Low AMH but not ready to start TTC

[inessalord]

Hi everyone, new to this sub. I’m 30, turning 31 in a few months. I was on the pill for years, and got off in July 2023. My cycles are short (23-26 days) but have been regular ever since coming off the pill, and I am tracking ovulation via LH strips and BBT.

I just had my hormones checked, and my AMH was low (0.85) and FSH was normal (7). I’m really healthy otherwise (fit, no underlying conditions, minimal alcohol, clean diet, regular cycle). I’m on a protocol to get everything back to a more normal level, and then we’ll re-test in about 3 months.

My husband and I would love to have 3 kids, and were not planning on TTC quite yet but may reconsider our timeline due to all of this. I know low AMH isn’t the end of the world but it does make me a little nervous to wait another year before starting to try. None of my friends have experienced this so I feel kind of alone.

I guess I just wanted to vent because I want to be a mom so bad, and I want to be ready to start trying. We both have great jobs, own a house, have supportive families, etc so if I did get pregnant it wouldn’t be the end of the world. But I also wanted to wait a little bit longer because we’re both focused on our career, want to do a little more traveling this year, and I have a few big fitness goals I’d like to hit before pregnancy. But now I’m worried that waiting too long may jeopardize our ability to naturally conceive and I’d always think about the what ifs. Anyone else conflicted about when to start trying?

 

[johnwhite24]

@inessalord I'm turning 30 soon and want to leave myself with enough time for the possibility of 3 kids and the "when do we have kids" question has consumed my brain for the last 3 years. It's tough.

I haven't done AMH testing but I just got off hormonal birth control to start charting as well.

Personally if I knew I had a lowish AMH score but my charts looked good I don't think I'd reconsider my timeline. I know women who have successfully raised their AMH and my understanding is low AMH doesn't impact your monthly chances of conceiving and I'm not sure how reliable and precise it is for estimating your remaining fertile years.

I understand the worry though. I've avoided getting tested because I don't think I want to know if mine's low.

 

[inessalord]

@johnwhite24 Thanks for replying! It’s definitely not the worst news, but definitely wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I’m hoping the supplements can help raise it but that’ll take a few months. I’m glad we caught it early!

The not knowing is the hardest part. Just feel conflicted and want to make the best decision for me and my future family.

 

[alberto87]

@inessalord Yes. Absolutely. I am 30 and found out when I was 29 that my AMH was .9. My husband and I had/have no intentions of TTC until 2025 at the EARLIEST. And we are holding off for similar reasons.

Right after my results, I felt a lot of emotions and this ENORMOUS urgency to decide and try ASAP. Through reflection and talking more with my husband and therapist, some of the urgency has lessened. But I’m still scared my AMH is dropping and I feel helpless sometimes. And sad. One thing that has helped is discussing w/ my husband contingency plans.

Sending you so much love. This feeling sucks.

 

[inessalord]

@alberto87 That’s exactly how I feel right now, just a lot more urgency and uncertainty about what is the right decision. Don’t want to wait too long and potentially have issues that we could’ve avoided, but don’t want to start too soon and regret not taking more time to really prepare.

Sending you positive thoughts and peace of mind as you navigate your own situation

 

[alycat]

@inessalord Can you post your BBT charts? A cycle of 23-26 days is a sign of estrogen dominance (ie, your egg is released before it has the time to mature properly). You can raise your AMH with the right protocol in place.

In terms of my TTC journey, I am completely dependent on global geopolitics. This is something that is way beyond my control. However, I see it as a blessing as I have the luxury of time to get my house in order (ie properly get off hormonal birth control, go through homeopathic detoxes, appropriate supplementation, nutrition, and physical exercise).

 

[inessalord]

@alycat Oh really? Interesting! I’ll do some research on that! I ovulate between day 12-14 every cycle, and my luteal phase is usually shorter than normal (11-12 days). I’ll pay attention to which phase, if any, gets longer once I’m started on my new protocol! I’m working with a naturopath on everything, and she felt pretty confident that we’ll be able to raise it within normal range. I think what makes me the most nervous is the not knowing and wondering what’ll happen

 

[orvillejparker]

@inessalord Yep I went through this! I'm 29 and found out my amh was pretty low last year. We decided to bring our timeline forward and start trying this year, we were originally going to wait until I was 33/34. I also found out I have pretty severe endo though so that’s also been a big factor in our decision. I was SO stressed when I found out everything, even know I still have fears about bringing our timeline forward

In your case I would say waiting a year is unlikely to make a huge difference but I totally understand your stress! Having that extra pressure is really hard

 

[inessalord]

@orvillejparker Good luck and peace of mind in your journey TTC!

 

[lilkis86]

@inessalord So when I was only 25 I tested mine and my amh was 1.3, and I just turned 28 so I really hope it’s not much lower. I know birth control can impact it but I had been off of it for three months, but who knows how long it can take to feel better. Although it was in normal range, I was only 25 and it wasn’t even that far from being considered abnormal, and I still had years ahead until being in a place to have a baby, so naturally I was pretty freaked out.

A bit after this I talked to my obgyn about it, and she told me to not worry about it at all and it’s not something I should fixate on. She said how amh is a relatively new discovery and there’s still a lot not understood about it, and you can see women with low amh’s have no issue getting pregnant while women with normal amh’s struggling. It could mean maybe we’ll hit menopause a little early (but like someone else said, not this early) but it doesn’t tell how easily we will get pregnant currently, and it’s just used to give insight on how well you might respond to ivf. We have a goal of starting to try hopefully by August this year if our finances are decent enough. I’m still anxious about it, but I’m really trying to let it go a bit.

Also around that time, I considered being an egg donor but decided to back out, and I got up until the process of all the tests, and they did a transvagical ultrasound. They showed me my ovaries and pointed out my egg reserve and said I had “beautiful ovaries” although it can’t give you perfect insight, it made me feel a sense of relief!

 

[inessalord]

@lilkis86 Thanks so much for sharing your story. It helps to not feel alone and to hear positive things from people in a similar boat. It’s hard to not be concerned and worry too much about it, but it does sound like AMH alone doesn’t give the whole picture, which does give me hope. I’m seeing an OBGYN on Monday, and I’m l definitely ask if they are able to do an AFC. If they can’t, I’m going to try to find a fertility clinic who will do it for me, and hopefully I get the “beautiful ovaries” comment also

Glad we’re finding everything out prior to trying, so we can hopefully get everything at a more optimal level once the time comes to start TTC. Hope everything goes according to plan for you and your partner this year!