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Conventional wisdom says that AMH is a measure of egg reserve. It certainly can be but this is not as straight forward as it seems. A substantial number of patients came to us to say they were told that they have low egg reserve. We told some of them they we did not think so. Low AMH does not necessarily mean low egg reserve.
The problem lies in how AMH test result is interpreted. It is usually interpreted by referring to the reference ranges that are given in the test report. However this can be misleading because the reference ranges are constructed by simply randomly selecting women from different age groups and measuring their AMH. About 10 per cent of women are estimated by the NHS to have PCOS. They would have high AMH. Since the reference ranges include women with AMH at abnormally high level across all age groups, the ranges are therefore inflated. Simply reading the AMH test result by referring to the ranges given will mean that AMH is regarded as low when one's egg reserve is not in actual fact low. For more discussions on this, we may wish to read our blog on AMH.
It is important to note that AMH is not a direct measure of egg reserve which cannot be measured incidentally. Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) is produced by the antral follicles. Since antral follicles correlate with egg reserve, AMH is often used as a proxy measure of egg reserve.
Low AMH is usually associated with menopause in an older woman, or premature ovarian failure in a younger woman. But low AMH is not the cause of menopause, rather menopause is the cause of low AMH.
As we have seen earlier, we must exert care in how we read AMH test results given the reference ranges are inflated and skewed upwards. More importantly, we need to recognise that AMH is not a measure of egg quality either.
Conventional reproductive medicine has long believed every woman is born with a limited number of cells that can ripen into mature ova. These cells deteriorate with age, meaning older women are less fertile. Older women are often told by doctors that their AMH is too low and one option (or the only option) is to use donor eggs. We have discussed the importance of age in a separate page based on the latest scientific discovery, suffice it to say that evidence is emerging evidence to challenge the view that the number of eggs a woman has is fixed at birth.
Professor Jonathan Tilly, distinguished professor of biology and chair of the department of biology at Northeastern University, USA, first reported this in the highly regarded scientific journal Nature in 2004. He found a group of stem cells in mouse ovaries were supporting the production of new eggs. Professor Tilly has since published a replication study in Nature in 2018 confirming again that adult female mice can, and do, create new eggs.
Independently, Professor Evelyn Telfer from the University of Edinburgh, in a small study involving cancer patients, showed ovarian biopsies taken from young women who had been given a chemotherapy drug had a far higher density of eggs than healthy women of the same age. Professor Telfer, commenting on his own findings, says “This was something remarkable and completely unexpected for us. The tissue appeared to have formed new eggs.”
Taken together, these studies directly challenge the accepted view that new eggs cannot be generated.
If new eggs can be generated, AMH can be improved. While we are not qualified to make decisive statements about the frontiers of conventional reproductive medicine, our own clinical experience and evidence shows AMH can, indeed, be improved.
In line with emerging scientific evidence, our longstanding clinical experience shows that egg reserve decline is reversible assuming the result is interpreted correctly.
Our clinic aims to balance hormones and improve the functioning of reproductive organ systems, including ovarian functions, which we see as the main issues of confronting women with really low AMH taking into account of the inflated reference ranges (reflecting low egg reserve) and poor egg quality.
Our clinical data shows an excellent track record of improving AMH results. We have managed to double, and in some cases, more than triple AMH levels in patients who have had previously low levels. Here are some of our recent patients’ results.
Aged 40
Sept "24
2.2
Feb "25
3.4
Aged 42
Aug ’24
0.4
Nov ’24
0.7
Aged 45
Mar ’24
0.4
Jul ’24
1.6
Aged 44
Nov ’23
<0.2
Apr ’24
0.4
Aged 42
Feb ’24
0.7
Apr '24
3.2
Aged 39
Nov ’23
2.7
Apr ’23
4.0
Patients with PCOS usually have exceptionally high AMH levels. A reduction in AMH means a reduction of cysts in the ovaries. Check out how we treat PCOS here, and to test if you have PCOS here.
Aged 45
Sept ’24
15.9
Jan '25
9
Aged 24
Jun ’24
16.9
Jan ’25
14.7
Aged 45
Sept ’24
9.5
Dec ’24
4.1
Aged 42
May ’24
7.2
Jan ’25
5
Aged 41
Nov ’23
63.2
Apr ’24
45.8
Aged 46
Oct ’23
13.2
Apr ’24
10.6
Since our inception in 1998, we have perfected a system where we are now confident we can increase AMH levels, if they are really low, for most patients, mainly using tailor-made Chinese herbal remedies.
