Open AccessThe role of anti‐Müllerian hormone in female fertility and infertility – an overview
Author(s) -
GRYNNERUP ANNA GARCIA–ALIX,
LINDHARD ANETTE,
SØRENSEN STEEN
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
acta obstetricia et gynecologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.401
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1600-0412
pISSN - 0001-6349
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0412.2012.01471.x
Subject(s) - anti müllerian hormone , ovarian reserve , medicine , infertility , polycystic ovary , endocrine system , hormone , ovary , in vitro fertilisation , fertility , pathological , endocrinology , andrology , gynecology , biology , embryo , insulin , insulin resistance , population , pregnancy , microbiology and biotechnology , environmental health , genetics
Anti‐Müllerian hormone (AMH) plasma levels reflect the continuous non‐cyclic growth of small follicles, thereby mirroring the size of the resting primordial follicle pool and thus acting as a useful marker of ovarian reserve. Anti‐Müllerian hormone seems to be the best endocrine marker for assessing the age‐related decline of the ovarian pool in healthy women; thus, it has a potential ability to predict future reproductive lifespan. The most established role for AMH measurements is before in vitro fertilization is initiated, because AMH can be predictive of the ovarian response, namely poor and hyper‐responses. However, recent research has also highlighted the use of AMH in a variety of ovarian pathological conditions, including polycystic ovary syndrome, granulosa cell tumors and premature ovarian failure. A new commercial enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay for measuring AMH levels has been developed, making results from different studies more comparable. Nevertheless, widespread clinical application awaits an international standard for AMH, so that results using future assays can be reliably compared.