ANTI MULLER HORMONE (AMH)

An AMH test is often used to check a woman's ability to produce eggs that can be fertilized for pregnancy. A woman's ovaries can make thousands of eggs during her childbearing years. The number declines as a woman gets older. AMH levels help show how many potential egg cells a woman has left. This is known as the ovarian reserve.

If a woman's ovarian reserve is high, she may have a better chance of getting pregnant. She may also be able to wait months or years before trying to get pregnant. If the ovarian reserve is low, it may mean a woman will have trouble getting pregnant, and should not delay very long before trying to have a baby.

AMH tests may also be used to:

• Predict the start of menopause, a time in a woman's life when her menstrual periods have stopped and she can't become pregnant anymore. It usually starts when a woman is around 50 years old.
• Find out the reason for early menopause
• Help find out the reason for amenorrhea, the lack of menstruation. It is most often diagnosed in girls who haven't started menstruating by the age of 15 and in women who have missed several periods.
• Help diagnose polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal disorder that is a common cause of female infertility, the inability to get pregnant
• Check infants with genitals that are not clearly identified as male or female
• Monitor women who have certain types of ovarian cancer