AMH levels by age: what your result tells you about fertility

You have a number on a lab report, or you are about to, and the internet is already offering age charts, IVF predictions and a date for your menopause. It helps to know what the number can carry, and where it sits for someone your age.

Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is made by the small follicles in your ovaries. The AMH blood test estimates ovarian reserve, meaning the number of eggs remaining. It tells you about quantity, which is useful, though it doesn't measure egg quality or decide whether a pregnancy will happen. NICE fertility guidance says the same: AMH helps estimate ovarian reserve and doesn't diagnose infertility on its own.

If you would rather skip the reading, walk-in AMH testing is available seven days a week at 117a Harley Street for £150 plus the £50 blood draw, with results typically in 24 hours and expert review included.

What does AMH actually measure?

The amount of AMH in your blood roughly tracks how many small follicles are still there. That is why clinicians call it ovarian reserve: a snapshot of remaining egg number, rather than a verdict on whether this month's egg can make a pregnancy.

AMH also stays relatively stable through the menstrual cycle, unlike FSH and LH. So you can test on any day, with no need to wait for day three of a period. If you plan to repeat the test and compare, laboratories suggest testing at a similar point in your cycle each time; The Doctors Laboratory in London, for example, recommends around day 6.

At Medical Express Clinic the sample goes to a UKAS-accredited laboratory, results are typically ready in 24 hours, and expert review is included, because a number without a history is easy to over-read.

What is a typical AMH for my age?

AMH is highest in your twenties and falls through your thirties and forties. The ranges below cover the middle 95% of women at each age who are not taking oral contraception, so a result inside the band is typical for your age, not a pass mark. They come from an NHS laboratory using the Roche Elecsys AMH method, which many UK labs use.

Typical AMH by age (2.5th to 97.5th percentile). Source: University Hospitals Sussex Pathology, Roche Elecsys AMH Plus. 1 ng/mL equals about 7.14 pmol/L.

Two things are worth knowing before you compare your own number. First, check the unit: UK labs report pmol/L, while many US sites and home-kit apps use ng/mL, and a figure of 2.0 means something very different in each. Second, each laboratory reports against its own method, so the reference printed on your report is the one that counts. Your reviewer reads it against that range and your age.

Fertility teams also group AMH by how the ovaries are likely to respond to IVF stimulation. The same NHS laboratory uses these bands:

AMH and expected ovarian response in IVF. Source: University Hospitals Sussex Pathology.

One memorable point: these bands describe how many eggs a fertility clinic might collect. They say nothing about whether you can conceive naturally, which is exactly how NICE frames it.

What can an AMH result tell you?

A higher AMH usually means a larger pool of small follicles, and a lower AMH a smaller one. People use that estimate for fertility planning. IVF teams use it to gauge how the ovaries might respond to stimulation. A high result is often associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and a falling result can offer some menopause insight.

NICE fertility guideline NG257 says AMH or antral follicle count can be used to predict ovarian response, to inform counselling about the likelihood of a live birth after assisted conception. Antral follicle count is an ultrasound look at those same small follicles, and AMH is the blood-test version of the same quantity question.

Age still comes first for your overall chance of pregnancy. NICE asks clinicians to use the woman's age as the initial predictor, whether conception is natural or through IVF. Your partner's semen, whether you ovulate and whether your tubes are open all matter too. NHS figures help keep this in proportion. Around 1 in 7 couples may have difficulty conceiving, and more than 8 out of 10 couples conceive naturally within a year when the woman is under 40 and they have regular sex.

Egg quality, natural conception and the rest of the picture

One thing surprises most people. Two women with a similar AMH can have very different chances of a healthy pregnancy, because egg quality tracks age more closely than egg number does. A younger woman with a lower AMH may still have eggs that fertilise well. An older woman with a reassuring AMH still has eggs of the quality her age would suggest.

What an AMH number can and cannot tell you.

NICE is explicit that AMH shouldn't be used to predict pregnancy through natural conception. So a low result doesn't mean you can't conceive, and a high one doesn't mean you will. NHS advice is to see a GP if you haven't conceived after a year of trying, or sooner if you're 36 or over or already know there may be a fertility problem.

