Night shift work and anti-Müllerian hormone concentrations in a cohort of black women

Objectives

To evaluate if current night shift work is associated with anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) concentrations.

Study design

We analyzed baseline data from participants in the Study of the Environment, Lifestyle, and Fibroids (SELF), a prospective cohort study of Black women recruited 2010–2012 in metropolitan Detroit, MI. Our cohort comprised 1641 participants with serum AMH determined at baseline. AMH concentrations were used to measure ovarian reserve, i.e. the quantity of oocytes remaining in the ovary. On self-administered baseline questionnaires, participants reported whether they currently worked night shifts and, if so, how frequently. We used multivariable linear regression models to estimate percent differences and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) in mean AMH concentrations across categories of current night shift work (non-current, <1/month, ≥1/month), adjusting for covariates known to be associated with AMH concentrations (e.g., demographic factors such as age, abnormal bleeding, and contraceptive use) and baseline sleep characteristics (sleep duration, satisfaction, and efficiency).

Main outcome measure

Mean anti-Müllerian hormone concentrations.

Results

Mean AMH concentrations were similar in the group of frequent night shift workers (n = 196, 12 %) and the group of infrequent/non-current night shift workers (n = 1445, 88 %): 4.78 ± 4.15 ng/mL vs. 5.14 ± 4.20 ng/mL. Results were similar after adjusting for potential confounders, with only a small percent difference in AMH concentrations of −8.1 % observed between the two groups (95 % CI -19.8 %, 5.4 %).

Conclusions

Frequent night shift work was not appreciably associated with AMH concentrations in this large cohort of reproductive-aged Black women.