Anti-Mullerian Hormone

What is AMH?
This test measures the level of anti-müllerian hormone (AMH) in the blood. AMH is made in the reproductive tissues of both males and females. It plays an important role in the development of sex organs in an unborn baby. In women, AMH levels can provide information about fertility and the ability to get pregnant. A woman’s ovaries can make thousands of eggs during childbearing years. The number declines as a woman gets older. AMH levels help in determining the potential egg cells remaining in a woman’s ovaries.

A high level of AMH indicates your chances are better for getting pregnant. High level is also indicative of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). A low level can mean you may have low ovarian reserve and low chances of reproductive success.

Why is AMH done?

The AMH Test is performed:

To evaluate the functioning of the ovaries and female fertility (ovarian reserve of eggs) in adult women
To determine the external sex organs of an infant in case of ambiguous genitalia (a condition where the external sex organs are not clearly distinguishable into male or female)
To help in the diagnosis of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
To evaluate testicular functioning in infant males
To monitor treatment efficacy for some ovarian cancers
To determine the efficacy of assisted reproductive procedures like IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation)

What does AMH Measure?
The AMH Test measures the levels of Anti Mullerian Hormone or AMH in blood.

Anti Mullerian Hormone or AMH is produced primarily by the testicles in males and the ovaries in females. AMH levels in blood determine and regulate a number of activities of the human reproductive system.

In the first few weeks of the fetal development during pregnancy, the fetus has both the primordial male and female reproductive systems and can develop either as a male or a female. In genetic males, high amounts of AMH are secreted by the testicles, suppressing the formation and development of the female reproductive organs from Mullerian ducts (primordial female reproductive system), and encouraging the development of other male sex organs, which results in the development of a male child. Low or no AMH secreted in the genetically female fetus causes the formation and development of female reproductive organs from the Mullerian duct and a female child is developed. Abnormalities of AMH levels in the fetus may cause the formation of ambiguous genitalia.

After birth, AMH levels remain high in males till puberty, after which they fall slowly and taper off with time. AMH levels in females remain low after birth till puberty. During puberty, AMH is secreted by the ovaries resulting in a sharp increase in its levels. The levels slowly keep falling throughout the female reproductive period and become very low to undetectable after menopause. AMH maintains a balance of the two important female reproductive hormones: Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), which regulate the maturation and release of eggs from the ovaries along with other hormones. Hence, AMH levels during the female reproductive period serve as an indication of the ovarian reserve (number of remaining eggs that can mature fully and be released for reproduction), and hence fertility. It is also an indicator of the onset of menopause, especially in older women.
AMH can also be produced by ovarian cysts formed during PCOS, as well as by some types of ovarian tumors.