Chicago-Area Infertility Specialist Richard Sherbahn Presents New Research Showing that High AMH levels are Correlated with Better IVF Outcomes
Gurnee, IL (PRWEB) October 25, 2013 -- Infertility specialist Richard Sherbahn, MD, recently presented research on how the female partner’s AMH blood levels relates to in vitro fertilization outcome at the annual meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts. The study points to the possibility that aggressive ovarian stimulation and augmentation protocols Dr. Sherbahn uses at the Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago bolster the success rates in women under 35.
Dr. Sherbahn studied 786 IVF cycles in women under 35 years old who had ovarian stimulation for IVF. The patients were separated into three groups according to their AMH level. The low group had an AMH of less than 0.6 ng/ml, the middle group had levels between 0.6 and 1.5 and the high group had levels greater than 1.5.
The study compared the percentage of cycle cancellations, the average number of eggs retrieved, and the live birth rate per cycle for the three AMH groups.
Dr. Sherbahn found much higher rates of cycle cancellation in the low AMH group as compared to that seen in the middle group and the high group. The low AMH group had a cancellation rate of 15.1% compared to 3.7% in the middle group and 0.4% in the high group.
The average number of eggs retrieved in the low group was 7.0, in the middle group it was 9.3, and in the high group 14.2.
The surprising finding of this study was that the live birth rate per cycle was not different between the low AMH group and the middle AMH group. The low AMH group had a live birth rate of 43.4% and the middle AMH group had a live birth rate of 43.6% per cycle. This was not significantly different. The high AMH group had a live birth rate of 63.9% per cycle, which was significantly different from both the low and the middle AMH groups.
“We do not know why our live birth success rates were so high in the low AMH group. One question this study raises is whether AMH is an accurate and reliable predictor of ovarian reserve. Perhaps AMH levels may not be as predictive of IVF outcome in young women under 35 years of age,” said Dr. Sherbahn.
In conclusion high AMH levels correlate with a low risk for cycle cancellation, retrieval of more eggs, and high live birth rates with in vitro fertilization. However couples should not be excluded from attempting IVF due to low AMH values alone.
Although women with very low AMH levels are sometimes counselled by fertility doctors not to try IVF treatment due to low success chances, our research suggests that low AMH levels do not predict low IVF success rates in women under 35 years old.
The Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago, with offices in Gurnee and Crystal Lake, Ill., offers advanced reproductive technology services such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection, preimplantation genetic diagnosis, egg freezing and egg donation.
The Center specializes in individualized care, and has IVF success rates and egg donation success rates that are above the national averages.
The Center’s web site, advancedfertility.com, offers more than 300 articles on fertility issues and IVF. To schedule an appointment, call 847.662.1818.
Richard Sherbahn, Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago, http://www.advancedfertility.com, +1 (847) 662-1818, [email protected]
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