Low AMH anyone?

[Brittbri]

So Friday I got my bloodwork results back for AMH levels. I am 23 and my AMH level came back at 0.32. They said for my age it should be over 2, I was very devastated. Has anyone else been told they have low AMH? If so, are there any ways to treat it? Can it get better? I'm super nervous that I won't be able to have children now and am heartbroken. I go next Wednesday for a follow up with my RE to discuss next treatment steps. Any advice ladies?

 

[apple25]

Unfortunately I don't really have any tried and true advice but my AMH levels are also low about the same as you .4. I really cannot find any info about how to raise that level. I recently have heard of people getting pregnant with low AMH after changing their diets like completely cutting out alcohol and caffeine eating healthy and getting a lot of rest, so that is what I am trying this month along with a ton of supplements, yoga and meditation. I have also heard good things about coQ10 and people getting pregnant while taking that with low AMH levels.

 

[apple25]

I'd also like to add it doesn't seem like they know about AMH yet, it is a relatively new test. I do read a lot of stories in which women become pregnant even though they have low AMH levels.

 

[Brittbri]

That was truly reassuring! I have been a lot of research on this and am like you and can't hardly find any info on it. The one thing I did see was that some had gotten pregnant after taking dhea. But the thing about that is that it could be harmful if its taken without supervision of your doctor. I'm going to be asking a lot of questions when I go meet with my RE next week. I was on 100 mg of clomid this cycle and I've also read that ovulation inductors will make the AMH levels decline. I'm wondering if my results were inaccurate based on that info? I will let you know what my RE tells me and see if we can't help our chances

 

[jooba85]

Brittbri.

Firstly, sorry for your anxiety regarding the test. It's really hard sometimes not to get fixated on the numbers, I know! As a Doctor, and an infertility patient myself, I want to reassure you a bit about your AMH level...

Yes, for your age, it does appear to be low. AMH is a relatively new test used to estimate a woman's ovarian reserve. It's actually quite poorly understood - but women with low AMH's are often told that even though they don't APPEAR to have normal numbers of eggs, it gives no information as to the quality of they eggs they do have. As you would know (even though it's cliche) it only takes one good egg. Many, many women who have a low AMH (even those with "undetectable" levels) have gone on to achieve pregnancies. Also, think of the number of women who must be out there who never had their AMH tested and ended up pregnant - they would NEVER know their AMH was low. But they still have healthy pregnancies.

Somewhat unrelated, I found a research paper recently there that demonstrates ovarian function recovery in women being treated for breast cancer despite undetectable AMH levels... i.e what this means is that AMH is not the be-all and end-all of ovarian function - you can't use that value alone to say that a woman's ovaries are "functional" or not.

Remember - don't ever let a number tell you that you can't or won't get pregnant!

I'm not aware of any proven methods to raise AMH (trust me - I wish there was because mine is undetectable!). There is some evidence to say that Vitamin D deficiency can cause lower AMH levels. Contraceptives etc do not appear to affect AMH levels. But small changes to diet and lifestyle (avoiding alcohol / caffeine, reducing stress through yoga and meditation) can only help!

Good luck!

 

[apple25]

jooba85- your post has made me feel a lot better also, the way the low AMH level was presented to me was in a manner such as there is no hope for you. I am a little bit older than brittbri, I am 28, do you think that makes the low AMH worse for me?

 

[jooba85]

I know how it feels. With my FSH level (112) and my undetectable AMH level at age 27, my (previous!) RE basically threw a card in my face with the details of a "friend of his in Argentina who does great deals on donor egg cycles with over 50% success rate". That was the extent of it. No "this must be hard for you - take some time to process your options" or "try for a while on your own and see how things go, if not success then come back". Straight to the "well your own ovaries are shot to shit so you really need to use someone else's eggs". Hurtful, and presumptuous, given he has never seen anyone in my situation before.

I should disclose that what complicates my situation is that I'm only 10 months post some quite harsh systemic chemotherapy for advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma. The literature says that my AMH will ALWAYS be low from now on (as my ovarian reserve has been diminished by chemotherapy) BUT that doesn't mean I won't recover function in time. I've heard of women taking 2 years for their cycles to return post-chemo. Not only that, women who have AND haven't undergone chemo with a low AMH can and do achieve healthy pregnancies naturally.

