=65) who had never used oral contraceptives.

INTERVENTION(S): Participants completed a questionnaire on reproductive and lifestyle characteristics, and kept a menstrual-cycle diary for 5 consecutive months. Serum AMH was measured once during the study period.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Serum AMH concentration.

RESULT(S): Compared with women with very mild menstrual pain, serum AMH concentration was 49.6% (95% CI 6.5%-72.8%) lower among women with severe menstrual pain. Higher AMH concentration was associated with irregular menstrual cycles. Even after adjusting for menstrual-cycle regularity and its interaction, more-severe menstrual pain was associated with significantly lower AMH concentration.

CONCLUSION(S): Circulating AMH concentration was significantly lower among young Japanese women who had more-severe menstrual pain. Underlying physiological mechanisms need to be addressed in future studies.