Anti-Mullerian hormone serum level as a predictive marker of ovarian function in Taiwanese women.

Background: Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), which is secreted by preantral and small antral follicles, has been found to be a valuable marker of ovarian reserve. The purpose of this study was to determine age-related changes in AMH levels that occur in Taiwanese women and to determine whether measuring AMH is a highly sensitive and specific tool for diagnosing polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) in Taiwanese women.
Methods: A group of 59 healthy, fertile, regularly cycling women, a second group of seven patients with premature ovarian failure or menopause, and a third group of 45 PCOS patients were enrolled. Serum AMH concentrations were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Results: AMH levels in healthy fertile women with regular menstrual cycles demonstrated an age-related decline, with a rapid drop between 30-40 years of age that was followed by a slow decrease after 40 years old. All patients with premature ovarian failure and menopause had undetectable AMH levels. AMH levels in PCOS patients were found to be significantly higher than those measured in healthy fertile controls. The sensitivity and specificity of AMH for detecting PCOS in patients aged 29-38 years were calculated to be 74% and 79%, respectively, using an AMH cut-off value of 3.5 ng/mL.
Conclusion: Here, we provide data on Taiwanese women that demonstrate age-related decline in AMH levels and establish an AMH-based method for detecting PCOS, which may be used as reference data for future AMH studies on Taiwanese women.
(Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V.)