Meet Your Hormones: Understanding AMH
When it comes to understanding your reproductive health, AMH (Anti-Müllerian Hormone) is a key player that often gets mentioned in conversations about ovarian reserve. But what exactly is AMH, and what does it really tell us about our bodies? Let’s break it down.
What is AMH and Why is it Important?
AMH is a hormone produced by cells in your ovaries, and it's often used as an indicator of your ovarian reserve - essentially, how many eggs you have left. However, it's important to understand that while AMH provides valuable information, it's only part of the story.
In each menstrual cycle (so from the start of one period through to the day before your next period), your ovaries recruit a group of 5-15 follicles to begin the journey towards maturity. Each of these follicles contains an egg, but only one follicle will typically emerge as the dominant follicle and eventually release an egg through the process of ovulation.
Here’s where AMH plays a crucial role: it regulates the development of these follicles, ensuring that not too many follicles get recruited at once. Without AMH, this process could spiral out of control, potentially leading to the development of multiple mature follicles and, hypothetically, a higher chance of multiple ovulations in a single cycle. Imagine the chaos if you ended up with 15 mature eggs ready to ovulate at once, all 15 ovulated and were fertilised, and you ended up with 15 embryos… heck! I’m catatrophising a little, but you get my point.
AMH’s Role in Follicle Development
You can think of AMH as a bouncer at a busy nightclub on a Saturday night. The bouncer's job is to manage the queue outside - these are your premature follicles, waiting to be recruited for the upcoming menstrual cycle. If there are too many people in line (a lot of premature follicles), AMH steps in to keep things under control. If the line is short (fewer premature follicles), AMH eases off, allowing more follicles to be recruited.
So, the more premature follicles you have, the higher your AMH levels will be, because your body is signaling that it has enough follicles in the queue and doesn't need any more developing at that moment. Conversely, if you have fewer premature follicles, your AMH levels will be lower, indicating that your body doesn't need to limit follicle growth as much.
What Can Cause High or Low AMH Levels?
Now that we understand AMH’s role, let’s explore what might cause your AMH levels to be higher or lower than average.
Causes of High AMH:
PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome): Women with PCOS often have higher AMH levels because they have a higher number of developing follicles.
Certain Ovarian Tumors: Some ovarian tumors can increase AMH production.
Causes of Low AMH:
Age: AMH naturally decreases as you age, reflecting a decline in ovarian reserve.
Hormonal Birth Control: Birth control can lower your AMH levels temporarily, but they usually return to normal once you stop taking it.
Genetics: Your genetic makeup can influence your AMH levels.
Chemotherapy: Cancer treatments can reduce ovarian reserve, leading to lower AMH levels.
Stress: Chronic stress can impact hormone levels, including AMH.
Autoimmunity: Some autoimmune conditions can affect ovarian function and AMH levels.
Poor Diet: Nutrition plays a role in hormone balance, including AMH.
Interestingly, research suggests that vitamin D supplementation may have different effects on AMH levels depending on your health status. For women with PCOS, vitamin D might help lower AMH levels, while in women without PCOS, it could potentially raise AMH.
AMH and Fertility: What You Need to Know
It's crucial to remember that while AMH is currently our most accurate predictor of ovarian reserve, it doesn’t directly measure fertility or egg quality. These are three different things.
Low AMH doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t be able to conceive; it’s just one piece of the fertility puzzle. Egg quality, the overall health of your reproductive system, and other factors also play significant roles.
So if your AMH levels are low, please don’t panic. This could be a good starting point for a deeper conversation with your healthcare provider about your fertility and overall reproductive health.
The Bottom Line
Understanding how your hormones work is a powerful tool in managing your health. AMH is just one of many hormones that play a critical role in your reproductive system, and knowing more about it can help you make informed decisions about your health and fertility.
If you’re as curious about your hormones as I was, make sure to follow the #MeetYourHormones hashtag or @yoursettledspace on Instagram for the rest of this series. Next up, FSH: Follicle Stimulating Hormone.
Got questions? Feel free to drop them in the comments below or send me a DM over on Instagram.
