Anti-Müllerian Hormone
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- Also Known As:
- AMH
- AMH Hormone Test
- Müllerian-inhibiting Hormone
- MIH
- Müllerian Inhibiting Factor
- MIF
- Müllerian-Inhibiting Substance
- MIS

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At a Glance
Why Get Tested?
In women, to assess ovarian function and menopausal status; in the evaluation of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or to evaluate the effectiveness of ovarian cancer treatment; in an infant, to evaluate the presence of external sex organs that are not clearly male or female (ambiguous genitalia) and/or function of the testicles in an infant boy
When To Get Tested?
When a health care practitioner wants to evaluate a woman’s fertility, predict onset of menopause, suspects PCOS, or wants to evaluate the cause of male characteristics in a female (virilization); sometimes prior to some assisted reproductive procedures; periodically when a woman is undergoing treatment for an AMH-producing ovarian cancer; when it is suspected that the testicles of an infant boy are absent, hidden, or not functioning properly
Sample Required?
A blood sample drawn from a vein in your arm
Test Preparation Needed?
None
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What is being tested?
Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is a hormone produced by reproductive tissues, including the testicles in males and the ovaries in females. The role of AMH and the amount normally present varies depending upon sex and age. This test measures AMH in the blood.
Very early in the development of a baby boy, AMH is produced by the testicles, inhibiting the development of female reproductive organs while promoting the development of other male reproductive organs. In boys, the level of AMH remains high until puberty, when it begins to taper off.
In girls, low levels of AMH are produced, thus allowing the development of female reproductive structures. The AMH level in young girls remains low until puberty, when the ovaries begin to produce it and levels increase. AMH will then steadily decline in women over their reproductive years, becoming very low and eventually undetectable after menopause.
AMH is important for a woman during her childbearing years. At birth, a female has about one million eggs (oocytes), which then decrease naturally in number during childhood to about 500,000. Only a tiny number of these remaining eggs will go through follicle maturation – one at a time as part of a woman’s monthly menstrual cycle. AMH has a balancing effect on the monthly cyclical actions of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) during the process of egg maturation and release (ovulation). The amount of AMH present is a reflection of this follicular growth.
Studies have shown that the AMH level may be useful in determining a woman’s remaining egg maturation potential (ovarian reserve) and her likelihood of conceiving. AMH declines over time during childbearing years, drops significantly as menopause approaches, and typically becomes almost undetectable after menopause. Determining the AMH level may be useful in evaluating a woman’s current fertility status and may predict the onset of menopause.
Elevated AMH levels have been associated with a condition affecting the ovaries known as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The excess follicles that occur in this syndrome produce abnormally large amounts of AMH.
AMH also plays a vital part in sexual differentiation in the fetus. During the first few weeks of pregnancy, a developing baby has the potential to develop either male or female reproductive organs. Production of AMH and androgens by the two testicles that are present in a baby boy inhibits development of female reproductive organs (the Müllerian ducts found in both male and female fetuses) and promotes the formation of other male reproductive organs. If a sufficient amount of AMH is not available or absent during this process, then both male and basic female organs may develop. A baby born with ambiguous genitalia may not be instantly recognized as either male or female.
AMH may be elevated in some ovarian tumors (benign or cancerous). If a tumor produces the hormone, then the AMH test can be used as a tumor marker to monitor the effectiveness of treatment and to monitor for recurrence.
Common Questions
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The reference ranges for your tests can be found on your laboratory report. They are typically found to the right of your results.
If you do not have your lab report, consult your healthcare provider or the laboratory that performed the test(s) to obtain the reference range.
Laboratory test results are not meaningful by themselves. Their meaning comes from comparison to reference ranges. Reference ranges are the values expected for a healthy person. They are sometimes called “normal” values. By comparing your test results with reference values, you and your healthcare provider can see if any of your test results fall outside the range of expected values. Values that are outside expected ranges can provide clues to help identify possible conditions or diseases.
While accuracy of laboratory testing has significantly evolved over the past few decades, some lab-to-lab variability can occur due to differences in testing equipment, chemical reagents, and techniques. This is a reason why so few reference ranges are provided on this site. It is important to know that you must use the range supplied by the laboratory that performed your test to evaluate whether your results are “within normal limits.”
For more information, please read the article Reference Ranges and What They Mean.
View Sources
Sources Used in Current Review
2019 review performed by Olajumoke Oladipo, MD, DABCC, FAACC, Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
Anti Müllerian Hormone (AMH), Serum. Mayo Clinic Mayo Medical Laboratories [On-line information]. Available online at https://www.mayocliniclabs.com/test-catalog/Clinical+and+Interpretive/89711 through http://www.mayomedicallaboratories.com. Accessed January 2019.
Marie Lindhardt Johansen et al. Anti-Müllerian Hormone and Its Clinical Use in Pediatrics with Special Emphasis on Disorders of Sex Development. International Journal of Endocrinology Volume 2013, Article ID 198698, 10 pages. Available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/198698. Accessed January 2019.
