Impact of immune checkpoint inhibition on ovarian reserve

Immune checkpoint inhibition has become a mainstay of therapy for various types of malignancy and is being used earlier in the course of therapy. In addition, there are many young women diagnosed with cancers where immune checkpoint inhibition is the standard of care. However, the impact of immune checkpoint inhibition on fertility is unknown and hard to assess. To evaluate this we performed an analysis of hormones associated with ovarian reserve in young women with melanoma treated with ipilimumab. Our study showed a reduction in AMH, a marker of ovarian reserve, in patients with melanoma treated with either immune checkpoint inhibition or targeted therapy. These results support the need for further work in this area to better understand the impact these therapies have on fertility.