Can you get pregnant with low AMH?
In short, YES.
AMH or anti-mullerian hormone has historically been used by IVF clinics to assess women for treatment and work out the best medication protocol. But in recent years, it’s been marketed to the general public as a fertility MOT so women can get an idea of their current or future fertility potential.
It’s a hormone secreted by developing follicles a used as a measure of ovarian reserve. Each month, several follicles are recruited for maturation but only one will be selected to go all the way to ovulation. Generally, as egg number declines with age, the younger you are and the higher the reserve the bigger the pool of recruited follicles will be and as they are secreting AMH the higher the number will be.
But here’s the thing- it can be a bit of a tricky fish out of the IVF context and here’s why…
1️⃣It has no correlation of the chances of natural conception. Research has shown some women with low AMH may conceive easily and others with higher AMH levels may have issues. Low AMH in some younger women does not necessarily mean you have less eggs overall, just less follicles each month. If you are <40 low AMH is unlikely to be the root reason you are struggling but it may be an indication of something else going on.
2️⃣ It’s not fixed - it changes and fluctuates up and down depending on the number of follicles being recruited at that time as well as the ovarian environment. It can be influenced by things like vitamin D status, nutrient deficiencies inflammation and conditions like endometriosis and autoimmunity
3️⃣It’s not an accurate predictor of the quality of our eggs which is the important thing, not the quantity. It’s also important to look at other hormones alongside it and not look at it in isolation.
So just because you have low AMH doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have issues conceiving. Low AMH alone is not an issue, however, if you are having trouble, there may be more factors at play than low AMH.
Factors like egg quality, hormone production, sperm quality could be playing a part and the good news is, these are modifiable factors that can be worked on.
So what do I recommend to my clients who have low AMH?
Get a full hormone blood work-up - looking at LH, FSH, oestrogen, progesterone and thyroid health
Investigate your male partner
Look at your microbiome health as infections and imbalances can impact your chances of conceiving
Work on egg and sperm quality through diet and lifestyle - with eggs it’s all about QUALITY over quantity - check out this article for more.
Assess your nutrient status
Get a targeted supplement protocol to help support egg and sperm health
If you are struggling with infertility and have low AMH, Book a call to discuss how working with me 121 can help to address this.