Early follicular phase serum FSH as a function of age: the roles of inhibin B, inhibin A and estradiol

Burger, Henry; Dudley, E. C.; Mamers, Pam; Groome, Nigel P.; Robertson, David

doi:10.3109/13697130009167595

Cited by 51 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…The present authors have more-recently confirmed the progressive increase in circulating FSH levels with increasing age in regularly cycling women, though the rise in FSH was seen predominantly in some women over the age of 40 (Burger et al, 2000b) (Figure 3 particularly from the dominant follicle and the ensuing corpus luteum (Roberts et al, 1993;Groome et al, 1996). INH-B, on the other hand, is a secretory product of small antral follicles (Roberts et al, 1993;Groome et al, 1996).…”

Section: Changes In the Pituitary-ovarian Axis With Age In Regulasupporting

confidence: 52%

Hormonal Changes in the Menopause Transition

Burger

Dudley²,

Robertson³

et al. 2002

Recent Progress in Hormone Research

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407

232

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The menopause is the permanent cessation of menstruation resulting from the loss of ovarian follicular activity. It is heralded by the menopausal transition, a period when the endocrine, biological, and clinical features of approaching menopause begin. A common initial marker is the onset of menstrual irregularity. The biology underlying the transition to menopause includes central neuroendocrine changes as well as changes within the ovary, the most striking of which is a profound decline in follicle numbers. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is an established indirect marker of follicular activity. In studies of groups of women, its concentration, particularly in the early follicular phase of the menstrual cycle, begins to increase some years before there are any clinical indications of approaching menopause. The rise in FSH is the result of declining levels of inhibin B (INH-B), a dimeric protein that reflects the fall in ovarian follicle numbers, with or without any change in the ability of the lining granulosa cells to secrete INH-B. Estradiol levels remain relatively unchanged or tend to rise with age until the onset of the transition and are usually well preserved until the late perimenopause, presumably in response to the elevated FSH levels. During the transition, hormone levels frequently vary markedly -hence, measures of FSH and estradiol are unreliable guides to menopausal status. Concentrations of testosterone have been reported to fall by about 50% during reproductive life, between the ages of 20 and 40. They change little during the transition and, after menopause, may even rise. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and DHEAS, its sulphate, on the other hand, decline with age, without any specific influence of the menopause. Symptoms of the menopause can be interpreted as resulting primarily from the profound fall in estradiol, occurring over a 3-to 4-year period around final menses, a fall that presumably contributes importantly to the beginning, in the late perimenopause, of loss of bone mineral density.

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Section: Changes In the Pituitary-ovarian Axis With Age In Regulasupporting

confidence: 52%

Hormonal Changes in the Menopause Transition

Burger

Dudley²,

Robertson³

et al. 2002

Recent Progress in Hormone Research

Self Cite

407

232

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show abstract

“…These studies include the Melbourne Healthy Women's Study, 16 SWAN, the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation, 17 and the Penn Ovarian Aging Study. 18 These studies have allowed us to define the transition process into menopause more fully and uncovered the concurrence of specific symptoms linked to specific stages of the transition.…”

Section: What Is the Natural History Of Menopausal Symptoms?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Perimenopause: From Research to Practice

Santoro

2016

Journal of Women's Health

167

116

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The menopausal transition, or perimenopause, is associated with profound reproductive and hormonal changes. These changes have been well chronicled and matched with concomitant symptoms. The pattern of appearance of menopausal symptoms and their natural history have become increasingly clear thanks to the conduct of several long-term, longitudinal cohort studies that have examined many aspects of women's biology and psychology through this time of life. Menopausal symptoms are highly prevalent; they are sufficiently bothersome to drive almost 90% of women to seek out their healthcare provider for advice on how to cope.1 The classic symptom of menopause is the hot flash, which is experienced by most women, and is moderately to severely problematic for about 1/3 of women. While most women will have an experience of hot flashes limited to just a year or two, others will experience them for a decade or more, and a small proportion of women will never be free of them. Poor sleep becomes more common in perimenopausal women not only in association with the menopausal transition but also in relation to aging. Depressed mood and increased anxiety also increase during the transition, with an abrupt rise in prevalence as women approach the later stages of the menopausal transition and have longer bouts of amenorrhea. These common symptoms often interact with one another such that depressed women tend to experience worse hot flashes along with worse sleep. As women enter the latter stages of the transition, vaginal dryness and dyspareunia also become more likely, affecting about 1/3 of the population. Unlike hot flashes, mood issues, and sleep, vaginal symptoms will not go away without treatment. Clinical approaches to these problems often involve hormone therapy, which can be safely given to most perimenopausal women on a short-term basis. Therapeutic strategies that are nonhormonal and behavioral can also be deployed.

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“…Serum estradiol levels were also lower in the same age group, but LH levels did not vary significantly in any of the age groups. Recent largescale cohort studies conducted in Australia [235][236][237][238], Norway [239], and United States [240] have provided further important insights into the overall pattern of ovarian sex steroids and gonadotropins that occur during the MT. It is reported that circulating FSH levels rise progressively during the MT and that in perimenopausal women estradiol production fluctuates with FSH and often reaches higher concentrations than those in young normal cycling women below the age of 35.…”

Section: Aging and Secretion Of Female Sex-steroidsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Aging on Steroid Hormone Biosynthesis and Secretion

Zaidi¹

2013

TOLSJ

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Steroid hormones are lipophilic, low-molecular weight organic compounds all of which are derived from cholesterol. They are primarily synthesized by steroidogenic glands such as gonads (ovary and testis), the adrenal gland and, during pregnancy, by the placental trophoblasts. Limited steroid synthesis also takes place in the brain. Steroid hormones are crucial for the proper functioning of the body. They mediate a wide variety of vital physiological functions, ranging from maintaining normal reproductive function and secondary sexual characteristics, to regulating virtually every metabolic process in the body. Like many age-related endocrine disorders, aging also progressively impacts the tissue-specific synthesis and secretion of steroid hormones. The goal of this review is to summarize the effects of aging on steroid hormone synthesis and secretion by the adrenal gland and gonads of both human and experimental animal models, to describe the potential involvement of excessive oxidative stress in mediating age-related alterations in steroidogenesis, and to discuss the possible underlying mechanisms involved.

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Early follicular phase serum FSH as a function of age: the roles of inhibin B, inhibin A and estradiol

Cited by 51 publications

References 11 publications

Hormonal Changes in the Menopause Transition

Hormonal Changes in the Menopause Transition

Perimenopause: From Research to Practice

Impact of Aging on Steroid Hormone Biosynthesis and Secretion

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