What Is A Low Egg Reserve (Low AMH Levels)?

Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) is currently the most important blood test that provides information about the ovarian reserve. Testing the AMH level in the blood sample provides more valuable information compared to an FSH test. AMH levels can be tested on any day of menstruation. Ovaries are egg reserves and a group of eggs is consumed in each menstrual cycle, resulting in continuous reductions in the egg count throughout a woman's life. AMH is the hormone that informs us about the remaining egg reserve. AMH values less than 1 ng/ml warns us to hurry for having the child. The normal range is 1 - 3.3 ng/ml.

However, the level of AMH does not help predict the chance of pregnancy. There is a chance of pregnancy even when AMH levels are low. In other words, there is not an AMH value, at which an assisted reproduction treatment cannot be performed. In young patients with low AMH levels, the risk of an early menopause should always be remembered. A low AMH value does not indicate that the egg is of poor quality. The AMH level indicates the number of eggs. As ovarian reserves diminish with advancing age, the levels of AMH will decline, too, as the patient ages.  

The level of AMH plays an important role in determining the medication doses to be used in assisted reproduction treatment. Today, we do not use FSH tests anymore. Because FSH is secreted every 90 minutes, the FSH blood levels fluctuate resulting in confusion in the interpretation of the results.

The AMH test is used for diagnosing polycystic ovary disease, too. Especially AMH levels more than 3.3 ng/ml suggest a diagnosis of polycystic ovary disease. In these patients, the medication doses for assisted reproduction treatment should be carefully planned.

Also, we use the AMH test in reproductive health check-ups. Along with age, the ovarian reserve is the most important indicator to be used in the deciding the timing of having a child. It should be recognized that there is no compensation of the time spent by contraception and postponing the timing of having the baby in women with low AMH levels. By providing information about AMH, couples should be made aware of the importance of the ovarian reserve. It is important to recognize that there is no cure for low AMH levels, women are born with a certain number of eggs, and that women will not be able to produce new eggs throughout their lives. Therefore, it is important for candidate mothers to have a child or at least to have their eggs frozen when their egg reserves are adequate.