The relationship between serum anti-mullerian hormone levels and puberty in girls with obesity

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the serum anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) levels and related factors in overweight and obese girls during their prepubertal, pu-bertal, and post-menarcheal periods. Method: Anthropometric measurements, physical examination features, laboratory findings, and serum AMH levels were evaluated in girls with overweight and obesity admitted be-tween March and April 2021 in the Pediatric Endocrinology Clinic at Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine. Results: Serum AMH levels were evaluated in a total of 40 girls: 12 (30%) prepubertal, 12 (30%) pubertal, and 16 (40%) post-menarcheal. Their ages were 7.7 (+/- 1.7), 10.3 (+/- 2.1), and 15.4 (+/- 1.8) years, and their serum AMH measurements were 2.4 (+/- 2.4), 2.1 (+/- 1.1), and 4.6 (+/- 3.7) ng/mL, respectively. The serum AMH levels between prepubertal and pubertal girls and post-menarcheal girls were significantly different (p=0.020). There was no significant difference when compared to normal AMH levels for their age (p=0.722). In the age-adjusted correlation analysis of the patients, no significant relationship was found between AMH levels and anthropometric measurements (height, weight, weight-SD, BMI, BMI-SD, neck circumference-SD, mid-upper arm circumference-SD, waist circumference-SD, waist-to-height ratio, and waist-to-hip ratio). A positive correlation was found only in height-SD (r=0.334, p=0.038). Conclusion: The study found that the serum AMH levels of girls with overweight and obesi-ty increased moderately during the prepubertal period, specifically several years preceding puberty, slightly decreased during the onset of puberty, and significantly increased during the post-menarcheal period, like healthy girls.