Symptoms, Lifetime Duration of Estrogen Exposure, and Ovarian Reserve Among Women Living With HIV: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study.
Scott Emory Moore, Christine Horvat Davey, Michael Morgan and 1 others
PMID 38949903WHAT IT FOUND
In 97 women living with HIV, lifetime estrogen exposure and ovarian reserve were not associated with symptom distress or burden; symptom counts did not differ by menopausal or ovarian reserve status.
Key findings
01Lifetime estrogen exposure and menstrual or reproductive history factors were not significantly associated with symptom burden or symptom distress.
02Symptom burden and symptom distress did not differ significantly across pre-menopausal, pre-menopausal with low ovarian reserve, and post-menopausal groups.
03Among premenopausal participants, serum AMH and lifetime estrogen exposure were not significantly associated with symptom distress or symptom burden after controlling for HIV-related factors and age.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Cross-sectional design cannot show whether estrogen exposure or ovarian reserve caused, preceded, or changed with symptoms. The sample was small for subgroup comparisons, with only 9 pre-menopausal women with low ovarian reserve. The HIV Symptom Index was not validated for menopausal or estrogen-driven symptom experiences. Lifetime estrogen exposure relied on self-reported reproductive history without chart confirmation, so recall bias could affect it. The study did not compare women living with HIV with women without HIV. One reported AMH-symptom dimension association had p = 0.14, above the paper's stated significance threshold.
Declared interests
The authors report no real or perceived vested interests related to this article that could be construed as a conflict of interest. The supplied publication types list NIH extramural research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the null findings as proof that estrogen exposure or ovarian reserve have no role in symptoms. The study measured lifetime exposure from self-report and AMH from a blood draw at the study visit, and it could not assess changes over time.