Age and reserve are different questions
Age, ovarian function and egg quality all contribute to fertility assessment. AMH and the antral follicle count help the doctor review ovarian reserve, while age and earlier treatment findings add information that a single laboratory value cannot provide.
A low AMH result is one part of the assessment. The team reviews the wider clinical picture before discussing an individual IVF plan.
Information to share before a consultation
- Your age, menstrual history and recent AMH and hormone reports.
- Ultrasound reports, including the antral follicle count if available.
- Previous stimulation plans, monitoring results and medication records.
- Egg retrieval, maturity, fertilization, embryo culture and transfer records from earlier cycles.
The doctor can review these records in a remote consultation before you arrange travel.
Planning IVF stimulation and laboratory care
The clinical team considers ovarian function, earlier response and monitoring findings when selecting a stimulation plan. For some patients, more than one retrieval cycle may be discussed to accumulate eggs or embryos.
Where retrieved eggs have a low maturity rate or a maturation disorder, the laboratory may consider in vitro maturation. This involves culturing immature eggs in specialized medium before fertilization, usually by ICSI.
Embryo testing and transfer planning
Age, ovarian reserve and embryo chromosome findings answer different questions. Read how age relates to the embryo chromosome discussion before reviewing the proposed test with the team.
PGT-A examines embryo chromosome number. Whether to include testing is discussed in relation to age, reproductive history and the treatment plan. The proposed test and the next steps should be reviewed with the medical team.
Individual treatment accounts
The case library includes accounts involving low ovarian reserve and previous treatment. Each records a particular patient’s findings and reported outcome; these do not predict another person’s result.