AMH test

What you need to say and know!

What is AMH?

Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) is a hormone produced by cells in the follicles [small developing egg

sacs] that contain an egg in a woman's ovaries. Hence, AMH indicates the number of eggs being

produced during a woman's monthly cycle. • The level of AMH in a woman's blood is a good indicator of her

ovarian reserve and is helpful in assessing her fertility status.

• A low level of AMH suggests that there is a significant reduction in the remaining supply of eggs.

• ↓ AMH levels are seen in those who respond poorly to fertility drugs.

• One advantage of the AMH test is that it does not change over the course of the menstrual cycle, and so can be tested at any time of the month.

                                                             

 

                              

 

What is Ovarian reserve?

When a woman is wanting to start a family and is unable to do so successfully over a period of time, her doctor may wish to check the patient’s ovarian reserve to confirm that her supply of eggs is not already significantly reduced.

AMH test is a valuable piece of information that helps to identify women who would have a lower pregnancy rate from fertility treatment.

                                                             

 

                              

 

How can AMH results be helpful? A low ovarian reserve is one factor in identifying women

who may have a low chance of success from fertility treatment.• Measurement of ovarian reserve also aids to decide the ideal dose

of medicine(s) during (IVF)fertility treatments,eg. identify women who are more likely to over-respond or hyper-stimulate during IVF treatment, and the dose of fertility medicine can be adjusted to minimize that risk.

In case the patient has voluntarily decided to delay starting a family, a check on the ovarian reserve is confirms that her supply of eggs is adequate ahead.

Unusually high ovarian reserve indicates PCOS [polycystic ovarian syndrome].

                                                             

 

                              

 

What are the Limitations of the AMH Test? In order to give a complete fertility assessment, AMH

results need to be interpreted by a fertility specialist taking into account a number of other factors. • Eg. The implications of a low AMH level may vary depending

upon a woman's age.

• In younger women a low AMH may indicate that it may be more difficult to obtain eggs during fertility treatment, but does not necessarily mean that eggs obtained from treatment will be poor quality.

• In other words whilst a low AMH indicates a reduced ovarian reserve, it does not necessarily provide information about eggs quality.

So, what does AMH do?

Changes women’s lives by properly reflecting her biological clock.• AMH is like an hourglass

that’s turned over from the time she is born. Each grain of sand is one egg, and eventually they all run out. AMH measures how much sand is still left at the top.

So, what does AMH reflect?

Fewer eggs equals fewer chances for babies.• the most prominent

tool for fertility specialists across the world to determine the chances of their patients getting pregnant.

Until now, a fertile woman had 2 choices for starting a family: • start trying and find out

soon, or

• don’t start trying yet and find out later.

AMH utility - promises to pinpoint her chances of getting pregnant, today

For the fertility specialist For the woman

• Who has wondered about how many more years she could wait to have children;

• Who has been unsure about how many more dates she could go on before finding her ideal mate and start a family,

• Who has worried about how many promotions she could attain before being tied down,

• Who has pondered about how many more professional degrees she could add.

Plan and set expectations after checking the ovarian reserve

Precautions with AMH

Women taking the oral contraceptive pill and whose AMH results reflect a poor ovarian reserve must repeat the test after a month of being off the contraceptive pill.