A new study led by University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health researchers in collaboration with fire service partners and other researchers around the country through the Fire Fighter Cancer Cohort Study showed that post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety are associated with lower levels of anti-Müllerian hormone, a marker of ovarian reserve, among women firefighters.
The ovarian reserve is the number of healthy eggs in a woman’s ovaries that could potentially be fertilized. It is a measure of a woman’s fertility and ability to have children.
“These findings highlight the negative effect that mental health conditions can have on health – specifically, reproductive health,” said first author Michelle Valenti, MPH, a doctoral student in epidemiology at the Zuckerman…