Background The ovarian function and therefore the ovarian reserve may be compromised by the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases of which, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) is the most common in women of reproductive age. Furthermore, a prolonged reduction in thyroid hormone concentration results in a broad spectrum of reproductive alteration. Previous reports in the literature have been controversial regarding the impact of hypothyroidism and alterations in the ovarian reserve. Thus, this prospective and comparative study aimed to evaluate the association of hypothyroidism with low ovarian reserve. Materials and Methods A subset of 27 patients with primary autoimmune hypothyroidism were compared to healthy women. The ovarian reserve was assessed through the anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) and the antral follicle count (AFC). Results Overall, the two groups did not display significant differences in length of their menstrual cycles neither in the AMH serum levels nor the AFC. Conclusions No significant alteration was found in the ovarian reserve of women with HT.

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Abstract Purpose: Folic acid and homocysteine levels are influenced by the circulating levels of estradiol. Little is known about the behavior of these metabolites during an in vitro fertilization cycle, where superovulation protocols induce a major increased in the levels of estradiol and other hormones. Methods: We performed a prospective, comparative, transversal, descriptive and observational study that includes 49 cases (group A), which were patients that entered a fertility program, and 14 controls (group B), which correspond to the donor group. In both groups, the levels of folic acid, estradiol and homocysteine as well as the MTHFR polymorphism were determined. Results: None of the patients has subnormal levels of folic acid or homocysteine and these levels were not modified after ovarian stimulation. We observed that homocysteine concentration tended to decrease with elevated estradiol levels produced by the stimulation of the ovary. The presence of allele C677T MTHFR was high in the populations evaluated in this study, with a particular high incidence of the TT allele. Conclusion: The levels of plasma and intracellular folate, and homocysteine do not change during hormonal stimulation.