Basically what I'm trying to say is based on the evidence we have, most people (RE's) will tell you that a low AMH is the kiss of death for spontaneous, natural conception. This just isn't (always) the case. Sadly, most fertility clinics see a low AMH, assume you will not respond well to stimulation, worry that you will warp their statistics for successful IVF cycles if they were to offer you that option, and refer you quickly on to donor eggs. I concede that having a low AMH, and thus a suggestion of low ovarian reserve for age, might make it more difficult to conceive (in that it may take longer), but does not mean in any way that you should give up on your dreams of having your own child.

What's most exciting is that very recent research has demonstrated the presence of "stem cells" in the ovaries of women, that when isolated and given proper support, have gone on to produce brand new oocytes. This challenges the very paradigm that women are born with a finite ovarian reserve. I think it will be many, many years before we have the technology to isolate these "ovarian stem cells" and utilise their ability to generate new oocytes, but it goes to show you that long-held beliefs about the human body don't always hold true!

So apple25 - your RE will probably tell you that the low AMH indicates a low ovarian reserve, and give you a low probability of conceiving per cycle (maybe as low as 5%), but I know from extensive research that women with these values often do fall pregnant. By all means, look into your alternatives - but just don't give up hope. You should also request an antral follicle count (involves a transvaginal ultrasound), as well as FSH / estrogen levels etc to get a full picture of what's going on. Ask about Vit D / DHEA / anything else you are curious about. Take the information - then rest assured in your body's own ability to do what is was biologically born to do. There is SO much Western medicine does not understand about the human body.

When my RE told me, in a blunt and almost rude fashion, that I would never have my own biological children, I turned around to him and said "The most dangerous thing anyone has ever done is told me that I would never achieve something. I've proven them all wrong so far - you will be no different." Be the success story, prove them wrong.

xo

 

[hschmitt85]

Thanks for this thread/the posts within! I am also 28 with low AMH and have been reading up on it with worry, as well. Our consult isn't until 8/13 - a whole month away! So in the mean time, I'm putting my Google-fu to the test every time I find out new info. as our test results trickle in. Though I hate to see anyone struggling TTC, it is helpful to those of us going through it to read similar situations. I will update as I find out more from my doctor, as well! Thanks again and let's keep hoping for that one egg.

 

[jack79]

Hi ladies

I found out a few months ago that I have very low AMH (< 1 uk scale). However during my first IVF cycle after being on the short protocol they got 12 eggs, 6 of which fertilised. My embtryos made it to day 5 before 2 were transferred back into my womb and 1 has been frozen. I have just found out the cycle failed but I seem to have had a chemical pregnancy which is supposed to be promising. Low AMH is definitely not the be-all and end-all. Everybody is different and if you have to go down the IVF route, the drs can tailor the protocol to suit your individual needs. Good luck x

 

[Briss]

Can I join? I have low AMH and high FSH, after TTC naturally for 3 years with low sperm count we finally decided to move on to IVF but high FSH means we cant go conventional IVF so we are thinking natural. we went to a private clinic and when FS found out my AMH level she said it's too bad we can only do natural IVF, no meds as I wont respond, there simply not enough eggs left. but later I came for a scan and my antral follicle count came as 9 which is still not great for my age but better than my AMH indicated so FS said we can try modified IVF with mild stimulation. so i guess AMH should not be considered on its own but in combination with FSH and AFC.

One thing I am still unclear on is how AMH can indicate egg's quality? I understand that FS is treating low AMH as a sign of not just poor quantity but also poor quality of eggs. I still cant understand why?

 

[Goldfish]

Hi all, I have low AMH too (<1.1 pmol/L on UK scale, divide that by about 7 to get the US scale) and just had an unsuccessful IVF.

Briss - I don't get that either, I wonder if it's because low AMH might mean that your ovary is damaged or something (thus reducing egg count)? But you're right, AMH shouldn't be used in isolation and is a better indicator if used with FSH and AFC.

Jack - I'm so sorry about the IVF! I was wondering how you were going as we were talking to each other on a few threads a while back! That's good to know you managed to get 12 eggs and 1 frozen embie despite the low AMH. Will you be doing a FET next time or trying a fresh IVF again?

 

[Mrsrinca]

So Friday I got my bloodwork results back for AMH levels. I am 23 and my AMH level came back at 0.32. They said for my age it should be over 2, I was very devastated. Has anyone else been told they have low AMH? If so, are there any ways to treat it? Can it get better? I'm super nervous that I won't be able to have children now and am heartbroken. I go next Wednesday for a follow up with my RE to discuss next treatment steps. Any advice ladies?

