Can AMH Levels Predict Pregnancy?

What is AMH?

Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) is an important test secreted by the antral and preantral follicles in a woman's ovaries, indicating the number of eggs (reserve). One of the greatest advantages of AMH measurement is that it can be performed at any time during a woman's menstrual cycle, and the result does not vary depending on the cycle.

Grouping by AMH Levels

We basically divide patients into three groups based on AMH levels:

• Low Ovarian Reserve: Those with AMH levels below 1.2.
• Normal Ovarian Reserve: Those with AMH levels between 1.2 and 3.
• High Ovarian Reserve: Those with AMH levels above 3.

Natural Pregnancy and Ovarian Reserve

During the natural conception process, a woman's body releases one egg each month. The clearest indicator that a woman ovulates regularly every month is having regular periods. This means:

Regardless of how many egg follicles are in your ovaries at the beginning of your menstrual cycle (whether you have low or normal reserve), your body selects just one of those eggs and sends it toward the fallopian tubes. This egg meets the sperm in the tubes, becomes fertilized, attaches to the uterine wall, and pregnancy occurs.

As a result, if a woman with low ovarian reserve has regular periods (meaning she ovulates every month), she has the potential to conceive naturally. Whether you have 1, 5, or 10 eggs at the start of your cycle doesn't matter; what's expected is the release of 1 healthy egg, and pregnancy is achieved with that egg.

The Role of AMH in IVF Treatment

If natural conception does not occur and IVF treatment is deemed necessary, that's when AMH levels become important. Because the number of eggs that can be collected during IVF treatment is directly related to the ovarian reserve (AMH level).

However, an important detail must not be forgotten: although an AMH level between 0.1 and 1.2 indicates low ovarian reserve, the decimal values within this range do not precisely tell us how many eggs can be retrieved. For example, 5 eggs may be obtained from a patient with an AMH of 0.3, while only 3 eggs may be collected from a patient with a higher AMH of 0.8.

Summary

This should never be forgotten: Your ability to conceive naturally is not dependent on your AMH level. Low AMH becomes a factor only when natural conception cannot be achieved and IVF treatment is needed.