Anti-Müllerian hormone as a diagnostic marker of polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review with meta-analysis

Abstract

Objective

To determine whether serum anti-Müllerian hormone measurement can be used as a diagnostic marker for polycystic ovary syndrome compared to serum androgen measurement and transvaginal/transabdominal ultrasound.

Data sources

A systematic literature review and meta-analysis were conducted. Electronic and manual searches were carried out in the Cochrane Library, Embase, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS), PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases.

Study eligibility criteria

Studies conducted in humans, published in any language up to August 2023, and addressing the following research question were included: “Can serum anti-Müllerian hormone levels be used as a diagnostic marker of polycystic ovary syndrome in comparison to serum androgen levels and transvaginal/transabdominal ultrasound?” Furthermore, only articles that used the Rotterdam (2003) criteria, the National Institutes of Health (1990) criteria, the Androgen Excess and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Society criteria, or the Evidence-based Guidelines on polycystic ovary syndrome from 2013, 2018, and 2023 for diagnosing women with polycystic ovary syndrome were included.

Study appraisal and synthesis methods

Two independent reviewers selected the studies and extracted and analyzed the data. The Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 and Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation Working Group tools were used to analyze the risk of bias and certainty of evidence.

Results

This systematic review included 45 studies. The studies exhibited a low risk of bias in the “Reference standard” and “Flow and time” domains but showed a moderate risk of bias in the “Patient selection” domain and a high risk of bias in the “Index test” domain. The meta-analysis of the case-control studies demonstrated a sensitivity of 81% and specificity of 82%, whereas the meta-analysis of the cross-sectional studies showed a sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 85%, both with 95% confidence intervals. The certainty of the evidence was rated as “low.”

Conclusion

This systematic review showed that serum anti-Müllerian hormone levels can serve as a diagnostic marker for polycystic ovary syndrome when factors such as age, test standardization, polycystic ovary syndrome phenotypes, and body mass index are considered. Otherwise, anti-Müllerian hormone should be used as an adjuvant to the polycystic ovary syndrome diagnostic criteria established through consensus and/or guidelines. Additionally, serum concentrations reflected the severity of this syndrome.