Low AMH: What It Means and What Diet Can (and Can’t) Do

A low AMH result means you probably have fewer eggs left in your ovaries than is typical for your age. It does not measure egg quality, and for women who have not had trouble conceiving, research has not found that a low AMH means a lower chance of getting pregnant naturally. AMH is mainly useful for predicting how many eggs IVF or egg freezing might collect. No food or supplement has been shown to increase the number of eggs you have, but your overall eating pattern still matters for fertility. This guide explains what your result can and cannot tell you, typical levels by age, what the evidence says about vitamin D, DHEA and coenzyme Q10, and when to see your GP.

What AMH measures

AMH is a hormone made by small follicles in the ovaries, the fluid-filled sacs that hold developing eggs. The more of these follicles you have, the higher your AMH tends to be. That is why AMH is used as a marker of ovarian reserve: an estimate of how many eggs are left.

A woman is born with all the eggs she will ever have, and that number falls over time, so AMH falls with age too. The key point, which the Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority (VARTA) and fertility researchers both stress, is that AMH reflects egg quantity, not egg quality. Egg quality is mostly linked to age, and there is no blood test for it.

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine puts it plainly: ovarian reserve markers are useful for predicting how many eggs are collected after IVF stimulation, but they are poor predictors of the chance of pregnancy once age is taken into account.

What a low AMH does and does not tell you

Natural conception

The best known study on this was published in JAMA in 2017. Researchers followed 750 women aged 30 to 44 who had no history of infertility and were trying to conceive. Women with low AMH (under 0.7 ng/mL) were not less likely to get pregnant. By 12 cycles, an estimated 84% of women with low AMH had conceived, compared with 75% of women with normal AMH, a difference that was not statistically significant.

The study had limits. It included few women aged 38 to 44 with low AMH, it was not designed to assess very low levels, and many women stopped before 12 cycles to start treatment. So it does not mean AMH never matters. It does mean a single low number is not a verdict on your natural fertility. RANZCOG’s 2024 pre-pregnancy guideline says AMH gives an indication of ovarian reserve but is not predictive of live birth rate.

IVF and egg freezing

This is where AMH is genuinely useful. AMH strongly predicts how your ovaries will respond to fertility medicines and roughly how many eggs may be collected. Fertility doctors use it to plan medicine doses and to set expectations. In an Australian IVF clinic study, about half of women in the lowest AMH group had a live birth within 12 months of starting IVF, compared with about two thirds of women with higher AMH. After three years, 63% of the lowest AMH group had a baby, compared with 81% to 87% in the higher groups. The authors concluded that AMH is only a slight predictor, should not be used to exclude women from IVF, and that women with low AMH may simply take longer.

Menopause

AMH test results cannot predict how long you have until menopause. Low AMH in a woman under 40 who also has menopause-type symptoms or missed periods is different: that needs a GP review, because it can be a sign of primary ovarian insufficiency.

AMH levels by age

There is no single “normal” AMH. Levels depend on age, the lab, the test kit used and the units on your report. Australian labs usually report in pmol/L, while many studies use ng/mL (1 ng/mL is about 7.14 pmol/L). The table below comes from one large study of AMH results from 22,920 women at a university hospital in Turkey. It shows the median (middle) result at each age and the range covering the middle half of women.

Read this as a rough picture of how AMH falls with age, not as a cut-off. These women were tested at a hospital, not drawn from the general population, and results from a different test kit can differ. Always use the reference range printed on your own report and ask your GP or fertility doctor to interpret it.

A few other things can change a result:

• Hormonal contraception. The 2023 International PCOS Guideline notes AMH may be suppressed by current or recent use of the combined pill.
• Ovarian surgery, and in some studies endometriosis, are linked with lower AMH.
• Body size and cycle day. The same guideline notes AMH is lower in people with a higher BMI in the general population and may vary across the menstrual cycle.
• Repeat tests. In an Australian GP study, about one in three women who repeated the test after a low result had a normal result the second time (a small group of 93 women).

