AMH levels by age: what is typical, what is low, and what it means for you.
AMH falls steadily with age. In Australia it is reported in pmol/L, and a typical result sits roughly in the 15 to 45 range in your twenties, drifts down through your thirties, and is often below 5 by the mid-forties. The number reflects how many eggs remain, not their quality, and it does not predict whether you will conceive naturally.
How AMH is reported in Australia, and why labs differ
Anti-Mullerian hormone is made by the small, early-stage follicles in your ovaries, which is why it is used as a marker of ovarian reserve. For the fuller background, start with what AMH is and what it can actually tell you.
Australian laboratories report AMH in picomoles per litre (pmol/L). Much of what you read online, especially from the United States, uses nanograms per millilitre (ng/mL). The conversion is simple: multiply ng/mL by about 7.14 to get pmol/L. So an American article describing 1.0 ng/mL as "low" is talking about roughly 7 pmol/L on an Australian report.
Two other things make AMH numbers hard to compare. Several assay platforms are in use, and they do not give identical results on the same sample. And each laboratory publishes its own age-related reference intervals. So any age table, including the one below, is a guide to typical values rather than a set of cut-offs.
Typical AMH ranges by age band
The bands below are broad, indicative values in pmol/L for women not using hormonal contraception. They follow the general shape of published age-related data rather than any single laboratory's intervals, and they overlap heavily. Two healthy women of the same age can sit at opposite ends of a band and both be normal.
| Age band | Typical AMH (pmol/L, varies by lab) | What it usually means |
|---|---|---|
| 20 to 29 | Roughly 15 to 45 | Ovarian reserve is generally at its highest. Very high readings can be seen with PCOS; low readings are worth a conversation, not a panic. |
| 30 to 34 | Roughly 10 to 35 | A gentle downward drift begins. Most women in this band are well within the range doctors consider reassuring. |
| 35 to 39 | Roughly 5 to 25 | The decline steepens. This is the band where an AMH result most often changes the timing of a decision. |
| 40 to 44 | Roughly 1 to 12 | Lower values are expected and normal for age. AMH here says more about likely response to treatment than about natural conception. |
| 45 and over | Often below 3, sometimes undetectable | Consistent with the approach to menopause. AMH is rarely useful on its own in this band. |
Ranges vary by laboratory; your report shows the range your lab uses. Typical ranges on this page are drawn from Pathology Tests Explained (RCPA) and the sources listed below.
You will also see AMH described in categories rather than by age. Broadly, results under about 7 pmol/L are described as low, roughly 7 to 25 pmol/L as within the expected range for most reproductive-age women, and above about 25 to 30 pmol/L as high. These labels are shorthand for doctors, and they are read against your age: an AMH of 6 pmol/L means something different at 27 than it does at 42.
What low AMH does and does not mean
A low AMH for your age means fewer small follicles are active, which usually reflects a smaller remaining egg supply. It is useful information for planning. It is not a verdict on your fertility.
What low AMH can do:
- Flag that the window may be shorter than average, which can make "sooner rather than later" a sensible way to think about timing if you want children
- Predict a lower response to ovarian stimulation in IVF, meaning fewer eggs collected per cycle. This is the best-evidenced use of AMH
- Prompt earlier specialist review if you have been trying to conceive without success, rather than waiting the usual 12 months
- Inform a decision about egg freezing, where the number of eggs likely to be collected matters
What low AMH cannot do:
- Tell you how many eggs you have as an exact count
- Tell you the quality of those eggs
- Predict when you will reach menopause with any precision
- Tell you, on its own, whether you will or will not conceive
A very low AMH in a woman under 40, especially with irregular or absent periods and a high FSH, is a pattern a doctor investigates further rather than assumes, so an unexpected result is read alongside FSH and oestradiol and, where needed, repeated.
What high AMH can mean
A high AMH for your age generally means many small follicles are active, which most of the time is simply good news about ovarian reserve. It is also a common finding in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), where the ovaries hold many small follicles that stall before ovulation, and AMH readings are often two to three times higher than in others of the same age.
Under the 2023 International PCOS Guideline, a high AMH can stand in for the ultrasound criterion in adults, though not in adolescents, and it is never a stand-alone test for PCOS. The assessment still rests on cycle pattern, signs or blood markers of excess androgens, and ovarian morphology, judged by ultrasound or by AMH. If your AMH is high and your cycles are irregular, the PCOS and your hormones article explains what a doctor looks at next.
Things that shift AMH
AMH is stable enough across the cycle to be tested on any day. It is not immune to outside influence, though. Your doctor reads your result knowing about:
- Hormonal contraception. Combined hormonal contraception, the pill and the vaginal ring, lowers AMH readings by roughly 20 to 30 per cent while you are using it. Progestogen-only methods such as the implant have a smaller and less predictable effect, and a hormonal IUD appears to have little or no effect. The result is still informative, but it has to be read with that in mind. The contraception and hormone tests article covers each method.
