Education and empowerment of women when it comes to their health, especially their reproductive health, is so important and has proven to improve health outcomes.

With the internet and SoMe we are fortunate to have access to a wealth of information to do this, however it’s essential this information is accurate and reflects the best available evidence. Unfortunately AMH testing is a topic where this sometimes isn’t the case.

I too often see posts suggesting all women should get an “egg timer test” (AMH) to inform them of their current or future fertility.

While I wish there was a test that could tell women this, it’s a bit more complicated.

AMH is a test that was designed to be used in IVF to predict how many eggs a woman might produce per cycle. This information has then been extrapolated to predict how many eggs a woman might have left – their “ovarian reserve”.

The problem with this is, that while very accurate and informative in the IVF setting, it can be inaccurate and misleading out of this setting.

So with the increased accessibility to AMH testing, I think it’s important that women understand the limitations of AMH and what the results can actually tell us before deciding to get this test.

Also it is vital for the results of AMH tests to be interpreted by a doctor with interest in reproductive health and with your personal medical history and reproductive goals in mind.

Current evidence shows that for women without proven infertility, those with a low AMH are just as likely to fall pregnant, and within the same time frame, as those with a normal or even high AMH.

So if you were planning on trying to conceive now or in the near future an AMH is not recommended, as it can’t tell how likely you are to fall pregnant in the next 6-12 months of trying.

Another limitation not always well understood by women before testing is that currently AMH cannot be used to accurately predict how many fertile years you have left.

There are many factors that impact fertility, egg age being the most important.

So if you were in your mid to late 30’s or 40’s, even with a high AMH, it is prudent to either start your family now or look into fertility preservation options.

If you were in your 20’s and got your AMH test done with results showing a lower than average AMH it’s not necessarily doom and gloom. If you were otherwise well, with no fertility affecting  medical conditions and no family history of early menopause then there is no good evidence currently that suggests you will have fertility issues. If you were not planning on starting a family at this stage in life, a result like this may cause undue stress.

However further research is being done to identify ways AMH can be used more broadly in assessing fertility, premature menopause and even PCOS. So in consultation with a fertility specialist there may be benefit for you to have an AMH done as part of a fertility assessment even without infertility, when cases where you might be considering egg freezing and the best timing for this, if there is a family history of premature menopause and possibly even in those <35 when deciding if they can delay starting their family.

However, it is essential to remember that current advice supported by evidence is that AMH testing is useful only if you have been trying to conceive without success for more than six months if you are over 35 or more than 12 months if you are under 35, as part of planning fertility treatments.

And if you are going to get one done, please make sure you discuss your results with a doctor with special training or interest in reproductive health.