Why AMH is not recommended as a “fertility test”

AMH tests are often promoted as an “egg timer” for women curious about their future fertility. Australian GP requests for AMH tests rose from 0.32 to 4.33 per 1,000 women between 2011 and 2021, more than 13-fold. Yet the researchers behind that study note that major guidelines do not recommend AMH testing for women who are simply curious about their fertility or who are trying to conceive without signs of infertility, and that AMH should not be used to predict the chance of natural conception.

The test is not covered by Medicare and can cost $100 or more. A low result can cause worry and rushed decisions, such as about egg freezing, while a normal result can give false reassurance about waiting, when age remains the biggest factor. In a 2024 randomised trial of 967 women in Australia and the Netherlands, those given balanced, evidence-based information about the test knew more about it and were less interested in having it than women shown a test seller’s marketing information.

AMH does have proper uses: planning IVF or egg freezing, and helping doctors assess some conditions. The point is that it should be ordered for a clear reason and interpreted with your age, cycles and history.

Can you increase your AMH?

The number of eggs you have cannot be increased. Some supplements are marketed as raising AMH or “rescuing” egg reserve. Here is what the research shows.

We could not find any trial showing that a particular food or diet raises AMH. Be wary of programs or products that promise to “increase AMH” or “improve egg reserve”. If you are having IVF, talk to your fertility doctor before starting any supplement, because some interact with treatment and the right choice depends on your situation.

What diet can do for fertility

While food cannot add eggs, your overall eating pattern does matter for fertility and for a future pregnancy. In a 2026 study of 2,370 couples planning fertility treatment, closer alignment with broadly healthy eating patterns, such as a Mediterranean-style diet, was linked with a modestly higher chance of live birth. Diets marketed specifically for fertility offered little or no extra benefit. This was an observational study, so it shows a link, not proof.

In practice, that means regular meals built around vegetables, fruit, wholegrains, legumes, nuts, fish and other protein foods, enough iron and fibre, and the right preconception supplements. You do not need a special “egg quality” diet, and restricting food is not part of fertility care. These guides go further:

• Fertility diet for both partners: what the research says
• Your 3-month preconception nutrition timeline
• Why women need more iron

This article is about fertility and preconception. If you are already pregnant, your GP, midwife or obstetrician is the best guide.

Low AMH, high AMH and PMOS (PCOS)

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS, now also called PMOS) usually goes with a high AMH, because there are more small follicles in the ovaries. The 2023 International PCOS Guideline allows AMH to be used instead of an ultrasound to identify polycystic ovaries in adults, but not as a single test for PMOS (formerly PCOS) and not in adolescents. A high AMH on its own is not a diagnosis.

If you have PMOS, a “good” AMH does not mean conception will be easy, because irregular ovulation is the more common issue. If you have PMOS and a low AMH for your age, ask your doctor to explain the result in context. See our guides to PMOS (PCOS) symptoms and PMOS (PCOS) nutrition support.

If your result has worried you

Getting a low number can be upsetting, especially if you were not expecting it or you are not ready to try for a baby. Researchers have described distress, regret and rushed decisions after AMH results, and these are understandable reactions. Remember what the number can and cannot tell you: it is an estimate of egg numbers, not egg quality, and not a prediction of whether you will have a baby. A conversation with your GP or a fertility doctor can put it in context. If food or your body has become a source of stress, please mention that too. Our eating disorder dietitian page explains the support available.

When to see your GP or a fertility doctor

See your GP if you have been trying to conceive for 12 months, or 6 months if you are over 35. RANZCOG recommends that women over 35 who have not conceived after six months of trying are offered referral to a fertility doctor. Go sooner if:

• your periods are irregular, very infrequent or have stopped
• you are under 40 and have menopause-type symptoms
• you have had ovarian surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy, or have endometriosis or PMOS
• you have a low AMH result and are thinking about when to try, or about egg freezing

Your GP can arrange the right tests for both partners and explain your result alongside your age and history.