'Biologically relevant' levels of a fertility hormone are detected in
human hair samples
AMH measurements detected from hair correlate with those from blood
sample

Date:
July 5, 2020
Source:
European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology
Summary:
The prospect of a non-invasive test of ovarian reserve is a little
closer following results from a study showing that measurement
of a fertility hormone can be accurately taken from a sample of
human hair.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
The prospect of a non-invasive test of ovarian reserve is a little closer following results from a study showing that measurement of a fertility
hormone can be accurately taken from a sample of human hair.


========================================================================== Anti-Mullerian hormone -- or AMH -- has become a key marker in the
assessment of how women may respond to fertility treatment. The hormone
is produced by small cells surrounding each egg as it develops in
the ovary, and is thus seen as a measure of ovarian reserve. Although
studies have not correlated AMH levels to a reliable chance of live
birth (nor to forecasting the time of menopause), AMH measurement has
become an intrinsic marker in assessing how a patient will respond to
ovarian stimulation for IVF -- as a normal responder, poor responder
(with few eggs), or over-responder (with many eggs and a risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, OHSS).(1) AMH is presently measured in serum
taken from a blood sample drawn intravenously. The readings represent
a measurement at a short moment in time and are relatively invasive
to complete. Now, however, a new study presented at the online Annual
Meeting of ESHRE has tested the quantification of AMH from human hair and
found it to be a less invasive and a "more appropriate representation
of hormone levels" than from an "acute" source like serum. The results
are presented this week in a poster from PhD student Sarthak Sawarkar,
working in the laboratory of Professor Manel Lopez-Bejar in Barcelona,
with collaborators from MedAnswers Inc in the USA.

The study, which still continues, now reports results from 152 women
from whom hair and blood samples were routinely collected during hospital visits. AMH measured in serum from the same subjects was used to provide
a control, as was an ultrasound count of developing follicles in the ovary (AFC) as a further measure of ovarian reserve.

"Biologically relevant" AMH levels were successfully detected in the
hair samples, with levels declining with patient age, as expected. As
ovarian reserve declines with age, so do AMH levels. The AMH levels from
hair strongly correlated with both serum levels and AFC. It was also seen
that the hair test was able to detect a wide range of AMH levels within individuals from a similar age cohort, suggesting a greater accuracy
than from a single blood sample.

Hormones accumulate in hair shafts over a period of months, while
hormone levels in serum can change over the course of hours. "So hair,"
explain the authors, "is a medium that can accumulate biomarkers
over several weeks, while serum is an acute matrix representing only
current levels. While hormone levels in blood can fluctuate rapidly in
response to stimuli, hormone levels measured in hair would represent
an accumulation over several weeks. A measurement using a hair sample
is more likely to reflect the average hormone levels in an individual."
Among the other advantages of a hair test, the authors note that hormone
levels are assessed non-invasively, which reduces testing stress and
offers a less expensive assay. Testing can be done without visiting a
clinic, and thus makes this type of test available to a broader range
of women. "Finally," explains Mr Sawarkar, "as hair offers a look at the long-term accumulation of hormones, this measurement may allow a better understanding of an individual's hormone levels -- unlike blood-based
assays, which can only measure the hormone at the moment of the testing."
AMH has so far had an important -- though sometimes controversial -- role
in reproductive medicine. Thus, while its role as a measure of ovarian
reserve in predicting response to ovarian stimulation for IVF now seems
beyond question, there has been doubt over its broader application as
a measure of female fertility in the general population.

Commenting on the biology of the test, Mr Sawarkar explains that hormones
are incorporated into the matrix of hair before the growing hair reaches
the skin surface, thereby allowing an accumulating measurement of hormone concentration.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by European_Society_of_Human_Reproduction_and_Embryology.

Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


==========================================================================


Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200705185906.htm

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