Ovarian Ageing in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: the Role of Vascular Factors

In healthy women, early menopause is an event that is associated with the exacerbation of several risk factors of cardiovascular and skeletal disease. The occurrence of an early menopause may have even greater impact in women with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM-1). A small number of studies has demonstrated that DM-1 patients experience cycle irregularity and menopause at a younger age compared to controls. In addition, initial studies have suggested that also in regular cycling DM-1 women a decreased ovarian reserve status for age is present. The explanation for this early decay in ovarian reserve in DM-1 patients remains unknown. Next to auto immunity, vascular factors may be possible contributors to accelerated ovarian ageing in DM-1 patients.

Confirmation of more accelerated ovarian ageing in DM-1 women is urgently needed in view of the added risk factors outlined above. Also, the mechanisms behind the advanced ovarian ageing, with focus on vascular factors, may shed new light on our understanding of the ovarian ageing process per se.