Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or a medical professional. Any information shared in this post is based on my own personal experience and research. It should not be considered medical advice. Please review any suggested supplements with your doctor before taking them.
When we did our initial testing for infertility, the only abnormal result I got back was low AMH.
When you’re trying to get pregnant, getting a test result back with anything abnormal is distressing, especially something that may indicate how many eggs you have left.
What Does Low AMH Mean?
AMH stands for anti-Mullerian hormone. It’s a substance secreted by your ovarian follicles.
A result of 1 or higher indicates normal ovarian reserve.
AMH levels decline with age, and a result of less than 1 MAY indicate diminished ovarian reserve.
I had an extremely low result of only 0.322. I was only 31 and had the typical AMH level of someone over 40 years old.
Low AMH does not mean you cannot get pregnant. However, I was told by my fertility doctor, it may indicate I have less time to get pregnant.
Low AMH and IUI
One of the reasons fertility clinics order AMH tests is because it can give them an idea of the dosage of drugs you will need to stimulate your ovaries.
We followed everything our fertility clinic recommended and decided to proceed with the IUIs.
According to the ultrasounds, the drugs they have us were effective and I had one or two eggs every cycle we did. However, we did four IUI cycles and they all failed.
At that point, we decided to try something else.
Can You Increase AMH?
One of the things I started to do on my own was taking COQ10 supplements, according to It Starts with the Egg,
…the latest research suggests that taking CoQ10 increases egg and embryo quality by increasing the supply of cellular energy available to eggs. The safety of CoQ10 has been established in many large clinical studies, and it is likely that anyone trying to conceive can benefit from a CoQ10 supplement.
It Starts with the Egg by Rebecca Fett
My initial test was taken in 2016 when I was 31 with a result of 0.322, which is very low.
After my ectopic pregnancy in 2020, I got tested again. Surprisingly, my AMH was now 0.74. This is still considered low AMH for my age, but I had no idea the number could go up. I had been taking CoQ10 supplements, as well as some other vitamins. I’ll include a list of everything below.
What Finally Worked
We ended up going to see a doctor trained in NaproTECHNOLOGY.
Under her direction, I was diagnosed with low progesterone, endometritis, and a cervical polyp.
Here’s the complete list of the treatments and supplements I was on when I finally got pregnant with low AMH.
- Surgery to remove polyp
- Antibiotics for the endometritis
- Letrozole (to encourage ovulation)
- Progesterone (in the 2nd half of my cycle)
- Timed intercourse
- Probiotic
- CoQ10 (200mg per day)
- Magnesium
- Vitamin D
- Omega 3
- Prenatal
Years later, when we got pregnant with our rainbow baby, I was taking the prenatal FH Pro for Women. This prenatal has CoQ10 in it as well as folate and all other vital nutrients for preconception.
You can read our entire infertility story here for a more detailed explanation.
Is AMH Testing Necessary?
The reproductive endocrinologist we saw for our initial consultation explained that AMH could indicate diminished ovarian reserve, but it is not a definitive test. AMH testing is still fairly recent and not well understood.
One of the possible reasons your doctor may want an AMH test is to determine how your body will respond to the medication they give you to stimulate ovulation.
“AMH levels below 1.6 have been shown to reduce the number of eggs that can be retrieved with IVF and may predict pregnancy outcomes… Very low levels of AMH (less than 0.4) can affect the outcome of IVF cycles. “ (source: https://myfertilitycare.com/can-amh-testing-accurately-measure-your-ovarian-reserve/ )
Personally, I’d go ahead and do whatever tests the doctor you’re working with prescribes. Just know AMH is not a definitive indicator of your fertility. It may indicate how long you have to get pregnant, but even that is subject to debate.