From CreateHealth.org: Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) is a protein hormone produced by granulosa cells (cells lining the egg sacs or follicles) within the ovary. AMH can be measured in the blood at any time in the menstrual cycle as it is stable throughout the cycle. It is a marker for ovarian (egg) reserve.

Let’s talk about  fertility hormone tests and their practicality for women… As for the great video, Lisa Stack, Support Coordinator for CNY Fertility Center, shares information about how the new AMH test can assist your quest to conceive…

Hey Sacred Bombshell,

When it comes to fertility testing, women have a harder time than men. If a man wants to know whether he is infertile, it’s easy for him to go in for basic tests that will tell him both his sperm count and sperm motility, which are strong predictors of his ability to father children. But for women, determining whether you’re fertile is not an exact science, and a new test that checks for low AMH doesn’t necessarily make it easier.

AMH, or anti-mullerian hormone, is produced in small quantities by a woman’s eggs and declines as her egg reserves drop over the course of her life. A relatively new test promises to estimate a woman’s egg count by checking for the levels of AMH in her blood – but fertility doctors say that the test doesn’t necessarily indicate anything about whether you can conceive.

 

That didn’t stop the AMH Test from making a prominent appearance on prime time this year. A past episode of “New Girl” featured protagonist, Jess (played by Zooey Deschanel), freaking out over her fertility levels and being promised a test to “find out how many beans you’ve got left in your beansack.” However, in reality, results are sadly less cut-and-dry than in sitcoms, and the number of “beans” doesn’t necessarily matter.

 

The truth is that women’s infertility issues often come from a problem in the quality of eggs – not the quantity. Factors including age and hormone levels, as well sheer luck of the draw, affect how fertile a woman’s eggs are, and there is no single test to determine that. In fact, most of gauging fertility is guesswork: if you get pregnant you’re fertile, and if you don’t, question mark.

In other words, if you want to know whether you’re fertile, you first need to try making babies to find out.

An AMH test egg count can be helpful, however, for a woman who has tried and cannot conceive. If the parents-to-be have a hard time conceiving, there are a number of treatments available to try to get the stork to stop by. Most of these treatments revolve around using multiple eggs to maximize odds; however, this means if a woman is low on eggs, she may not be a good candidate.

So does it matter if you have low AMH? While testing for it can help you set expectations around fertility treatment, if you don’t already suspect you have problems conceiving – then it may not be an indicator of true fertility.

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Blogger R. L. Youssef is a writer whose goal is to inspire people toward healthier and happier lives through her words. Follow her @RLYoussef.

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