Effects of birth weight on anti-mullerian hormone serum concentrations in infant girls.

CONTEXT: We previously demonstrated that low birth weight (BW) infant girls show increased serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) concentrations and poststimulated estradiol levels compared to normal-BW infants, suggesting an altered follicular development. However, the impact of high BW on reproductive function is less known.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of BW on AMH, we determined the concentrations of this hormone in low-BW, normal-BW, and high-BW female infants during the first 3 months of life.
DESIGN: Twenty-seven low-BW, 29 normal-BW, and 28 high-BW infant girls were studied. We measured serum gonadotropins, steroid hormones, AMH, glucose, insulin, free fatty acids, IGF-I, and adiponectin in a fasting blood sample. In addition, in a subgroup of normal-BW (n = 23) and high-BW infants (n = 10), a GnRH analog leuprolide acetate test was performed.
RESULTS: Serum concentrations of AMH were higher in low-BW and high-BW infants compared to normal-BW infants (P = 0.028 and 0.022, respectively). In addition, in high-BW infants, adiponectin concentrations were lower (P = 0.018), and poststimulated FSH and estradiol levels were higher compared to normal-BW infants (P = 0.024 and 0.047, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS: Serum AMH and poststimulated estradiol concentrations are increased in low-BW and high-BW female infants, suggesting that these girls may show evidence of an altered follicular development. However, the increased poststimulated FSH levels and low adiponectin concentrations observed in high-BW infants suggest that ovarian function is perturbed through a different mechanism from that in low-BW infants.