Autoimmune Thyroid Disease and Female Fertility: Does Anti-TPO Accelerate Ovarian Aging?

Read the full article See related articles

Discuss this preprint

Start a discussion What are Sciety discussions?

Listed in

This article is not in any list yet, why not save it to one of your lists.
Log in to save this article

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Thyroid autoimmunity, particularly anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies (anti-TPO), has been implicated in reduced fertility and diminished ovarian reserve. However, the stratified effects of anti-TPO across age groups, body mass index (BMI) categories, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) status remain unclear. This study aims to investigate the association between anti-TPO positivity and ovarian reserve markers—antral follicle count (AFC), anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)—in euthyroid infertile women. Methods: This retrospective study included 1460 infertile women aged 18–45 years, evaluated between 2022 and 2025. Participants were categorized based on anti-TPO levels (≥9 vs. <9 IU/mL) using Beckman Coulter-DXI 800 analyzer, which uses chemiluminescent immunoassays to measure results. BMI (<30 vs. ≥30 kg/m2), and PCOS status. Age was categorized into five strata (18–25, 25–30, 30–35, 35–40, and 40–55 years), and <35 vs. ≥35 years. Linear regression models were used to assess the impact of anti-TPO on AMH and AFC within each subgroup. Additional logistic regression was performed to evaluate the odds of diminished ovarian reserve (DOR: AMH < 1 ng/mL or AFC < 5) after adjusting for age, BMI, and TSH. Results: Anti-TPO positivity (17.6% prevalence) was significantly associated with reduced AMH (1.47 ± 1.52 vs. 3.33 ± 3.03 ng/mL, p < 0.0001), reduced AFC (8.18 ± 5.06 vs. 15.88 ± 8.18, p < 0.0001), and elevated FSH (9.40 ± 6.21 vs. 8.06 ± 4.79 mIU/mL, p = 0.001). These associations remained significant in non-obese and PCOS-negative subgroups. Regression models revealed stronger associations in younger women (<35 years) and showed significant Anti-TPO × Age and Anti-TPO × BMI interactions. Logistic regression confirmed Anti-TPO ≥ 9 IU/mL as a strong predictor of diminished ovarian reserve (AMH < 1 ng/mL: OR = 3.13; AFC < 5: OR = 6.48). ROC analysis indicated modest predictive ability (AUC: 0.665–0.694), and path modeling confirmed direct effects of Anti-TPO on AMH and AFC independent of TSH or BMI. Conclusions: Elevated Anti-TPO levels are independently associated with diminished ovarian reserve in euthyroid women, particularly in younger, non-obese, and PCOS-negative individuals. Anti-TPO may serve as a useful biomarker in fertility risk assessment and personalized reproductive counseling, even in the absence of overt thyroid dysfunction.

Article activity feed