1. Women’s Biological Clock Revealed: Hormone May Predict Age at Menopause
2. Aspirin-Like Compounds Increase Insulin Secretion in Otherwise Healthy Obese People
3. Now Available: Patient Guide on Hirsutism

1. Women’s Biological Clock Revealed: Hormone May Predict Age at Menopause

Age at menopause may now be predicted more realistically according to a new study accepted for publication in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). The study revealed that anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels are related to the onset of menopause and are able to specify a woman’s reproductive age more accurately than chronological age alone.

The levels of AMH in the blood reflect the number of small follicles present in a woman’s ovaries. This follicle stock enables reproduction by ensuring monthly ovulations. Depletion of the stock leads to menopause, which normally occurs between 40 and 60 years of age.

“Couples often postpone childbearing until after age thirty, even though variation in menopausal age and corresponding variation in natural fertility means that some women are sterile as early as their thirties,” say Dr. Jeroen van Disseldorp and Dr Frank Broekmans of the University Medical Center Utrecht in Utrecht, the Netherlands. “Knowing when menopause may occur could greatly impact childbearing decisions and our findings show that such knowledge may now be available from AMH levels.”

For this study, AMH levels were measured in 144 healthy, fertile women and the data were used to determine an estimate of mean AMH as a function of age. This information was then used to estimate the distribution of the age of menopause in a sample of 3,384 women between the ages of 50 and 70. Researchers were then able to develop a model based on AMH level and age that could predict age at menopause for individual women.

Prediction for younger women may be more problematic since observed AMH levels were underrepresented at younger ages, and a recent study in mice show that mean AMH levels do not decline at young ages.

Other researchers working on the study include Malcolm Faddy of Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia; Axel Themmen and Frank de Jong of Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, The Netherlands; and Petra Peeters and Yvonne van der Schouw, of Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands.

The article “Relationship of Serum Anti-Müllerian Hormone Concentration to Age of Menopause,” will appear in the June issue of JCEM, a publication of The Endocrine Society.

2. Aspirin-Like Compounds Increase Insulin Secretion in Otherwise Healthy Obese People

Aspirin-like compounds (salicylates) can claim another health benefit: increasing the amount of insulin produced by otherwise healthy obese people. Obesity is associated with insulin resistance, the first step toward type 2 diabetes.

Aspirin and other salicylates are known to reduce blood glucose in diabetic patients. New research accepted for publication in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism reveals a similar beneficial effect among obese individuals by increasing the amount of insulin secreted into the bloodstream.

“The administration of a salicylate led to the lowering of serum glucose concentrations,” said Jose-Manuel Fernandez-Real of the Institut d’Investigacio Biomedica de Girona and CIBEROBN Fisiopatologia de la Obesidad, Spain, and lead author of the study. “These findings highlight the importance of further research on the possible therapeutic benefit of aspirin in the fight against type 2 diabetes.”

For their study, Fernandez-Real and his colleagues evaluated the effects of triflusal (a derivative of salicylate) on 28 subjects (nine men and 29 women). The average age of the participants was 48 years old and their average Body Mass Index (BMI) was 33.9. A BMI of over 30 is considered obese. During three, four-week treatment periods, the study participants received a 600 mg dose, a 900 mg dose, or a placebo once per day.

The researchers found that administration of triflusal led to decreased fasting serum glucose. Contrary to their expectations, insulin sensitivity did not significantly change during the trial. Insulin secretion, however, significantly increased in relation to the dose size.

In conjunction with the human studies, the researchers also conducted laboratory studies on insulin-producing cells (known as islets of Langerhans) from mice and humans. The researchers observed that triflusal significantly increased the insulin secreted by these cells.

“Aspirin therapy has been recognized to improve glucose tolerance and to reduce insulin requirements in diabetic subjects,” said Fernandez-Real. “To our knowledge, this is the first study to show that salicylates lowered serum glucose in non-diabetic obese subjects. We believe that this effect was due to a previously unsuspected increase in insulin secretion rather than enhanced insulin sensitivity.”

The paper “Salicylates increase insulin secretion in healthy obese subjects” will appear in the July issue of JCEM, a publication of The Endocrine Society.”

Other researchers involved in the study include Abel Lobez-Mermejo, Ana-Belen Ropero, Sandra Piquer, Angel Nadal, Judit Bassols, Roser Casamitjana, Roman Gomis, Eva Arnaiz, Inaki Perez, and Wifredo Ricart.

3. Now Available: Patient Guide on Hirsutism

In conjunction with The Endocrine Society, The Hormone Foundation has published the "Patient Guide to the Evaluation and Treatment of Hirsutism in Premenopausal Women." This publication is based on the clinical guidelines of The Endocrine Society. It summarizes the evaluation methods and treatments of hirsutism, including cosmetic measures, medication, and direct hair removal. The guide will be published in the April issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Download Your Free Copy Here

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Founded in 1916, The Endocrine Society is the world's oldest, largest, and most active organization devoted to research on hormones and the clinical practice of endocrinology. Today, The Endocrine Society's membership consists of over 14,000 scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students in more than 80 countries. Together, these members represent all basic, applied, and clinical interests in endocrinology. The Endocrine Society is based in Chevy Chase, Md. To learn more about the Society, and the field of endocrinology, visit our web site at www.endo-society.org.