Heavy metals tied to anti-Müllerian hormone levels, faster decline at menopause transition

Key takeaways:

• Higher vs. lower arsenic and mercury levels in urine were tied to lower anti-Müllerian hormone concentrations.
• Higher cadmium and mercury levels were tied to increased anti-Müllerian hormone decline over time.

Exposure to heavy metals, such as arsenic, cadmium and mercury, was associated with lower anti-Müllerian hormone concentrations and/or increased decline during the menopause transition, researchers reported.

“Widespread exposure to toxins in heavy metals may have a big impact on health problems linked to earlier aging of the ovaries in middle-aged women, such as hot flashes, bone weakening and osteoporosis, higher chances of heart disease and cognitive decline,” Sung Kyun Park, ScD, MPH, associate professor of epidemiology and environmental health sciences at the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor, said in a related press release. “Our study linked heavy metal exposure to lower levels of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) in middle-aged women. AMH tells us roughly how many eggs are left in a woman's ovaries — it’s like a biological clock for the ovaries that can hint at health risks in middle age and later in life.”

Ding and colleagues conducted a study, published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, evaluating data from 549 women from the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN), with 2,252 repeated AMH measurements from 10 to 0 years before their final menstrual period. Researchers also collected measurements on serum AMH concentrations for all included women. In addition, researchers measured urinary concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, mercury and lead using high-resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

When adjusting for confounders, women in the highest tertile of urinary arsenic (percent change, –32.1%; 95% CI, –52.9 to –2.2; P = .03) or mercury (percent change, –40.7%; 95% CI, –58.9 to –14.5; P = .005) concentrations had lower AMH concentrations at their final menstrual period compared with women in the lowest tertile.

Researchers also observed an association between higher urinary cadmium (percent change per year, –9%; 95% CI, –15.5 to –1.9; P = .01) and mercury (percent change per year, –7.3%; 95% CI, –14 to –0.1; P = .04) concentrations and increased rates of AMH decline over time.

“Metals, including arsenic and cadmium, possess endocrine-disrupting characteristics and may be potentially toxic to the ovaries,” Park said. “We need to study the younger population as well to fully understand the role of chemicals in diminished ovarian reserve and infertility.”

Reference:

• Women exposed to toxic metals may experience earlier aging of their ovaries. Published Jan. 25, 2024. Accessed Jan. 25, 2024.