Measuring anti-Müllerian hormone for the assessment of ovarian reserve: when and for whom is it indicated?

Our understanding of female reproductive function has been hampered by our inability to directly assess the number of non-growing primordial follicles present in the ovary, the ovarian reserve. Female reproductive hormones (FSH and LH, the inhibins and steroids) reflect the activity of the larger growing follicles and thus are largely informative of peri-ovulatory ovarian activity. In contrast anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is a product of the granulosa cells of small growing follicles, whose number (and therefore circulating AMH concentrations) is reflective of the ovarian reserve. AMH declines with age in adult women, and emerging data suggest a relationship with remaining reproductive lifespan and age at the menopause. Early studies demonstrated that AMH concentrations are stable across the menstrual cycle, adding to its clinical utility. The most established role for AMH measurement is in women about to start IVF treatment, where it is predictive of the ovarian response and is of clear value in identifying women at risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome or whose response will be poor and thus their expectations can be tailored. AMH is detectable in childhood, and although relationships to puberty are not yet available, it appears that AMH rises to a peak in the early 20s. Developing indications include in assessment and individualisation of the risk to fertility from chemotherapy, in the diagnosis of PCOS and as a tumour marker in granulosa cell tumours. The increasingly routine use of AMH by IVF clinics heralds much wider adoption in a range of clinical situations across the reproductive lifespan.