The relationship between allostatic load and anti-mullerian hormone (amh) levels in a latina/latinx population

Allostatic Load (AL) is a composite measure of how cumulative environmental and social stressors impact the physiologic systems of the body. Increasing AL has been associated with adverse health outcomes. Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) is a marker of ovarian reserve. Its relationship with AL has not yet been examined. The objective of this study is to investigate the association of AL and AMH in a cohort of reproductive age Latinx females. Data collected as part of a prospective longitudinal cohort study was used. The Environment, Leiomyomas, Latinas, and Adiposity Study (ELLAS) follows 706 Latinx women starting in 2017 for 5 years. All participants were between the ages of 21-50 at the time of enrollment. Demographic and baseline information was collected by trained bilingual study staff. Anthropometric measurements were performed, and blood samples were collected. Serum AMH was measured using the pico-AMH assay (Ansh Labs, Wesbster, TX). We selected 13 variables to quantify AL. One-tailed AL scores were calculated. Participants were assigned 1 point for each of the following variables if they measured in the sample distribution 75th percentile or greater: total cholesterol, plasma hemoglobin A1c, waist/hip ratio, CRP, BMI, triglycerides, TNF-alpha, 2-hour glucose tolerance test, and interleukin 6. One additional point was assigned for each of the following: systolic BP (SBP) >130, diastolic BP (DBP) >80, fasting glucose >125, or HDL <25th percentile of the sample distribution. We then performed linear regression to investigate the association between AL and AMH levels. Of the 706 participants enrolled in ELLAS, 568 completed the first study visit and had data from all 13 criteria used to calculate AL. The average age of enrolled females was 37.5 ± 7.0 years. The mean AL score among all participants was 2.8 points, with a median of 2.0 (1.0, 4.0) and range of 0-9. The average AMH value was 2.95 ± 3.427. AL was inversely associated with AMH (mean difference per one-point increase in AL score = -0.253; p=0.0003). After controlling for age and age2, the association between AL and AMH was not significant. In a cohort of reproductive age Latina/Latinx females, AL as calculated by 13 variables representing multiple body systems, was not meaningfully associated with AMH levels after adjustment for age. To our knowledge, this is the first study to have investigated the relationship between AL and AMH. Additional studies are needed to assess the impact of chronic stress on the reproductive system of diverse populations.