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The conflicting results from studies on the predictive capabilities of serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) for IVF pregnancy outcomes may be attributed to small sample sizes and disparities in the age of the study populations. The relationship between AMH and IVF pregnancy outcomes was clarified with retrospective cross-tabulation analyses (n=1558) stratified by age to control for its confounding effects. Serum AMH concentrations were divided into tertiles (≤ 0.29, 0.30-1.20, ≥ 1.21 ng/ml) and ages into four groups (<34, 34-37, 38-41, ≥ 42 years). For women <34, having serum AMH in the lowest tertile did not reduce the chance of IVF pregnancy/live birth compared with those with higher AMH concentrations. For women 34-41, a significant positive relationship existed between serum AMH and pregnancy rates. For women ≥ 42, serum AMH concentrations ≤ 0.29 ng/ml were associated with a 3% chance of pregnancy, and women with AMH ≥ 1.21 ng/ml had the same pregnancy rate as women with concentrations 0.30-1.20 ng/ml. In conclusion, AMH has limited predictive value for IVF outcomes in the two extremes of female reproductive age; however, for women between 34 and 41, higher serum AMH concentrations are associated with significantly greater chances of pregnancy (P<0.01).

Despite the many studies that have been conducted using both primate and human models to understand the control of the menstrual cycle, there are many aspects of the hormonal dynamics of the menstrual cycle that are not understood. This Minireview summarizes the changes in estrogen regulation of luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion that occur throughout life in women from the time of maturation of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis resulting in the occurrence of the LH surge during puberty, through the reproductive years, to the changes in the regulation of the LH surge during premenopause and, subsequently, menopause.

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