A simple blood test? 

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A key part of understanding your odds for success with IVF is knowing your egg reserve levels - this can be done with a simple blood test, evaluating the amount of anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) in your blood. Females are born with all of the eggs they will have in their lifetime, and this supply dwindles with age. Egg follicles in the ovaries produce AMH - the higher the level of AMH in your blood, the higher ovarian reserve. The lower the AMH levels, the lower the reserve. 

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AMH levels begin to elevate during adolescence and peak in your mid-20s. After that, they naturally decline. According to the Cleveland Clinic, normal AMH levels are:

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• Average: Between 1.0 ng/mL to 3.0 ng/mL.
• Low: Under 1.0 ng/mL.
• Severely low: 0.4 ng/mL

If you’re considering IVF, getting your AMH levels is a great place to start, because it will help you evaluate how well you might respond to the follicle stimulation medication administered during an egg retrieval cycle, and whether you’re likely to produce multiple mature eggs. A test of your AMH levels can also tell you if your ovaries are aging, and if you might have a more limited window of time for getting pregnant. Here are good AMH levels based on age (note, these estimates are on the low end for each age group):

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• 25 years old: 3.0 ng/mL.
• 30 years old: 2.5 ng/mL.
• 35 years old: 1.5 ng/ mL.
• 40 years old: 1 ng/mL.
• 45 years old: 0.5 ng/mL.

Some people can be very surprised to learn that they have low-AMH levels for their age, and therefore, might need to make choices about commencing IVF or egg freezing earlier than they might have anticipated. If you’re on the younger side, and are considering freezing your eggs or starting IVF, but have been putting it off, this can be great information to help make a decision.

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It’s important to note that AMH cannot predict your ability to conceive: this depends on many additional factors, such as age and egg quality, sperm count and motility, a-typical ovulation, blocked fallopian tubes, fibroids, endometriosis and other medical factors. But it can be a really great tool to evaluate if now is the time to get a jump on IVF or egg freezing, or if the chances of success are so slim, that you might consider other options. 

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