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Significant relationships identified between ovarian hormones, pituitary gonadotropins
Anti-Müllerian hormone may indirectly regulate follicle-stimulating hormone.
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Inhibin B was both a major feedback regulator of follicle-stimulating hormone and negative feedback regulator of luteinizing hormone in the follicular phase.
Researchers conducted a study to identify relationships between serum ovarian and pituitary hormones — LH, FSH, inhibin A, inhibin B, anti-Müllerian hormone, estradiol and progesterone. They recruited 21 women aged 21 to 35 years with regular menstrual cycles and 56 women aged 45 to 55 years with variable cycles.
“A number of significant relationships were identified between circulating ovarian hormones and pituitary gonadotropins in this study — in particular, the inverse relationship between FSH and both inhibin B and anti-Müllerian hormone; LH and inhibin B; and steroids with both gonadotropins,” the researchers wrote. The results were published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Interrelationships
In simultaneous analyses, prediction of FSH in the follicular phase was associated with negative associations with estradiol (slope, –0.44), anti-Müllerian hormone (–0.22) and inhibin B (–0.09); there was a positive association with progesterone (0.20). Analysis of prediction of LH yielded a positive association with progesterone (0.31) and negative association with inhibin B (–0.30) and anti-Müllerian hormone (–0.07).
Additional simultaneous analyses of the luteal phase revealed a negative association with FSH and estradiol (–0.33), progesterone (–0.54) and anti-Müllerian hormone (–0.15). A significant negative association was observed with LH and progesterone (–0.82) in this phase.
Researchers observed a clear association for the lagged prediction of FSH in the follicular phase. They reported significant negative associations for inhibin B (–0.30) and anti-Müllerian hormone (–0.16).
Time-lagged analyses of the luteal phase revealed negative associations for estradiol (–0.27), inhibin A (–0.20), progesterone (–0.18), inhibin B (–0.17) and anti-Müllerian hormone (–0.10) in the lagged prediction of FSH.
When the researchers examined the lagged prediction of ovarian hormones by LH and FSH, results demonstrated significant positive lagged associations in the follicular phase between LH and inhibin A (0.38) and a significant negative lagged association between FSH and anti-Müllerian hormone (–0.32); the latter association was not observed with LH.
“These analyses extend our understanding of the ovarian regulation of pituitary secretion of FSH/LH,” the researchers wrote. They added that these findings supported the role of inhibin B in regulating FSH, as well as estradiol and progesterone regulating FSH and LH.
“However, it is unclear to what extent these ovarian hormones are bona fide feedback regulators of gonadotropin secretion,” they wrote.
Further, “although it is concluded that anti-Müllerian hormone is not an ovarian feedback regulator of pituitary FSH/LH, its marked inverse association with FSH is surprising and may yet indicate an unrecognized role,” they wrote.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009;94:138-144.