The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Camden, Cooper Hospital/University Medical Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility, Camden, NJ, USA. laurie@ccivf.com
PURPOSE: To determine if women with diminished egg reserve are more likely to have in addition diminished thyroid reserve compared to women with normal egg reserve. METHODS: Serum thyroid stimulation hormone levels and history of thyroid hormone replacement therapy was determined according to three ranges of elevated serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) in donor egg recipients with diminished egg reserve, and comparisons were made to women having embryo transfers on the same day. RESULTS: No difference or trends were found of diminished thyroid function in egg recipients vs controls in women aged 39 or under. CONCLUSIONS: Since autoimmune damage to an endocrine gland is more commonly associated with damage to other endocrine glands because of sharing of common proteins, autoantibody damage to the ovaries does not seem to be a common cause of diminished ovarian egg reserve.