The study aimed to investigate the relationship between premature ovarian failure and autoimmune disease.
This interdisciplinary prospective study included 52 consecutively recruited women with premature ovarian failure. Diagnosis of premature ovarian failure was defined as amenorrhoea lasting more than four months and anti-Müllerian hormone levels below the age-appropriate range. Women with an abnormal karyotype of Fragile X syndrome were excluded from the study. A rheumatologist screened all participants for the presence of underlying autoimmune disease.
The average age at first diagnosis of premature ovarian failure was 29.5 years; 92.3% of participants presented with secondary amenorrhoea, while only 7.7% had primary amenorrhoea. Of all 52 participants, 40.4% had at least one confirmed autoimmune disease, including Hashimoto’s disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Crohn’s disease, polyglandular autoimmune syndrome, and coeliac disease. Response rates for hormonal stimulation therapy were low, and autoimmune disease was associated with poor infertility treatment outcomes.
The study concluded that there is a high prevalence of autoimmune disease in women with premature ovarian failure. Researchers should offer to screen for autoimmune diseases to all women with premature ovarian failure.
Reference: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13625187.2019.1702638
