I was recently taken aback when I saw an online fertility business offering a discounted price of $300 for fertility testing. This test essentially included measuring Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) and pituitary hormones like LH and FSH.
AMH is produced by ovarian follicles and serves as a marker of ovarian reserve, indicating how many eggs a woman has in her ovaries. However, it does not provide any information about egg quality, which is the main predictor of female fertility.
Studies have shown that as long as a woman is ovulating and other factors like age and general health are the same, the likelihood of becoming pregnant is similar regardless of whether she has a higher or lower egg reserve.
The test results are often presented in percentiles, which can be alarming for some women. Being told that your egg count is only in the 25th percentile for your age can be terrifying. However, it’s important to remember that variations within a population are normal. Just as being shorter than average doesn’t necessarily indicate a health problem, having an AMH level below average does not predict fertility issues.
AMH levels are also elevated in some conditions associated with infertility, the most common being Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). In fact, raised AMH is being investigated as a potential diagnostic tool for PCOS, rather than relying solely on ultrasound images of the ovaries.
For these reasons, most fertility specialists do not recommend routine AMH testing. It can cause unnecessary anxiety or provide a false sense of security.
If you have any questions or need further information, feel free to ask!