Infertility is a clinical picture, usually considered when pregnancy hasn't happened after a set period of regular unprotected sex. Blocked tubes, ovulation problems, endometriosis, semen quality and unexplained infertility can all sit alongside a mid-range AMH, and a blood test won't find them.

A falling AMH shows the pool getting smaller as the ovaries age, but it can't tell you when your periods will stop. If flushes, sleep and cycle changes are the real issue, a menopause assessment is the place to start.

What does a low AMH mean?

A low AMH indicates a reduced ovarian reserve. That doesn't necessarily mean you can't conceive, although your fertile window may be shorter than average. It is a point about timing rather than a verdict.

People often hear "low" and assume IVF won't work, or that there's no point trying. Neither follows from the number. NICE uses AMH to help predict how the ovaries respond in assisted conception, not whether a natural pregnancy is possible. A lower reserve can mean fewer eggs are collected if IVF happens later, and stimulation protocols and drug doses are decided by the fertility team treating you.

If you have a partner, a semen result, a cycle history or previous pregnancies, those belong in the picture too, since they often explain more than the hormone does alone. A wider fertility blood test can add to it.

What does a high AMH mean?

A high AMH is often associated with PCOS, because PCOS commonly involves a larger cohort of small follicles. PCOS itself is diagnosed from a clinical pattern that can include irregular cycles, androgen symptoms and ultrasound findings, so a high result can start that conversation but can't finish it.

A high result can also matter if IVF is discussed later, because a larger follicle pool can change how the ovaries respond to stimulation. That is for the team planning your treatment, and more follicles don't automatically mean pregnancy will be easier.

Is AMH testing available on the NHS?

Usually only once you are under a fertility clinic. When a GP starts fertility investigations, the NHS blood tests are progesterone, to check whether you ovulate, and gonadotrophins if your periods are irregular. AMH is generally measured later by the specialist team, when IVF is being planned, which matches the way NICE uses it.

So most women who want an AMH figure for planning, before trying or alongside a busy career, test privately. You don't need a referral. The AMH test at 117a Harley Street is £150 plus the £50 blood draw, with expert review included, and our Female Fertility Assessment (£600) adds a consultant gynaecologist consultation, examination and a pelvic ultrasound where appropriate, with blood tests priced individually.

Home finger-prick kit or a clinic blood test?

Both measure the same hormone. The difference is the sample. A home kit relies on you filling a small tube from a finger-prick, typically 400 to 600 microlitres, and posting it the same day, avoiding weekends and bank holidays. A short fill or a delayed post is the commonest reason a kit has to be repeated.

A venous sample taken in clinic avoids those problems and lets you ask questions on the spot. At 117a Harley Street the visit takes about 20 to 30 minutes, and you can walk in seven days a week.

Can you test on the pill, and is there an age limit?

You can test on the pill, but hormonal contraception, especially the combined pill, can lower AMH noticeably, so your result may underestimate your reserve. The age table above is for women not taking oral contraception. Tell whoever reviews your result, and they may suggest retesting after a break.

There's no age limit. Younger women sometimes book for a planning figure, while older women book because cycles are changing or a fertility clinic has asked for ovarian reserve information. The lab method stays the same, and the interpretation changes with age.

How your result is reviewed here

Expert review is included, and it's what turns a number into an interpretation. Medical Express Clinic has practised at 117a Harley Street since 1984 and is CQC-registered. The AMH service is led clinically by Dr Hikmat Naoum, Consultant Gynaecologist, GMC 3047637, and our sister clinic lists AMH hormone testing among its women's health blood tests.

Before you look at the number, decide what you want it to answer: remaining egg quantity, likely IVF response, a possible PCOS link, or menopause insight. Bring any previous AMH results, a note of your contraception and cycle pattern, any fertility letters, and whether anyone has already talked to you about IVF, PCOS or menopause. Mention your age at the start.

If heavy bleeding, pelvic pain or another gynaecological question is part of the picture, Dr Naoum also sees patients for a consultant gynaecology examination. Our guide on whether to see a GP or a gynaecologist first can help you choose.