Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences in endocrinology
Endocrine Abstracts (2013) 32 OC5.5 | DOI: 10.1530/endoabs.32.OC5.5

ECE2013 Oral Communications Reproduction (6 abstracts)

FSHB −211 and FSHR 2039 polymorphisms are associated with serum levels of FSH, AMH and age of pubertal onset in 78 healthy girls: a longitudinal cohort study

Casper P Hagen 1 , Lise Aksglaede 1 , Kaspar Sørensen 1 , Annette Mouritsen 1 , Mikkel G Mieritz 1 , Katharina M Main 1 , Kristian Almstrup 1 , Ewa Rajpert-De Meyts 1 , Richard A Anderson 2 & Anders Juul 1


1Department of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; 2Medical Research Council Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.


Context: Potency of the FSH-pathway varies according to polymorphisms in the promoter of the gene encoding the FSH beta subunit (FSHB −211 G>T, rs10835638) and in the gene encoding the FSH receptor (FSHR 2039 A>G, rs6166). A recent study suggested that carriers of the combination of FSHB GG and FSHR AA had the most reproductive ‘fit’ phenotype (higher serum FSH and a more sensitive FSH receptor). In pre-pubertal girls, FSH and AMH levels correlate negatively indicating a pituitary–gonadal set-point.

Objective: To evaluate if polymorphisms in FSHB and FSHR were associated with reproductive parameters in healthy girls.

Design and setting: Seventy-eight healthy girls were examined biannually in the COPENHAGEN Puberty Study; number of examinations per girl, median (range), 9 (2–13). Serum levels of hormones were measured by immunoassays. Genotyping was determined by PCR amplification followed by restriction enzymes specific for the genotypes (RFLP analysis).

Main outcome measures: Association analyses of single and combined polymorphisms with FSH, AMH, and age at pubertal onset.

Results: Carriers of (FSHB GG+FSHR AA) had higher levels of FSH prior to pubertal onset, lower mean serum levels of AMH, and they entered puberty earlier than girls with other combinations of genotypes; FSH 2.2 (1.3–3.9) vs 1.5 (0.4–4.4) IU/l (P=0.05), AMH 13.8 (5.6–53.9) vs 19.4 (4.8–47.4) pmol/l (P=0.04), and age of pubertal onset 9.7 (8.8–10.7) vs 10.6 (9.0–13.5) years (P=0.03), respectively.

Conclusions: Our findings indicate that genetic polymorphisms in the FSH pathway influence timing of puberty in healthy girls, as well as the pre-pubertal FSH-AMH set-point. Furthermore, it seems that individual AMH levels are determined by common variations in genes regulating follicle growth as well as the number of resting primordial follicles.

Article tools

My recent searches

No recent searches.