• lupus erythematosus
• systemic
• quality of life
• therapeutics

Dialogue for paper: Anti-Müllerian Hormone in African American Women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Reproductive justice stands at the intersection of social justice and reproductive health, where it focuses attention on the reproductive health and rights of women who suffer social injustices.

Although a pilot study of a hormone may seem an unlikely springboard for a serious discussion about this subject, I believe that the watershed events of 2020 suggest that adding such a lens is essential to the health and lives of our patients. It is possible that relatively few rheumatologists view themselves at the forefront of this movement. However, by working empathetically and using the recent American College of Rheumatology’s Reproductive Health Guidelines, rheumatologists can help black women overcome some of the reproductive injustice they currently suffer.

This pilot study by Angley and colleagues,1 published in this issue of Lupus Science & Medicine, demonstrates that black women with SLE, both without and especially with prior cyclophosphamide (CYC) therapy, have significantly lower levels of antimullerian hormone (AMH) than black women without SLE. AMH is steadily generated by existing ovarian follicles, which means that measuring its levels can provide a rough estimate of ovarian reserve, or the number of potential eggs a woman has left to produce. It can be predictive of early menopause; in addition, women with lower levels of AMH are less likely to conceive.2 3 A recent …