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TESTS · AMH AND OVARIAN RESERVE
AMH is a blood test that estimates how many eggs are left in the ovaries. It tells us how to plan treatment and how quickly to move; it does not tell you whether you will have a baby.
An AMH test measures anti-Müllerian hormone, which is made by the small resting follicles in the ovaries, so the level reflects roughly how many eggs remain.
It is the most useful single blood test of ovarian reserve, and it is read with an antral follicle count (AFC): a scan that counts the small follicles in both ovaries. The two together are more reliable than either alone. Older tests, such as day 2 FSH, add less and vary more from month to month.
AMH is a simple blood test that can be taken on any day of the cycle, because the level stays fairly steady through the month.
No fasting or preparation is needed. Hormonal contraception can lower AMH, so tell us if you are on the pill; the result is read with that in mind. The follicle count scan is a vaginal ultrasound early in the cycle.
There is no single normal AMH value: it falls with age in every woman, and each lab uses its own assay, units and age ranges.
A result that is expected at 40 would prompt a talk about timing at 28. So compare your number with your own age band and your own lab's range, not a chart online or a friend's report. If one result does not fit your scan or history, it can be repeated in the same lab.
AMH cannot tell you whether your eggs are healthy, whether you can conceive naturally, or when you will reach menopause.
Egg quality follows age. A woman of 30 and a woman of 42 with the same AMH are in very different situations. What AMH predicts well is how many eggs an IVF cycle is likely to collect, which is why it shapes the stimulation plan.
AMH on its own is only weakly predictive of pregnancy, and a very low value should not be used to refuse someone IVF. (ASRM committee opinion on ovarian reserve testing, 2020)
No. No supplement, diet or medicine has been shown to raise AMH or add eggs, and a result that rises between two tests is usually lab variation.
What you can change is everything around the eggs: a healthy weight, stopping smoking, and correcting thyroid problems or vitamin D before treatment. These can help the outcome; they do not change the AMH number. With a low result, the plan changes instead.
Egg accumulation and individualised stimulation, including dual stimulation, rather than simply higher doses. (Dr Vani Sundarapandian, on how she treats low ovarian reserve)
Bring your AMH report and any scan report. We read them with you, against your age.
Units: AMH is printed in ng/mL or pmol/L. 1 ng/mL is about 7.14 pmol/L, so 1.0 in ng/mL and 7.1 in pmol/L are the same result. Many worrying comparisons online mix the two.
Anti-Müllerian hormone, in nanograms per millilitre. Common in Indian labs.
The same hormone in picomoles per litre, used by many UK and European labs.
The machine or kit the lab used.
Where your result sits compared with other women your age, if the lab prints it.
The number of small follicles (2 to 10 mm) counted in both ovaries early in the cycle.
Older markers of reserve, sometimes printed on the same panel.
Source of ranges: No guideline sets one normal AMH value. ASRM (Testing and interpreting measures of ovarian reserve, 2020) notes that AMH and AFC are the most useful reserve markers, that values differ between assays, and that AMH only weakly predicts pregnancy. Your lab's own age range applies.
IfAs expected for your age
Reserve is not the limiting factor. We move on to the tube check, ovulation and his semen analysis.
What that meansIfLower than expected for your age
Time matters more, so we test both of you quickly, set short time limits, and move to IVF sooner if needed.
What that meansIfVery low, planning IVF
Stimulation fitted to you, and eggs or embryos banked over more than one collection, sometimes with dual stimulation.
What that meansIfVery low, over 40, with poor response before
Dr Vani will say plainly if treatment with your own eggs is unlikely to help, and talk you through donor eggs.
What that meansIfHigher than expected
Often a sign of PCOS. In IVF it raises the risk of over-response, so we use gentler stimulation, a different trigger and freeze the embryos.
What that meansIfNot ready for a baby yet
If your AMH is low for your age, egg freezing sooner rather than later is worth discussing.
What that meansDo any of these sound like you?
Already told your AMH is low? Read what it means and what can be done.
Your age, cycles, any ovarian surgery, and how soon you want a baby.
AMH with a follicle count scan, plus his semen analysis.
What your number means for your age, and how fast to move.
A natural try with a time limit, IVF planned for your reserve, or egg freezing.
There is no single normal AMH level by age, because AMH falls steadily with age and each lab uses its own assay, units and age ranges. Read your result against the age range printed on your own report, and with a follicle scan.
Low AMH means fewer eggs remain than usual for your age, so fewer eggs are likely to grow in one IVF cycle. It does not mean poor egg quality, and many women with low AMH still conceive.
No, AFC (antral follicle count) is a vaginal ultrasound scan, not a blood test. It counts the small follicles in both ovaries early in the cycle and is read together with the AMH blood test.
Yes, AMH can be tested on any day of the cycle, because it stays fairly steady through the month. The pill can lower it, so mention it if you take one.
A high AMH usually means many follicles, and it often goes with PCOS. In IVF it raises the risk of over-response (OHSS), so stimulation is planned to be gentler.
No supplement has been shown to raise AMH or add eggs. A healthy weight and stopping smoking help the eggs you have, but they do not change the number.
Only loosely. A very low AMH suggests menopause may come earlier than average, but it cannot predict your own timing.
Jananam takes the AMH blood test at its Neelankarai centre on ECR and its Thiruporur clinic, and reads it with a follicle scan and your age. Message us on WhatsApp to book, or send a report you already have.
The questions people don't ask with their partner sitting beside them, answered by Dr Vani Sundarapandian.
We had an incredibly positive experience with Dr. Vani and the team at Jananam Hospital. From the very beginning, Dr. Vani was compassionate, knowledgeable, and supportive throughout our fertility journey.
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Vani Mam and her incredible team at the fertility hospital. From the very beginning of our journey, we were greeted with warmth, professionalism, and immense support.
Share your AMH report, your age and how long you've been trying. Janvi, Jananam's companion for fertility treatment, replies straight away.
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Sex selection is prohibited in India under the PCPNDT Act, 1994 and the ART Act, 2021.