Patients come to us with their most recent AMH and other test results (less than 3 months old). We discuss with all patients about their AMH results in the light of the inflated reference ranges to make sure they they really have a low egg reserve. We do a first consultation lasting 30 minutes, in which we do non-invasive and pain-free Chinese medical diagnostic procedures, to understand your particular condition and circumstances thoroughly (we offer initial and after-treatment AMH tests, which are usually not offered by GPs).
Our specialist prescribes a unique herbal formula, usually consisting of around 20 kinds of herbs, from which you will make drinks and consume twice a day for 18 days in a month.
A month after the first consultation, you will be done with the first round of herbal remedy. We do a second consultation, lasting 30 minutes, doing another diagnostic procedure to see how well you’ve responded to the treatment. Another prescription will be written.
This monthly cycle will repeat 3 or 4 times before you are asked to have another AMH test carried out. Most patients see significant improvements.
The fees come to about £480 to £530 a month on average. Given our success rate, the fees of our treatment programme compares very favourably with IVF — all 3 courses (9 months) of our treatment comes out to be around £4,500 whereas the minimum all-inclusive fee for one IVF cycle stands at £6,000.
Once a month. Most patients come from 3 to 6 months. We ask all patients to retake an AMH test after 3 months. Some combine our treatment with further IVF cycles.
A traditional Chinese medical consultation involves the following steps.
The practitioner may scrutinise your complexion, eyes, tongue, and movements to gain insight into how your organs are functioning. The tongue is a particularly important source of information, and its colour, body, coating, and moisture will all be taken into account.
The practitioner assesses the patient’s energy and general condition by taking into account your body heat, odour, skin sensitivity, and uses other senses to gain an insight into the your condition.
To gain a full picture, the practitioner will ask detailed questions about your complaint and your medical history. They will want to find out whether your problems vary at all according to the time of year and your diet, feelings or emotions.
This can provide a highly sensitive and detailed picture of your general health. The practitioner will take a number of different ‘pulses’ on three fingers put on the wrist of each hand of the patient. This enables him to gain further information about the quality and functioning of the five major organs. The practitioner will take account of your general health and strength, as well as all of your symptoms, whether they seem to you to be connected or not. This will be the basis for deciding on the best treatment.
Monthly consultations are required to gauge your progress. The prescriptions will be devised accordingly — for treating a changing condition, a fixed single herb or formula is unlikely to be effective over time.
Patients want to know how long they need to see us for. We say after 3 months of treatment, we will review progress, retesting hormones and check subjective experience, such as period cycle regularity and sexual interest. If they are at normal levels, we discharge the patients.
If they are better but still need further improvement, patients may need second course of treatment at the same or less intensity.
Typically, women see us for 3 courses of treatment, ie 9 months total.
The point is that the way we treat patients means they should not rely on our treatment for too long. Their improved health and function should stay with them if they look after their health.
We have just launched a second opinion service where you can send us your hormone test results, sperm test results and other results. Consultations will be done on the phone and it will not be a face-to-face medical consultation.
Since we work with IUI, IVF, ICSI, egg and sperm freezing specialists, we can explore a full range of options with you prior to your committing to a course of actions that may be best for you. There is no charge for this service.
We offer this service in good faith based on our clinical experience and our work with partner agencies such as IVF specialists. We do not accept any liability and we will urge you to triangulate opinions given with your own doctors before you decide what may be best for your circumstance.
Call us any time on 0207 096 0283 or fill out our enquiry form.
We would like to see the following test results (less than 2 months old):
If you have not done them yet, we can arrange them for you. Results come out in 1 to 3 days.
A booking fee of £100 (refunded when you attend) will be processed at booking.
Late cancellation fee £50
We appreciate that you might not be well or have urgent matters to attend. As a result you may have to postpone the appointment. We would like to have at least 24 hours' advance notice. A late cancellation fee of £50 is payable if advance notice is not given.
Yes. No medical system is foolproof and medical practitioners, however good, are not omnipotent. As great as our success rates are, they are not 100%. There are times patients do not respond to our treatments despite our best efforts.
Delayed improvements are possible when patients rest a little. However, even with rest, patients may still not respond well. Fortunately, these cases are in the minority. We minimise the number of these cases by trying to understand our patients’ conditions as much as possible before taking them on. We minimise time and financial commitments from patients by insisting they have hormone or sperm test results prior to treatment, and to get retested after 3 months — following our evidence-based approach.
At TCM Healthcare, we will always have your best interests in mind and we will do our best.
