'I got a fertility test done at 29. My plans have completely changed.'

A few years ago, I was running a story on a new service in Australia offering women fertility testing.

It was designed to be an accessible way for women to make proactive decisions about their health. As a journalist, I decided to be a guinea pig and give it a go, to see if it really was as easy as it was made out to be — and it was.

With my mind on the story and understanding how these services work, I hadn't given a thought to the results.

Honestly, I treated it like a curiosity experiment: "Why not?" 

I was 26, healthy, and had no family history of fertility issues. My mum had conceived easily in her 30s. I didn't think the result would surprise me.

It did.

Listen: Getting Pregnant: Ovulation tracking, scheduled sex and when to call in the experts. Post continues below.

Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) testing has quietly become one of the most common tools for women curious about their fertility.

A simple blood test promises a glimpse into the ovarian reserve — the number of eggs a woman has left — and has sparked a surge in women seeking it out for planning purposes. However, many experts question how much this single number should be relied upon for fertility decisions.

Regardless, my AMH came back around 15 — right at the lower edge of normal for my age.

Although the advice was not to worry, it's natural to panic a little. I remember thinking, "Oh my god, maybe I'm going to struggle having children later in life."

I spoke to a doctor through the testing service I used, and they reassured me.

They said my IUD might have slightly lowered the result — though there isn't a lot of conclusive evidence on the impact of IUDs on AMH testing — and told me not to stress too much. It wasn't extremely low; not catastrophic.

It was just something to watch, something to take note of.

Fast forward three years. I'm almost 30, and thinking seriously about my fertility over the next five years.

I decided to get another AMH test, this time through iMedical while having blood work done for a different story. The number came back at 13.1 — again at the bottom of normal for my age.

It wasn't a huge surprise, but it confirmed that my AMH had stayed on the lower side, and that my egg supply was slowly declining.

However, again, speaking to doctors helped me to reframe.

AMH as a number is only telling you egg reserve, not quality. My eggs could all be 10/10, pregnant-in-one-month stunners. Or they could be flops.

You also only need one egg to create a baby at the end of the day. My doctor told me that right now, being in the double digits, there was no reason to panic. However, if it lowers much more, it would be worth having a chat with a fertility doctor.

So, I decided to do just that, and there was so much I wanted to know. 

How important is AMH in fertility testing? Should we really be doing private tests before we're even thinking about trying for children? Is it just an unnecessary figure forcing women to press the 'egg freezing' panic button?

Image: There's no need to go immediately to egg freezing after an AMH test in most cases.

I was able to get some time with fertility specialist Dr. Simon Nothman, who helped me make sense of it all.

He explained, "While AMH does give a gauge of the 'ovarian reserve' (the quantity of eggs remaining in a woman's ovaries), which is important in assessing the likely egg yield in IVF or egg freezing as well as the risk for ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome (OHSS), and is an important marker which guides counselling around fertility preservation and how urgent the timeline may be… it doesn't really tell us anything about egg quality or about the likelihood of achieving pregnancy.

"AMH is not a diagnostic test, but rather one that often requires consideration of additional tests, and most of all helps inform discussions with a fertility specialist."

So, as the doctors had told me repeatedly, my lower-than-average AMH was just one piece of the puzzle. It doesn't define my ability to conceive naturally.

But he's not against young women trying to better understand what is happening in their bodies, particularly when their fertility is on the line.

"Broadly, I believe knowledge is power and I support testing that empowers people to make informed decisions for their reproductive health future," he said. "But the testing is only really of value if it's interpreted in context."

He also warned against treating the number as a simple "go/no-go" signal on egg freezing.

"Where AMH testing can go wrong is when a number becomes either a 'panic button' or a 'green light'.

"That is rarely justified, and is sometimes even harmful – which is why AMH testing should occur in the context of expert guidance, and discussion with a fertility specialist should always be part of the picture."

Watch: When to seek help for fertility concerns. Post continues below.

He also tells Mamamia there are plenty of misconceptions about what AMH results mean.

"Plenty of women with low AMH conceive naturally; it simply means fewer eggs, perhaps more challenges further down the line, not bad eggs presently," he says.

Additionally, he wants to remind women that a high AMH doesn't mean you're a shoo-in for a baby.

"Levels above the population average may suggest PCOS or carry OHSS risk during IVF," he says. "While they do suggest we'll likely get a larger egg yield if performing egg freezing or IVF, a high AMH doesn't guarantee easy conception."

Unfortunately, getting a good AMH doesn't mean we can ignore the biological clock either. Rude, right?

"A 25-year-old with low-ish AMH still generally has higher success rates than a 40-year-old with 'normal' AMH, because egg quality and chromosomal risks relate to age, not AMH," he explains.

"The biggest pitfall, to my mind, is seeing the AMH as being more important than it is. At the end of the day it is but a number. And we treat people, not numbers."

So, what do you do if you're panicking about your low test result? Make a plan with your doctor.

"An AMH result that falls below or near the lower edge of the age-specific reference range should prompt a thoughtful plan, not alarm," Dr. Nothman said.

"The smartest next move is to confirm the broader picture with an antral-follicle count on ultrasound, because ovarian reserve is best understood by combining blood tests with imaging rather than relying on either in isolation."

For me, for now, it's just a watch-and-wait scenario.

I've decided to commit to another test at 31 to see how my numbers are tracking. If I'm not in a position to start trying by 32, I'll consider getting further testing done and then, if that doesn't go to plan, potentially egg freezing.

But it's important to note that without having this test done, there's no way I would have even looked into egg freezing at such a young age.

Since having these tests, my plan has completely changed.

Not to jump the gun and get all my eggs frozen immediately, but to pay more attention to my fertility, keep tracking it, and eventually make some informed decisions about my health.

"We always need to recall that, when it comes to fertility, AMH is only one puzzle piece; tubal patency, uterine factors, and sperm quality all matter, so any longer-term fertility plan should consider the whole picture. Let knowledge guide you, not scare you," says Dr. Nothman.

The biggest takeaway? AMH testing is powerful when used wisely. For me, it sparked clarity, not panic. It allowed me to plan ahead, understand my options, and make informed choices — without racing against a clock.

The author of this article is known to Mamamia but has chosen to remain anonymous for privacy reasons.

Dr Simon Nothman is a Sydney‑based fertility specialist at Genea who pairs evidence‑based medicine with truly individualised care to help individuals and couples navigate their reproductive choices with confidence.

Featured image: Getty.