The blood levels of anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) are measured by AMH test. Both female and males produce AMH, but this test is often conducted on women, primarily to obtain a snapshot of a woman’s reproductive health.
While a baby is still in the womb, AMH is one of the major factors in the development of baby’s sex organs. Only a small amount of AMH is required for the development of female babies and hence higher levels are found in male babies which prevents the development of female reproductive organs in them.
In females the ovaries contain small fluid-filled sacs called as follicles which contain and release eggs. AMH is produced by the cells within the follicles.
AMH is the direct indicator of ovarian reserve by providing information on the number of eggs.
• Higher AMH levels mean more eggs and a higher ovarian reserve.
• Lower AMH levels mean fewer eggs and a lower ovarian reserve.
All females are born with a fixed reserve of eggs, AMH test indicates to how many eggs are remaining at that point of time and whether the ovaries are undergoing aging too rapidly. It may even indicate whether there’s a shorter window to conceive.
IVF requires taking injectable fertility drugs which then stimulate ovaries to mature multiple eggs to enhance the success rate. How well the body is responding to these injectables may also be gauged by this rest.
Even tough AMH corelates to egg count, it is not the predictor of your fertility (before or after treatments). It also cannot predict your menopause.
There are several other factors that influence the ability to conceive even if AMH levels are optimum, such as:
• Age, medical conditions, smoking, etc.
• Sperm count and motility.
• Not ovulating regularly, blocked fallopian tubes, pelvic scarring, endometriosis and uterine abnormalities like fibroids.
AMH levels vary depending on your age. In females, AMH levels gradually begin rising during adolescence and reach the peak at 25 years of age and then naturally decline. AMH levels are measured in nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) by healthcare providers.
Providers measure AMH levels in nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL). Experts debate how to Although there’s still a debate on the acceptable ranges of AMH but these are usually the norm:
• Average: Between 1.0 ng/mL to 3.0 ng/mL.
• Low: Under 1.0 ng/mL.
• Severely low: 0.4 ng/mL.
Also keep in mind that the results may slightly vary from lab to lab as different organizations use different equipment.
As mentioned previously, the AMH levels decline as we age so a lower ovarian reserve in 30s, 40s and 50s is normal.
The following estimates can be considered for actual numbers. These are on the lower side for each age range:
• 25 years old: 3.0 ng/mL.
• 30 years old: 2.5 ng/mL.
• 35 years old: 1.5 ng/ mL.
• 40 years old: 1 ng/mL.
• 45 years old: 0.5 ng/mL.
Higher AMH levels aren’t always a good thing. Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) may also have high AMH.
