Siemens Healthineers now offers the Anti-MĂĽllerian Hormone (AMH) Assay to quickly evaluate ovarian reserve. The AMH Assay can support a laboratory’s reproductive endocrinology test menu as it aids a physician’s initial assessment about initiating in vitro fertilization (IVF) with a patient, the company says. Physicians use AMH test results, which indicate the volume of remaining eggs, to determine whether a patient’s ovaries may respond favorably to IVF. 

IVF is the most common form of assisted reproductive technology, and it is costly, time-consuming, and invasive. In an ideal scenario, IVF is the process by which the ovaries are stimulated through a series of hormonal injections to release eggs that are then removed from the body via a transvaginal procedure, fertilized in a petri dish using a partner or donor sperm, and then returned as an embryo to develop into pregnancy in the uterus. The average patient goes through two IVF cycles that take several weeks. In the United States, the cost of IVF treatment is not always covered by insurance and the average patient undergoes two IVF cycles costing roughly $40,000-$60,000.1

“Planning for pregnancy is very personal, and when planning for pregnancy does become top-of-mind, the reality is that naturally occurring fertility changes can create barriers to conception and require support through IVF,” says Sharon Bracken, head of Diagnostics, Siemens Healthineers. “Since IVF success is directly linked to ovarian reserve, AMH test results can help doctors empower patients as they work toward the complex decision about whether to pursue or continue IVF.”

The insight the AMH Assay from Siemens Healthineers provides can help doctors better understand a patient’s ovarian reserve and assist in consulting patients about whether to undergo IVF with a view to likelihood of success. Once in treatment, data gained from AMH testing can help reduce the number of IVF attempts, which can reduce financial cost as well as minimize adverse reactions associated with treatment, the company says.

Further reading: Siemens Healthineers Launches Atellica CI Analyzer to Address Lab Challenges

References:

  1. Yates AP, et al. Anti-Mullerian hormone-tailored stimulation protocols improve outcomes whilst reducing adverse effects and costs of IVF. Hum Reprod. 2011;26(9):2353-62.