TCM Fertility: What is AMH and How can TCM help?
By Physician Aileen Chua
19 June 2022
By Physician Aileen Chua
19 June 2022
What is AMH?
AMH refers to the anti-Müllerian hormone, which is a hormone produced by healthy and developing small follicles (antral follicles) in the ovaries. It is used to indicate ovarian reserve. It does not indicate the quality of the eggs.
What role does AMH play in Fertility?
As AMH indicates the amount of healthy and developing follicles in the ovaries, the higher the AMH level in the body, the higher the chance of stimulating more eggs to mature when taking ovary stimulation medications. Hence, when undergoing IVF, if AMH levels are high, there is a higher chance of retrieving more eggs. However, harvesting more eggs might not necessarily lead to more healthy embryos, there are many other factors involved in having healthy embryos.
General range of AMH levels:
Good ovarian reserve: ≥2.00ng/ml (≥14.3pmol/L)
Normal ovarian reserve: 0.63 - <2.00ng/ml (4.5 - <14.3pmol/L)
Low ovarian reserve: 0.11 - <0.63ng/ml (0.8 - <4.5pmol/L)
Very low ovarian reserve: <0.11ng/ml (<0.8pmol/L)
What is a good AMH level for your age?
25-29 years old: 0.89 - 9.85ng/ml (6.35-70.30pmol/L)
30-34 years old: 0.58 – 8.13ng/ml (4.11-58.00pmol/L)
35-39 years old: 0.15 – 7.49ng/ml (1.05-53.50pmol/L)
40-44 years old: 0.03-5.47ng/ml (0.19-39.10pmol/L)
45-50 years old: 0.01-2.71ng/ml (0.07-19.30pmol/L)
Range from Thomson Medical Lab Report
How do I check my AMH? What are the costs involved?
AMH is tested through the blood and can be tested at any time of the menstrual cycle.
It is usually tested before an assisted reproduction program to assess the likely response of the fertility medications.
If tested alone, the cost ranges from $60-120.
What does low AMH level mean in TCM?
There are 3 main reasons for low AMH level in TCM:
1. Kidney Qi or Kidney Essence deficiency - Usually due to weak body constitution from young, sleeping late, overworking the body, overly active sexually, multiple abortions etc.
2. Spleen deficiency (Poor digestive system leading to poor absorption of nutrients which results in deficiency in Qi and blood) – Usually due to irregular meal times, skipping meals, eating too much cold & raw food, overworking the body, overthinking all the time etc.
3. Liver stagnation (Resulting in poor blood circulation) – Usually due to stress, anger, frequent quarrels, anxiety, sleeping late etc.
Can TCM help to improve AMH level？
TCM herbs and acupuncture can help to improve the 3 main organs mentioned above (kidney, spleen and liver) that are related to poor ovarian reserve.
In TCM, the kidney Qi represents the ovary function, while the kidney essence helps to nourish the eggs.
Qi and blood are needed to nourish the ovaries to maintain its functions.
While good circulation helps to transport the nutrients to the ovaries and eggs.
These can all help to improve the ovarian reserve and the quality of eggs.
The TCM physician would diagnose the patient, and depending on the reason for low AMH level, treatment will be customized according to different body constitutions.
How you can help yourself:
Be happy (:
Exercise moderately (a good mix of stretching, low intensity and high intensity exercises)
Breathe fresh air
Eat healthy (Food like eggs, nuts, seeds, fish and green vegetables can help with egg development)
Sleep by 11pm -_-zzz
Stay positive ^_^
Find out how TCM herbs can boost fertility!
Ever wondered how acupuncture can improve fertility? Read this article to find out more!