AMH Blood Test Levels – Understanding AMH Fertility Test Results

Before we talk about what an AMH test is, I think it is important for women to understand the basics of female fertility.

Women are born with all of the eggs they will ever have (approximately 1-2 million at birth). Throughout their lifespan, starting at the first menstrual cycle, the body recruits a group of follicles (each with a small immature egg inside) that have the potential to respond to hormones, grow, and ovulate.

Usually, a woman ovulates one egg per month. The eggs that do not get selected to ovulate dissolve, and the process repeats itself if a woman is not pregnant that month.

The average age of a woman having children in the US has been on the rise over the past few decades. As more women choose to advance their education and careers, they are delaying building a family. The result is that more women in their 30s and 40s are deciding to have children than in the past.

However, we know fertility declines as we age, so it’s important that women understand their fertility and what the current tests and treatments can and can’t do for them.

Only when women are armed with all of the knowledge will they be able to make informed decisions about their health!

What are AMH Levels in Fertility?

Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) is a hormone produced by small follicles in a woman’s ovaries and is commonly measured through a simple blood test. Doctors often use AMH levels to estimate a woman’s ovarian reserve, which refers to the number of eggs she has remaining. While AMH doesn’t indicate egg quality, it gives helpful insight into overall fertility potential and can guide decisions around family planning or fertility treatments.

The nitty-gritty details about AMH

• AMH, or anti-mullerian hormone, is a substance granulosa cells produce in ovarian follicles.
• It is first made in primary follicles that advance from the primordial follicle stage. At these stages, follicles are microscopic and cannot be seen by ultrasound.
• AMH production is highest in preantral and small antral stages (less than 4mm diameter) of development.
• Production decreases and then stops as follicles grow. Almost no AMH is made in follicles over 8mm.
• Therefore, the levels are fairly constant, and AMH testing can occur any day during the woman’s cycle.

What does AMH mean regarding your fertility?

AMH is an important fertility test about a woman’s ovarian reserve today. Higher AMH values (greater than 1 ng/mL) usually signify a woman has a normal ovarian reserve. Lower numbers (less than 1 ng/mL) may indicate a woman with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR).

We know that a woman’s fertility declines as she ages, so we typically see AMH values decline as women age. The value of this test is that a woman with a low AMH can choose to improve her fertility now if she desires a family in the future.