Ovarian Reserve

How useful is the AMH blood test?

There was a very interesting article in The Age that we though would be good to share. It’s about the anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) blood test and its accuracy. AMH is a hormone produced by the developing follicles on a woman's ovaries. Recently specialists have been using the levels of AMH detected in the blood to give an indication of how many follicles, and consequently eggs are being produced during a monthly cycle. Low levels of AMH (<14pmol/L) indicate fewer developing follicles and fewer eggs. It is also linked to higher FSH levels which can be a problem for those undergoing IVF treatment.

In this article Dr Clarke (the medical director of Sydney based IVF clinic Fertility First) says that the blood test is an unreliable indicator of ovarian reserve due to it being sensitive to a number of factors including having been on the pill.

It makes me happy to read this as we have long believed this test causes undue panic, primarily as its something we have found improves with Chinese Medicine treatment (as do high FSH levels).

Have a read of the article here: http://www.theage.com.au/national/unreliable-fertility-tests-are-misleading-wannabe-mums-20131123-2y2s1.html

If you have been diagnosed with low AMH I would highly recommend asking for an antral follicle count for a more accurate indication of your ovarian reserve.

Plus concentrating on your lifestyle, herbs and acupuncture treatment to improve those results!