In women, cells inside the follicles of ovaries produce anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH). Follicles are tiny, fluid-filled sacs in the ovary that contain and release eggs. The more ovarian follicles a woman has, the more anti-Müllerian hormone her ovaries can produce. AMH can be measured in the bloodstream to assess how many follicles a woman has left in her ovaries -> her ‘ovarian reserve’. You can have an AMH test at any point during your menstrual cycle. Unlike other reproductive hormones, AMH doesn’t fluctuate much throughout the month.

While AMH is connected to your egg count, it does not predict your fertility. There’s a lot of confusion about what AMH test results reveal about fertility. Read further to understand why.

Think of your ovarian reserve as a basket of eggs. You’re typically born with a full basket of eggs, and those eggs get used from the time you start menstruation until it stops i.e. menopause.

A low AMH level points to a diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) or low egg count, which is why the hormone is linked to fertility. In other words, if you have DOR, the eggs in your basket are lessoning. It is normal for your ovarian reserve to decrease with age.

But here’s the thing: Even though low AMH suggests low egg reserves, AMH does not tell you if the eggs in the basket are GOOD EGGS. This is why EGG QUALITY matters more than quantity.

Think of it like this ➡️ You may have 10 eggs in your basket (Normal AMH level), however only 4 are good. Another woman may have only 5 eggs in her basket (Low AMH level) but she also has 4 that are good.

Now you understand why AMH is not a reflection of your egg quality or your ability to fall pregnant.

And while we are born with all the eggs we will have in our ‘basket’ (so essentially you can’t increase AMH levels), you can IMPROVE the quality of the eggs you have left. And that will increase your fertility success chances, regardless if you’re trying naturally or via IVF.