- Recent pregnancy and breastfeeding. Both can temporarily lower AMH; it recovers over the months afterwards.
- Vitamin D deficiency, which has been linked with lower AMH readings.
- Smoking, which is associated with lower AMH and an earlier menopause.
- Ovarian surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy, which can reduce the follicle pool.
- The assay used, which is why results from two different labs should not be compared as though they were on the same scale.
How doctors use AMH with FSH and antral follicle count
AMH is one of three measures of ovarian reserve that doctors look at together, each with a different strength.
- AMH is convenient and stable across the cycle, and it predicts response to stimulation well.
- Day 2 to 3 FSH with oestradiol shows how hard the brain is working to get the ovaries to respond. A rising FSH is a later sign than a falling AMH, and it varies more from month to month. The FSH and LH levels article explains how it is read.
- Antral follicle count (AFC) is an ultrasound count of the small follicles visible early in the cycle. It is a direct look at the same pool AMH reflects, and the two usually agree.
When the three point the same way, a doctor can be fairly confident about where your reserve sits. When they disagree, the mismatch usually leads to a repeat or a closer look at timing and contraception.
Reading your KnowLuna AMH result
The AMH and fertility panel measures AMH together with FSH, LH, oestradiol, TSH and prolactin, so the reserve marker arrives with its context. Collection is at an accredited (NATA and RCPA) centre, on day 2 to 5 of your cycle if you have one; AMH itself can be taken any day. Test-only $179 with your own doctor's request, or $259 with a KnowLuna doctor to request the panel and explain it in a 20-minute video consult.
Your report shows your AMH against the laboratory's age-related range, in plain English. If it is lower or higher than expected, an AHPRA-registered doctor follows up and talks through what it does and does not mean for you. For the wider picture, see fertility tests for women or browse the fertility stage.
Common questions
What is a good AMH level to get pregnant?
There is no AMH level that guarantees or rules out pregnancy. AMH reflects egg quantity, not quality, and studies show women with low AMH conceive naturally at similar rates to those with normal levels over a year. A result in the expected range for your age is reassuring for planning; a low one is a reason to talk timing through with a doctor, not to lose hope.
What is a normal AMH for a 35 year old?
At 35, typical AMH results sit roughly between 5 and 25 pmol/L, with most women in the middle of that band. Laboratories publish their own age-related intervals and use different assays, so your report is the reference that matters. A result at the low end at 35 is common and is read alongside FSH, oestradiol and your cycle history.
Can I get pregnant at 37 with low AMH?
Yes, many women do. Low AMH means fewer eggs remain, not that the eggs you have are poor quality, and natural conception depends on one good egg in a given cycle. At 37, age matters more to egg quality than AMH does. A low result is a reasonable prompt to see a doctor sooner rather than waiting a full 12 months of trying.
Is an AMH test covered by Medicare?
AMH is not listed on the Medicare Benefits Schedule, so there is no rebate for it in any setting, including a fertility clinic. You pay for it privately whoever requests it. KnowLuna is self-pay, with no Medicare rebate; the AMH test cost article explains what people typically pay and what a price should include.
Can I improve my AMH level naturally?
AMH reflects the number of small follicles active in your ovaries, and that pool declines with age in a way lifestyle does not reverse. Stopping smoking and correcting a vitamin D deficiency may modestly affect readings, and stopping hormonal contraception can lift a suppressed result, but these are about measuring accurately rather than adding eggs. Ask your doctor before changing anything.
What AMH level indicates PCOS?
No single level does. Women with PCOS often have AMH two to three times higher than others their age. Since 2023 the international guideline allows a high AMH to stand in for the ultrasound criterion in adults, though not in adolescents, but no AMH level is diagnostic on its own: cycle pattern and androgen excess still have to be assessed, with a doctor weighing all three.
Sources and further reading
- Pathology Tests Explained (RCPA): anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH)
- Steiner AZ et al. Association between biomarkers of ovarian reserve and infertility among older women of reproductive age. JAMA 2017
- Monash University: International Evidence-based Guideline for the Assessment and Management of PCOS 2023
- Better Health Channel: infertility in women
- Pregnancy, Birth and Baby: fertility tests and treatments
- Healthdirect: fertility
General information only, not medical advice. If your symptoms are severe or sudden, see a doctor promptly. This page does not replace a consultation with a doctor who knows your history; read our medical disclaimer.
What is AMH, and what can it actually tell you?
Ovarian reserve explained, including what the number does not mean.
How much does an AMH test cost in Australia?
Why there is no rebate, and what a price should include.
What do FSH and LH levels mean?
Reference ranges by cycle day, and how they pair with AMH.