LOW AMH SUCCESS STORY!!

I completely understand exactly what you're going through, hun! I'm 28 and We started TTC last August and after 6 months of no success, we went the to dr. I was completely healthy other than my low AMH and borderline high FSH (AMH was .38 FSH was 10). Well, I too was devastated and thought I would never be able to have children! My diagnosis never sat well with me. It just didn't make sense. And my antral follicle count was considered closer to "normal" at 13 total. But I figured that the dr.s knew best. Well, guess what?? I'm PREGNANT and completely NATURALLY.

We saw the the RE this past April and she was very encouraging and said she had seen women, older than me, with numbers lower than mine become pregnant, and naturally even! We wanted to try on our own for a couple more months and then revisit the idea of treatment or drugs at the one year mark if we weren't pregnant. I had started acupuncture in March and continued to do it through May. I took some chinese herbs the perscribed and the RE gave me some supplements too (Co-q 10, L-Aregnine, and Pregnitude) Pregnitude is usually for women with PCOS, but it really just promotes egg health and ovarian function. I also started eating more healthy (less sugar, bad carbs, more fruits, veggies, protein). I didn't cut out alcohol or caffeine, but I limited it to one cup a day and a couple drinks a week, if that. Gotta have some fun, right? Around April I started noticing a change in my cycles. They were a little shorter and my ovulation got earlier (day 10). The RE said this was a little early to ovulate, but didn't know why it was changing.

I made an appointment in June for the end of July to go back to the RE because we weren't pregnant. I did NOT feel good about fertility meds or treatment. I have done a ton of research and I just did not feel great about putting those things in my body. It was, however, our only option if we did not want to just wait and keep trying...and given that no one knows how quickly our eggs are diminishing, I didn't know how long I had. So, I was conflicted to say the least. Well, come the morning of our appointment I took a HPT and to my utter shock it was positive! We had never had a positive in a year of trying. The dr. was surprised, but encouraging and happy for us. I am only 5 weeks along, but my blood levels look great and we have our first ultrasound in a week!

I am all too familiar with how your are feeling right now. I spent months crying and fearful of never getting pregnant. My dream was to be a mom and I was terrified it would never happen. It was so difficult. But PLEASE, don't be discouraged. I strongly believe that AMH levels do not predict fertility. They may play a role, but low numbers absolutely do NOT mean you can't get pregnant. There is still a whole lot the medical community does not know about this condition. Many infertility dr.s scare people into treatment by making general and often inaccurate statements and throwing numbers around...(low success rates, percentages, blah blah blah). They do NOT know it all and really are ultimately there to do what they do best...provide infertility treatments. I was fortunate to have a great RE who did not do this. This is what I think happened in my case...

1. It took a few months for the BC hormones to get out of my system when I stopped taking then last August, so my hormones were not normal.

2. This contributed to my ovulation not being normal, as indicated by my OPKs (they were not consistent...day 18, day 12, day 14)

2. I strongly recommend acupuncture and other natural interventions before you try anything else!! I feel that this helped me get pregnant. My acupuncturist predicted that I would be fine, she kept telling me that my hormones were unbalanced and that I would get pregnant. That my low amh wasn't a big deal.

4. My ovulation got earlier and more consistent starting a couple cycles before we got pregnant. I believe my hormones were regulated through acupuncture, supplements and diet changes and this created the perfect storm for conception.

I hope this is a source of encouragement for many women who are struggling with this diagnosis. It's not the end of the road and there IS HOPE! Stay positive and whatever you do, follow your instincts!!

 

[DAISYPRENCESS]

Hi Brittbri, I have been watching at your thread for a while and I had been terrified to read it. The reason was because somewhere in my mind I knew this would be my issue. Unfortunately, I was right. Me AMH is 2.23pmol/L. Everything said here gives me a lot of hope and I really thank you that you started the thread. GL with your fight. I hope u have you baby soon. Xxxxxx

 

[DAISYPRENCESS]

Hi Brittbri, I have been watching at your thread for a while and I had been terrified to read it. The reason was because somewhere in my mind I knew this would be my issue. Unfortunately, I was right. Me AMH is 2.23pmol/L. Everything said here gives me a lot of hope and I really thank you that you started the thread. GL with your fight. I hope u have you baby soon. Xxxxxx