The utility of measuring anti-Müllerian hormone in predicting menopause

Menopause is a relevant phase in a woman's reproductive life. Accurate estimation of the time of menopause could improve the preventive management of women's health. Reproductive hormones reflect the activity of follicle pools and provide information about ovarian aging. Anti-Mu llerian hormone (AMH) is secreted from small antral follicles and its level is correlated to the ovarian reserve. AMH declines with age, and data suggest that it can provide information on menopausal age and reproductive lifespan. Serum AMH levels become low approximately 5 years before the final menstrual period and are undetectable in postmenopausal women. The majority of studies indicate that AMH is relatively stable throughout the menstrual cycle; however, there are interindividual variabilites of serum AMH concentration under different conditions. AMH is an independent predictor of time to menopause. AMH coupled with age for menopause prediction provides stronger information than using age alone. Ongoing research is focused on constructing a multivariate model including AMH values, genes related to follicular recruitment and maternal age of menopause that would predict more precisily time to menopause.