Anti-Müllerian hormone concentrations in women with chronic kidney disease

Female Infertility in Chronic Kidney Disease

This review summarises the current literature regarding infertility in women with chronic kidney disease (CKD), describing the epidemiology, pathophysiology, investigations, and management options. The pathophysiology is multifactorial, with proposed mechanisms including disruption of the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis, chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, psychological factors, and gonadotoxic effects of medications such as cyclophosphamide. Diagnostic investigations in CKD patients seeking to conceive should be considered earlier than in the healthy population. Investigations should include hormonal profiling, including markers such as Anti-Mullerian Hormone and imaging such as ultrasound, to evaluate ovarian reserve and identify gynaecology pathology. Treatment options for infertility in CKD patients include GnRH agonists to preserve ovarian function during cyclophosphamide treatment, as well as assisted reproductive technologies including in vitro fertilisation and ovulation induction. However, these treatments must be tailored to the individual's health status, comorbidities, fertility requirements, and CKD stage. In conclusion, fertility is an important consideration for women with CKD, necessitating early investigation and tailored management. Early discussions regarding fertility are important in order to understand patients' family planning and allow for prompt referral to fertility services. While challenges exist, ongoing research aims to clarify the underlying mechanism and optimise treatment strategies, which are crucial for improving quality of life and overall health outcomes.

Parenthood with kidney failure: Answering questions patients ask about pregnancy

Achieving parenthood can be an important priority for women and men with kidney failure. In recent decades, the paradigm has shifted toward greater support of parenthood, with advances in our understanding of risks related to pregnancy and improvements in obstetrical and perinatal care. This review, codesigned by people with personal experience of kidney disease, provides guidance for nephrologists on how to answer the questions most asked by patients when planning for parenthood. We focus on important issues that arise in preconception counseling for women receiving dialysis and postkidney transplant. We summarize recent studies reflecting pregnancy outcomes in the modern era of nephrology, obstetrical, and perinatal care in developed countries. We present visual aids to help clinicians and women navigate pregnancy planning and risk assessment. Key principles of pregnancy management are outlined. Finally, we explore outcomes of fatherhood in males with kidney failure.

Reproductive Health in Chronic Kidney Disease: The Implications of Sex and Gender

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is frequently accompanied by reproductive health challenges in females and males alike. Progression of CKD is associated with escalating impairment of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, which facilitates evolving ovarian, testicular, and sexual dysfunction. Common clinical reproductive health complications in CKD include abnormal menstruation, impaired sexual health, and reduced fertility. Though sex-specific factors, such as sex hormones and gonadal function, have a strong influence on reproductive health outcomes in CKD, a person's gender and gendered experience also have important implications. Institutionalized gender, gendered perceptions of health, and health care-seeking behaviors, as well as adherence to medical care, all have critical effects on reproductive health in CKD. This review endeavors to explore the implications of both sex and gender on overall reproductive health in individuals living with CKD.

Anti-Müllerian hormone and vascular dysfunction in women with chronic kidney disease

Young women with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have disproportionately increased risk of cardiovascular mortality. Reduced anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is linked to poor cardiovascular outcomes in the general population, but whether AMH is associated with increased cardiovascular risk in the high-risk CKD population is unknown. This study examined the association between AMH and vascular function, validated markers of cardiovascular risk, in women with CKD. An exploratory cross-sectional study was performed in 47 young women with CKD. Laboratory measurements of AMH were collected. Using standardized protocols, endothelial function was measured with brachial artery flow-mediated dilation and hyperemic velocity time integral. Arterial stiffness was measured with aortic augmentation index and pulse wave velocity. Multivariate linear regression analyses were utilized to evaluate the association between AMH levels and each measure of vascular health. Forty women (36 ± 7 years) with non-dialysis-dependent CKD and 7 women (38 ± 6 years) with dialysis-dependent CKD participated. AMH levels were inversely associated with age (p = 0.01) but not associated with eGFR (p = 0.59) or dialysis status (p = 0.97). AMH was associated with brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (R2  = 0.21 [p = 0.03]) and aortic augmentation index (R2  = 0.20 [p = 0.04]) in the non-dialysis-dependent participants, and with aortic augmentation index in all participants (R2  = 0.18 [p = 0.03]). No association between AMH and any measure of vascular function was demonstrated in the dialysis-dependent participants. AMH levels are associated with impaired vascular function in young women with CKD and may be an important marker of future cardiovascular risk. Further investigation into this female-specific cardiovascular risk factor is warranted in this high-risk population.

Pregnancy and CKD: Advances in Care and the Legacy of Dr Susan Hou

Dr Susan Hou began her illustrious nephrology career at a time when pregnancy in women with chronic kidney disease (CKD) was hazardous and actively discouraged. Her pioneering research in women's health provided much of the early outcome data that shaped our current understanding of CKD and pregnancy. Although many uncertainties regarding optimal management of this vulnerable patient group remain, recent decades have witnessed important advances and renewed interest in improving care for pregnant women with CKD. Many nephrologists have been inspired by Dr Hou's lifetime of work and are grateful for her generous collaborations. In this In Practice Review, we honor her legacy by providing an update of current literature and clinical management guidance in the context of a clinical case vignette that challenges us to consider the many complex aspects to the counseling and care of women with CKD who desire a pregnancy.