Article
Anti-Müllerian hormone: a marker for oocyte quantity, oocyte quality and embryo quality?

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Abstract

Serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) concentrations decline with increasing age and constitute a sensitive marker for ovarian ageing. In addition, basal serum AMH concentrations predict ovarian response during IVF cycles. Concomitantly, oocyte quantity and embryo quality decrease with advancing age. Hence, it was postulated that AMH in serum constitutes a marker for embryo quality. Women aged 37 years and younger with regular menstrual cycles, normal body mass index and partners with normal semen parameters were randomly assigned to either a standard or mild stimulation protocol for IVF treatment. Blood samples were drawn at cycle day 3 and at the day of human chorionic gonadotrophin administration. Embryo quality was assessed using embryo morphology score and preimplantation genetic screening. Serum AMH concentrations on cycle day 3 were correlated with the number of oocytes retrieved in both groups. AMH and embryo morphology were correlated after mild stimulation, but not after conventional ovarian stimulation. AMH and the chromosomal competence of embryos were not correlated. Serum AMH is predictive for ovarian response to stimulation. However, the lack of a consistent correlation with embryo morphology and embryo aneuploidy rate is not in favour of a direct relationship between oocyte quantity and embryo quality.

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Sharon Lie Fong graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. She started her career in 2002 as a junior resident in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Erasmus MC University Medical Centre at Rotterdam, the Netherlands. After three years, she joined the Division of Reproductive Medicine there to work on her PhD thesis focusing on clinical aspects of anti-Müllerian hormone.

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    Sharon Lie Fong graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. She started her career in 2002 as a junior resident in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Erasmus MC University Medical Centre at Rotterdam, the Netherlands. After three years, she joined the Division of Reproductive Medicine there to work on her PhD thesis focusing on clinical aspects of anti-Müllerian hormone.

    Declaration: The authors report no financial or commercial conflicts of interest.

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