FRI382 High Androgen And Progesterone Metabolite Concentrations In Naturally Matured Follicles Are Concurrent With High Serum Anti-Müllerian Hormone Concentrations
Authors: Du Toit Therina , Von Wolff Michael , Swart Amanda C , Groessl Michael , Flueck Christa E 
Published: October 2023

Disclosure: T. Du Toit: None. M. Von Wolff: None. A.C. Swart: None. M. Groessl: None. C.E. Flueck: None.

Infertility in women is routinely evaluated with the assessment of circulating steroid levels. Profiling steroid levels in follicular fluid (FF) would provide a focused evaluation of the ovarian endocrine milieu and is therefore better suited to identify key hormones potentially involved in dysfunctional follicular growth. The anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) level in serum is a well-established clinical marker to estimate the ovarian reserve in assisted reproductive technology, while the AMH level in FF serves as a new prognostic marker for oocyte developmental potential. However, AMH-linked changes in the follicular steroid milieu have not been fully explored.

We conducted an AMH-dependent analysis of the FF endocrine milieu. Hormones were quantified using LC-MS (n=42) and ELISA (n=4) in FF of 83 women undergoing natural cycle in vitro fertilisation. Patients were age-matched and classified into 4 statistically different (p&lt;0.0001) groups according to serum AMH levels: group A (&lt;1.1 pmol/L, n=20); group B (1 - 7.14 pmol/L, n=21); group C (7.14 - 35.5 pmol/L, n=21); and group D (&gt;35.5 pmol/L, n=21). Group D was designated as our polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)-like group, as high serum AMH is a marker for PCOS.

We characterised androgen and progesterone metabolic pathways in FF. Androstenedione (A4) and testosterone (T) levels differed significantly between the groups (p&lt;0.01) and were highest in group D at 60 nmol/L and 4.7 nmol/L, respectively. The levels of 11-ketoandrostenedione (11KA4) and 11β-hydroxyandrosterone (adrenal-origin) also differed between the groups (p&lt;0.05), with higher 11KA4 levels (±2.7-fold) quantified in group D. In parallel with serum AMH, FF AMH differed between the groups (p&lt;0.0001), together with luteinizing hormone/FSH, A4/dehydroepiandrosterone, estradiol(E2)/T and E2/A4 ratios. In comparison to groups A, B and C combined, the PCOS-like group D showed significantly increased downstream progesterone metabolite levels –11α-hydroxyprogesterone [OHP4], 17α,20α-diOHP4, 16α-OHP4 and 5α-pregnanolone, with lower FSH levels.

Our results show that the follicular milieu is significantly different when high AMH levels are measured compared to when AMH levels are low, marked by: (i) higher progesterone metabolite levels in follicles and (ii) higher A4 and T levels, concomitant with unchanged E2 levels suggesting that androgens were not fully converted to estrogens in these follicles. Our study furthermore corroborates other studies reporting an intrafollicular hyperandrogenic state in women with increased circulatory AMH levels.

In summary, our study not only provides data based on a broad steroid profile that the follicular androgen endocrine milieu is affected in women with high serum AMH levels, but it also provides a model for the premature progesterone increase in PCOS women which leads to a reduction in the embryo implantation rate.

Presentation: Friday, June 16, 2023