Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) is a really important hormone for your fertility because of how closely it is linked to your eggs, AMH testing can help you understand your fertility and give you insights into your overall reproductive health. Here’s what testing can and can’t tell you. Quick facts: What is AMH and why is it so important? Anti-müllerian hormone (AMH) is a super important hormone for fertility. AMH is made by the small sacs, called follicles, in your ovaries. These follicles house your eggs.  Because of its close relationship to your eggs, testing your AMH levels can help indicate how many eggs you have left at the time of testing.  There are a few myths out there about what exactly AMH testing can tell us. So in this article, we cover the main things an AMH test can and can’t tell you. Let’s get into it… What can AMH testing tell me? Whether your ovarian reserve is a normal for your age AMH testing will give you insights into whether your ovarian reserve is in line with other healthy people in your age group. If you are not using any hormonal contraception, testing other hormones, like follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and oestradiol alongside AMH can also help to build a full picture of egg reserve. Generally, people with low egg reserves are known to have higher levels of FSH and lower levels of oestradiol. Whether you have polycystic ovaries or polycystic ovary syndrome AMH testing can also indicate whether you could have polycystic ovaries (PCO). PCO is a common reproductive health condition affecting around 30% of reproductive-aged people assigned female-at-birth. PCO is benign and does not affect fertility, but it can cause other unwanted symptoms.  People with PCO have a higher-than-expected number of immature follicles in their ovaries. More follicles mean a higher level of AMH in the blood.  Some people with PCO also have the syndrome that can be associated with it—polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which often presents as symptoms like irregular periods and high testosterone levels.  According to updated guidelines, AMH testing can be used as a marker for polycystic ovaries, which is one of the criteria for a  PCOS diagnosis. However, we would always recommend getting a scan of your ovaries) to confirm the diagnosis. Whether IVF or egg freezing could be right for you AMH testing and understanding your ovarian reserve can also help to determine if certain fertility treatments like IVF or egg freezing could be suitable for you. During these fertility treatments, AMH levels are often tested to help determine the doses of medication needed and used to predict the outcomes of the egg collection process. People with lower AMH levels are known to have less successful IVF treatment cycles, whereas someone with high AMH might be at increased risk of developing a rare but potentially life threatening condition called OHSS (ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome).  Many NHS-funded and private IVF clinics therefore require a minimum AMH level for you to be eligible for a free IVF treatment cycle. The minimum level on the NHS will depend on where in the UK you are currently residing. Whether you may be perimenopausal or menopausal or have POI Menopause refers to the period of your life, usually post 45-50, where you no longer have menstrual cycles and are therefore no longer able to conceive naturally. Menopause is associated with having an extremely low, or completely diminished, ovarian reserve.  It is usually diagnosed retrospectively—when women are over 45 years old and have not had a period in 12 months (and are not using hormonal contraception).  For people who are younger, FSH levels are useful for diagnosing menopause, as FSH levels are known to increase for people with low egg reserves. Although AMH levels are not recommended to help diagnose menopause, it is known that AMH levels reduce to very low levels at the time of menopause. There is also evidence that people with very low AMH levels (who are not going through menopause) will undergo menopause much sooner than those with AMH levels that are within range. When the ovaries stop working before the age of 40, this is known as premature ovarian insufficiency (POI), which AMH levels have also been shown to provide a good indicator of. If you have a higher risk of miscarriage or recurrent pregnancy loss It is estimated that approximately 1 in 5 pregnancies end in miscarriage. Miscarriages occur most frequently in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and can be associated with lots of different risk factors. Some of the most common are your and your partner or sperm donors’ age, pre-existing conditions and ethnicity. Recent evidence has shown that people with diminished ovarian reserve, and therefore very low AMH levels, are more likely to have a miscarriage or recurrent miscarriage (two or three consecutive pregnancy losses).  However, more research needs to be done to understand the links between AMH levels and miscarriage, including its risk factors. What can’t AMH testing tell me? Unfortunately, AMH testing and ovarian reserve forms only one part of the fertility picture and there are some things that AMH testing may not be able to tell you. Let’s take a look… It can’t determine your egg quality Although AMH levels can give insight into your egg quantity, it does not provide any insight into the quality of those eggs. Despite poor egg quality being one of the most common causes of female infertility, there is currently no test that can definitely determine egg quality (unless testing embryos in IVF treatment). It can’t determine your exact egg quantity Your AMH result can give an indication of the size of your ovarian reserve.  This is because it is released by the follicles which contain our eggs, meaning that the more follicles we have, the higher the AMH that will be produced. However, it can’t tell you your exact number of eggs because each follicle may produce a different amount of AMH depending on its size.  In order to estimate the number […]

