Vitamin D, Low AMH, AMH Test and Pregnancy
The AMH test (AMH – Anti-Mullerian Hormone levels) has really only begun to be commonly used as a marker of fertility since roughly 2009. My clients who were tested prior to that year did not have their AMH levels. I have written several other articles about my experience and my views on the low AMH diagnosis and the confusion surrounding it.
See links at bottom of this piece.
The low AMH and Vitamin D deficiency link, mostly ignored in clinical practice and during the infertility diagnosis is nonetheless becoming a much discussed subject on infertility forums and blogs.
The gist of the link is this: if your vitamin D levels are low, you might get a “false” low AMH level reading and as a result receive a “false” prognosis that might send you into a self-fulfilling spiral of defeat.
So if you received a low AMH diagnosis, it makes sense to start your investigation by testing your vitamin D levels. Vitamin D deficiency is a virtual epidemic and associated not only with bone related problems but a host of other serious immune issues such as breast, prostate, and ovarian cancers.
A Marker in Your Fertility Work – Levels of Vitamin D –
All you need is a simple blood test to determine your Vitamin D levels. Although as recently as five years ago, levels of 20-100 ng/ml were considered normal, currently the optimal levels have been raised to 32-100 ng/ml. You’ll need to ask your healthcare provider what your actual levels are and supplement accordingly. Spending 20 minutes in the sun with as much skin exposure and without sunglasses is the best way to supplement, but most of us will also need to boost our levels with a high quality brand of supplements.
A frequently cited study led by Cedric Garland determined that women with vitamin D levels higher than 52 ng/ml have half the risk of developing breast cancer as those with 13 ng/ml!Garlandestimates that 58,000 new cases of breast cancer in theU.S.could be prevented per year by raising vitamin D levels to 52 ng/ml.
Vitamin D, as described in medical literature is more of a hormone and gene regulator that plays an important role in the creation and functioning of cells. So it makes perfect sense to include it as an important marker in our fertility work up. But here is a cautionary note. The temptation to focus on one “culprit” responsible for our difficulty conceiving, is huge. As I said earlier, there is a great deal about AMH levels and fertility that is poorly understood. My hope is that raising your Vitamin D to optimum levels will be your first but by far not the last step in your fertility-enhancing journey.
Additional article on low AMH as a fertility marker:
A High FSH, Low AMH Fertile Heart Success Story http://www.fertileheart.com/getting-pregnant-with-low-amh-success-stories/
Getting Pregnant with Low AMH Levels: The Fertile Heart Ovum Approach http://www.fertileheart.com/does-a-low-amh-level-indicate-infertility/
Low AMH, High FSH and Anything in Between http://www.fertileheart.com/low-amh-high-fsh-and-anything-in-between/
Sources:
Joana Osorio Reproductive Endocrinology: Vitamin D and AMH levels are correlated in human adults. Nature Reviews Endocrinology 8, 380 ( July 2012)
