Anti Mullerian Hormone Test

Antimullerian Hormone Test

It is a simple blood test that detects Antimullerian hormone (AMH) levels in blood.AMH is also called as Mullerian inhibitory factor (MIF). AMH is predominantly a female hormone which is secreted by granulosa cells of ovary. AMH levels give an idea about the ovarian reserve in females. AMH levels decrease as the age of female advances.

Females are born with a limited number of eggs in the ovary. These eggs are used up during lifespan of female at the time of ovulation in each menstrual cycle. AMH levels help to know how many eggs are left in ovary. Thus low AMH levels signify diminished ovarian reserve and hence less chances of fertility.

Various causes of low AMH levels are:

• Advance age –AMH levels starts decreasing as age advances
• A past history of ovarian surgery –in cases of ovarian cysts,endometriosis,ovarian torsion
• High stress levels
• Low vitamin D levels

Why is Antimullerian hormone test prescribed?

Your health care provider may ask you to undergo AMH test in following conditions:

• To know the ovarian reserve and decide further course of infertility treatment
• During In-vitro fertilization(IVF) it helps to predict number of eggs that can be produced and dosage of medication needed to stimulate egg production
• Prediction of start of menopause (time when menstruation stops in females)
• In cases of PCOS(polycystic ovarian syndrome) where AMH level is abnormally high
• Response to treatment of certain ovarian cancers /
• Sometimes in infants to assess external sexual organs when they cannot be identified clearly as male or female

Procedure and prerequisites

The sample for this test is taken from blood by inserting a small needle into vein of your arm. A small amount of blood is then collected in test tube or vial. You may feel some pain due to needle prick. There are no contraindications for this test. no preparations (like fasting) is required. This test can be done on any of the day of the menstrual cycle. If on birth control pills discontinue them for 1-2 months before taking this test.

Reference range

• High levels-more than 4.0 ng/ml
• Normal levels-1.5-4.0 ng/ml
• Low normal levels-1.0-1.5 ng/ml
• Low levels-0.5-1.0 ng/ml
• Very low levels-less than 0.5 ng/ml