A new study gives an outlook into the future of a non-invasive ovarian test. The research findings show that the measurement of a fertility hormone can be taken from a sample of human hair.
The trials, still ongoing, now reports results from 152 women whose hair and blood samples were consistently collected during hospital visits. A fertility hormone called the Anti-Mullerian hormone was measured in the subjects' serum to provide a control, together with an ultrasound of the developing follicles in their ovaries.
"Biologically relevant" AMH levels were successfully discovered in the hair samples. Furthermore, they found that the levels were declining with the patient's age, just as the researchers expected.
Study Shows Hair Samples Can Be Used to Measure Fertility Hormone Levels
Additionally, as ovarian reserves lessen with age, so do AMH levels. Moreover, the AMH levels from hair strongly equated with both serum levels and AFC.
It was also seen that the hair test was able to detect a wide range of AMH levels within individuals from a similar age group. This suggested a higher accuracy than from a single blood sample.
The full findings of the study were published in the journal European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.
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What is Anti Mullerian Hormone?
Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) has become an essential marker in assessing how women respond to fertility treatment. The hormone is made by small cells that surround each egg as it develops in the ovary. Thus, it is seen as a measure of ovarian reserve.
AMH measurement has become an elemental marker in assessing how a patient will respond to ovarian stimulation for in vitro fertilization. A limitation, however, with AMH is that studies have not yet associated AMH levels to a reliable chance of live birth or forecasting the occurrence of menopause.
AMH is currently measured in serum obtained from a blood sample drawn intravenously. The readings give off a measurement at a short moment in time and are comparably invasive to complete.
The recent study offers a more appropriate representation of hormone levels in a non-invasive approach. Along with collaborators from MedAnswers Inc., Ph.D. student Sarthak Sawarkar from the laboratory of Professor Manel Lopez-Bejar in Barcelona presented his work this week.
Anti-Mullerian Hormone Levels in Hair
Hormones can build up in the hair shafts for months, while hormone levels in serum can change in hours. Therefore, the authors of the study claim that hair is a medium that can accumulate biomarkers over more extended periods.
Furthermore, they say that measurement using a hair sample is more likely to demonstrate the average hormone levels in an individual. Another advantage of a hair test, according to the authors, is that hormone levels are assessed non-invasively. This would significantly reduce testing stress among patients. Moreover, it would offer a less expensive evaluation.
Using the new approach, testing can be carried out without having to visit a clinic. This would make this kind of test more available to a broader range of women. Finally, Mr. Sawarkar explains that this method may produce a better understanding of a person's hormone levels. Unlike blood-based assays that can only measure the hormone at the moment of the testing, their new approach provides a promising new approach to fertility treatments.
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