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Fertility is really difficult to get right. But if you read this til the end you'll understand it better.
So you've taken an AMH test. Now you are wondering if a low result is bad.
It's called an 'egg timer test' for a reason. Let's go over a few things you may not know.
It doesn't tell you how many eggs you have left.
You won't run out of eggs until you go through menopause.
Females are born with all the eggs they will ever have. Crazy right? These eggs are locked in a type of reproductive vault.
There is no way to measure how many eggs are in the vault. Each month as a woman gets closer to ovulation, eggs are released from the vault to come up for the job of ovulation.
The AMH test measures how many eggs are coming up for the job, now how many are left in the vault.
AMH is designed for the IVF space.
It helps fertility specialists so they can prescribe an appropriate dose of drugs for stim cycles. More often now AMH is being used as a "fertility test". But there's no proof of a direct link to your fertility potential.
It cannot tell you how long you have left to have babies!
Your AMH level can change.
Your AMH levels can naturally vary, even within your menstrual cycle.
AMH can be lowered or inaccurate from:
• Pregnancy.
• Vitamin D deficiency.
• Regular binge drinking.
• Within 3 month of finishing breastfeeding.
• Within 3 months after coming off contraception.
You can conceive naturally with a low AMH.
If you have a low AMH and still ovulate each month you still have a chance of having a baby.
A high AMH doesn't mean you will find it easier to conceive.
I have seen countless women come in to the clinic presenting with a low AMH and high anxiety.
They were told things like "you only have a few eggs left" or "you are in menopause" when in fact they weren't. I've seen these women go on to have babies and not go through menopause for another 10 years.
Is it really worth testing?
Unless you are doing IVF, don't run to get this tested now. The anxiety and cost isn't helpful when you are in the early stages of a fertility journey.
It's important to remember there is no such thing as a fertility test.
We use many different tests. It's about the whole picture! With this information we can form a picture of your fertility potential and what your next steps should be.
And fertility can be hard especially if you don't have the right guidance.
Thanks for reading,
Next week l'm going to share my thoughts on when is the best time to see a fertility specialist.
Jaya x