Inthrani R. Indran et al. Simplified 4-Item Criteria for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome A Bridge Too Far? Clin Endocrinol. 2018;89:202-211. Available online at https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/899873. Accessed online January 2019.
Infertility. ARUP Consult [On-line information]. Available online at https://arupconsult.com/content/infertility. Accessed January 2019.
The North American Menopause Society. Clinical Care Recommendations, Chapter 1: Menopause. Available online at http://www.menopause.org/publications/clinical-care-recommendations/chapter-1-menopause. Accessed January 2019.
International evidence-based guideline for the assessment and management of polycystic ovary syndrome 2018. Available online at https://www.pcoschallenge.org/pdf/PCOS-Evidence-Based-Guideline.pdf. Accessed January 2019.
(October 24, 2018) FDA Permits Marketing of a Diagnostic Test to Aid in the Determination of Menopausal Status. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Available online at https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm624284.htm. Accessed January 2019.
Sources Used in Previous Reviews
Douglas, D. (2010 December 9). Anti-Mullerian Hormones Drop as Women Age. Medscape Today from Reuters Health Information [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/733995. Accessed May 2011.
Pasquali, R. et. al. (2011 March 29). Research in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Today and Tomorrow. Medscape Today from Clin Endocrinol. 2011;74(4):424-433 [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/739208. Accessed May 2011.
Vorvick, L. (Updated 2010 September 3). Anorchia. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001185.htm. Accessed May 2011.
Bayrak-Toydemir, P. (Updated 2010 July). Infertility. ARUP Consult [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.arupconsult.com/Topics/Infertility.html?client_ID=LTD#tabs=0. Accessed May 2011.
(© 1995–2011). Unit Code 89711: Antimullerian Hormone (AMH), Serum. Mayo Clinic Mayo Medical Laboratories [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.mayomedicallaboratories.com/test-catalog/Clinical+and+Interpretive/89711. Accessed May 2011.
Sowers, M. et. al. (2008 September) Anti-Mullerian Hormone and Inhibin B in the Definition of Ovarian Aging and the Menopause Transition. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism Vol. 93, No. 9 3478-3483. [On-line information]. Available online at http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/full/93/9/3478. Accessed May 2011.
Achermann, J. Editor et. al. (2011 March). Ambiguous Genitalia. The Hormone Foundation [On-line information]. PDF available for download at http://www.hormone.org/Resources/upload/Ambiguous-Genitalia-Bilingual-WEB.pdf. Accessed May 2011.
Woznicki, K. (2010 June 28). Blood Test Helps Predict Menopause. Medscape Today from WebMD Health News [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/724256. Accessed May 2011.
Eckman, A. (Updated 2010 August 31). Androgen insensitivity syndrome. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001180.htm. Accessed May 2011.
Kronenberg, H. et. al. (© 2008). Williams Textbook of Endocrinology, 11th Edition: Saunders Elsevier, Philadelphia, PA. Pp 793, 800, 828.
Visser JA, et. Al: Anti-Mullerian hormone: a new marker for ovarian function. Reproduction 131:1-9, 2006.
Durlinger ALL, et. Al: Regulation of ovarian function: the role of anti-Mullerian hormone. Reproduction 124:601-609, 2002.
La Marca A, Volpe A: Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) in female reproduction: Is measurement of circulating AMH a useful tool? Clin Endrocrinol 64:603-610, 2006.
La Marca A, Volpe A: The anti-Mullerian hormone and ovarian cancer. Human Reproduction Update 13:265-273, 2007.
(Updated 2013 March 22). How is infertility diagnosed? Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/infertility/conditioninfo/Pages/diagnosed.aspx. Accessed January 2015.
(2014). What You Should Know About Your Reproductive Time Span. The North American Menopause Society, Menopause, v21 (1) [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.menopause.org/docs/default-source/for-women/what_you_should_know_about_your_reproductive_time-16.pdf. Accessed January 2015.
Storck, S. (Updated 2014 February 24). Infertility. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001191.htm. Accessed January 2015.
(Updated 2013 June 20). Infertility FAQs. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Reproductive Health [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/Infertility/. Accessed January 2015.
Shifren, J. and Gass, M. (2014). The North American Menopause Society Recommendations for Clinical Care of Midlife Women. Menopause. v21 (10):1038-1062 [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/832641. Accessed January 2015.
Puscheck, E. and Woodard, T. (Updated 2014 November 17). Infertility. Medscape Drugs & Diseases [On-line information]. Available online at http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/274143-overview#showall. Accessed January 2015.
(© 1995–2014). Anti Müllerian Hormone (AMH), Serum. Mayo Clinic Mayo Medical Laboratories [On-line information]. Available online at http://www.mayomedicallaboratories.com/test-catalog/Overview/89711. Accessed January 2015.
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