Background: High survival rates of children diagnosed with cancer have led to a growing population of women with premature ovarian failure (POF) due to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The POF process occurs due to the disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary and gonadal axis followed by the delay of puberty development. Evaluation of reproductive function in children with cancer is essential to determine the fertility preservation plan. This study aimed to describe reproductive functions in children and adolescents with cancer who received chemotherapy based on Tanner stage evaluation, menstrual cycle, and anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) examination using electro-chemiluminescence immunoassay kit.
Results: Twenty-three girls aged 12-18 years old and had menarche who underwent cancer therapy in January-August 2019 in Dr. Sardjito General Hospital were included in the study. Among them, 61% had low AMH levels and were defined as diminished ovarian reserve (DOR). Two subjects with DOR experienced delayed puberty. Regular menstrual cycle was reported in 65.2% of subjects and irregular menstrual cycle in 34.8%, while 21.7% with irregular menstrual cycle encountered secondary amenorrhea.
Conclusion: Chemotherapy exposure affected DOR occurrence in 60.9% of patients with childhood and adolescence cancer. Moreover, it also altered menstrual regularity in 34.8% and delayed puberty development in 8.7% subjects.
Keywords: Anti-Mullerian hormone; Childhood cancer; Fertility; Puberty; Tanner stage.
© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.