Fertility testing is much more common than it used to be. But with the growth in the at-home fertility testing market, how do you know which one is best? In this article, we explain why Hertility is a cut above the other at-home tests available.   Quick facts: What at-home testing can tell you Whilst there is no way to 100% definitively determine how fertile you are, testing our hormones can give us key insights into the functioning of our reproductive health and ovarian reserve (egg count).   There are a whole range of different hormones that can work hard to regulate the menstrual cycle and ovulation. If just one becomes imbalanced, it can throw the whole system off.  At Hertility, we’ve spent years building the most accurate diagnostic tool in female health and our tests can give indicative diagnoses within just 10 days of testing.  We don’t believe in doing things in halves—so unlike a lot of other at-home tests on the market, we provide full end-to-end care. Here’s what to expect with each step of our test.  Online Health Assessment  Your test starts with an Online Health Assessment. It takes around 5 minutes to complete and is essentially everything you would cover in an initial private gynaecologist appointment before being referred for a hormone test.  Up to 60 questions cover your medical history, period and cycle, symptoms and individual biomarkers. Each question has been carefully selected to build a 360-degree view of your health and fertility.  Our proprietary algorithm will then determine your risk factors, using 835,000 data variables, for various conditions or hormone imbalances. You’ll then be recommended a personalised hormone panel for your test, based on the analysis of your Online Health Assessment results.  Some other at-home tests don’t include this crucial step and will simply test you for a generic hormone panel. Which hormones do Hertility test? Depending on the outcome of your recommended panel, your test could include the following hormones:  Some fertility tests will only look at E2, LH, FSH and testosterone. These are all very useful in determining how your menstrual cycle is working, but without looking at the full picture and the interplay between different hormones, you’ll only be able to get half the picture.  That’s why we take a comprehensive, whole-body approach when it comes to your hormones and fertility.  You’ll receive your at-home test kit with your personalised panel 3-5 days after you place your order. Our kits are easy-to-use with detailed instructions on each step with links to video instructions. Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) A key part of any fertility test is measuring the levels of a hormone called Anti-Müllerian Hormone or AMH. Produced by the cells in your developing eggs, AMH can be used as a really powerful indicator of how many eggs you have left.  Studies comparing the levels of AMH with the number of eggs seen on a pelvic ultrasound scan (when done on the same day of your cycle) have shown AMH to be a reliable way to gauge egg count.  After peaking in your 20’s, AMH levels decline, dropping more rapidly after your mid-30s. However, this rate of decline differs from person to person so it’s important to test regularly to understand what this rate of decline looks like for you.  Based on over 10 years of clinical research, AMH is established as the single most important marker of ovarian reserve and forms a core part of our Hormone & Fertility test. AMH will always feature in your hormone panel, however, it’s important to know that if you’re currently taking hormonal contraception this can temporarily suppress your AMH. Although you can still test AMH while on contraception and get valuable insights, we recommend waiting three months after coming off contraception to give the most accurate results.  Furthermore, research has found that AMH has the potential to be used as an indicator of when someone will go through menopause, a predictor of fertility treatment success and can be used when diagnosing reproductive health conditions such as PCOS & POI.   A fertility test isn’t all about AMH. AMH alone cannot give you the entire picture, it’s just one piece of the puzzle. So, when looking at your fertility, and overall reproductive health, it’s crucial to take a whole-body approach.  Results and follow-up doctor-written report Just 10 days after sending your test kit back to us, you’ll be able to access your hormone results in your online health hub. Each hormone result comes with an explanation, so you can easily understand what your result means.  Along with your results, you’ll receive a doctor-written report that will consider your Online Health Assessment results alongside your blood work. Your dedicated doctor will outline a care plan based on any symptoms you might be experiencing and will recommend any onward care or treatments should you need them. The takeaway At Hertility, we care deeply about your health and well-being. Our mission is to arm women with the answers they need about their reproductive health so that they can make informed decisions about their futures. Our Online Health Assessment and at-home test kits have been rigorously quality tested and are CQC-approved, MHRA-regulated and CE-marked. Start your Health Assessment here.

Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) is a really important hormone for fertility. It can give insight into your ovarian reserve and how many eggs you have left. But what is a good AMH level for your age? Here’s everything you need to know about AMH levels.  Quick facts: What is AMH? Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) is an incredibly important hormone when it comes to fertility and overall reproductive health.  AMH is made by the small sacs, called follicles, in your ovaries. These follicles house your eggs. Because of this close relationship with your eggs, testing your AMH levels can therefore give you an insight into your ovarian reserve, or how many eggs you have at the time of testing.  We are all born with all of the eggs we’ll ever have. As we age, both our egg quality and quantity declines. This is due to both the natural ageing process and eggs being lost with each menstrual cycle. This happens right up until menopause when all your eggs are gone. As our egg count diminishes, generally so do our AMH levels, unless we have an underlying condition or lifestyle factor which is affecting our AMH levels (like PCOS).  What is a normal AMH level for my age? AMH levels will steadily decrease year after year from your mid-20s onwards. This occurs in tandem with your ovarian reserve declining.  After your mid-30s, AMH decline becomes much more rapid. It completely drops off as you near menopause (usually between 45 and 55 years old).  Although the overall levels of AMH by age is a general downward trend, each person has an individual rate of decline depending on genetics, lifestyle, medication and underlying conditions. What is a good AMH level? The higher your AMH the better, right? Well… not exactly. Like all of our hormones, too much or too little can indicate problems.  High AMH levels In general, higher AMH levels indicate a larger number of ovarian follicles and therefore a larger ovarian reserve.  However, some underlying reproductive health conditions like polycystic ovarian syndrome PCOS are associated with high AMH levels too. PCOS can cause hormonal imbalances which can negatively impact your fertility. Symptoms of high AMH levels Generally, high AMH levels don’t have any specific symptoms. But if you’re experiencing any symptoms that indicate a possible problem with your cycle you should test your hormones including AMH levels to investigate the possibility of PCOS. These symptoms could be things like irregular or no periods, or any other PCOS symptoms like acne, excessive body or facial hair, hair thinning or loss.  Low AMH levels On the flip side, low AMH levels can indicate lower numbers of remaining follicles and therefore, a smaller ovarian reserve.  Very low AMH levels are often seen in premature ovarian insufficiency (POI), which is a condition where menopause occurs before the age of 40 or even when you are going to experience menopause. Ovarian surgery can also carry a risk of low AMH levels afterwards. Some lifestyle factors have also been linked to low AMH levels – smoking, obesity, and poor diet and nutrition—specifically insufficient Vitamin D levels.  How to increase AMH levels? Unfortunately, you can’t stop your AMH from declining with age. That being said, there are some lifestyle and diet changes that can improve your fertility.  Monitoring your AMH levels with an at-home blood test if you have low AMH levels and are actively trying to conceive, or wanting to do so soon is a good idea to understand your rate of decline. Additionally, if you’re worried about your future fertility but not ready to have kids yet, you may want to consider egg freezing. Or, if you have low AMH levels and are struggling with conceiving, IVF treatment could be a good option for you.  If you’re concerned about your AMH levels, you can speak to our Private Gynaecologists at any time. Our Doctors can help you with a care plan that’s right for you and your body.  Do AMH levels fluctuate? Unlike your menstrual hormones which are cyclical, meaning their levels fluctuate throughout the month, your AMH levels stay relatively stable throughout your menstrual cycle. How do I know if I have normal AMH levels?  Testing your hormones is the only way to definitively know if your AMH levels are within the normal range for your age.  Doing an AMH blood test can give you an accurate insight into your current AMH levels, and give you an insight into your reproductive health because it is reflective of your ovarian reserve (egg count). Your AMH levels can also be used as an indication of whether you have polycystic ovaries, however, it can not currently be used to diagnose PCOS based on current guidelines. Understanding your AMH levels and ovarian reserve can also help to determine if you would be suitable for certain fertility treatments like IVF or egg freezing.  During fertility treatment, AMH levels are often tested to help determine the doses of medication and to predict the outcomes of the egg collection process.  Investigation of AMH levels is often done in combination with an Antral follicle count (AFC), which is an internal ultrasound scan where the number of small follicles seen on the ovary is counted. What is a good AMH level to get pregnant or to have IVF? Successfully getting pregnant is not entirely dependent on your AMH levels and ovarian reserve. Other factors can affect fertility such as: There is, therefore, no evidence of a good AMH level to increase the likelihood of pregnancy.  The success of IVF treatment is also dependent on many different factors. However, there is evidence that an AMH level lower than 5.4 pmol/L may have a poorer response to fertility medications. This is why some NHS IVF clinics will not accept patients who have an AMH level lower than this threshold.   Resources: