An AMH level between 1.0 and 5.5 ng/mL is generally considered a good range for getting pregnant. Women in this range have a normal ovarian reserve, meaning the ovaries still hold a healthy supply of eggs. But AMH is only one piece of the fertility picture, and what counts as “good” shifts significantly with age.
What AMH Actually Tells You
AMH (anti-Müllerian hormone) is produced by the small follicles in your ovaries, and the level in your blood reflects how many eggs you have remaining. A higher number means a larger egg supply; a lower number means a smaller one. This is sometimes called your “ovarian reserve.”
Here’s the critical distinction: AMH measures egg quantity, not egg quality. A study published in Scientific Reports analyzing women of advanced reproductive age found that AMH had no role in predicting the quality of eggs. Quality is primarily determined by age itself. So a 28-year-old with a low AMH may have fewer eggs but those eggs are still likely to be healthy, while a 42-year-old with a normal AMH has plenty of eggs that are more likely to carry chromosomal issues. This is why AMH alone can’t tell you whether you’ll get pregnant.
Normal AMH Levels by Age
AMH declines steadily throughout your reproductive years. The median values by age group, measured in ng/mL, look like this:
- Age 20 to 24: 4.23 ng/mL (typical range 2.47 to 6.72)
- Age 25 to 29: 3.48 ng/mL (typical range 2.1 to 5.72)
- Age 30 to 34: 2.43 ng/mL (typical range 1.25 to 4.33)
- Age 35 to 39: 1.28 ng/mL (typical range 0.59 to 2.53)
- Age 40 to 44: 0.52 ng/mL (typical range 0.25 to 1.22)
The “typical range” here represents the middle 50% of women in each age group. If your result falls within or above this range for your age, your ovarian reserve is considered normal. If it falls well below, that could signal diminished ovarian reserve.
What Low AMH Means for Natural Conception
A large cohort study of over 3,100 women found that those with AMH below 1.0 ng/mL had a modestly lower chance of conceiving naturally compared to women with levels between 1.0 and 5.5 ng/mL. At the peak fertility window (around cycle four of trying), the per-cycle probability of conceiving was 11.2% for the low AMH group versus 14.3% for the normal group. That’s a real difference, but it’s not dramatic. The majority of women with low AMH can still conceive naturally; it may just take longer.
Interestingly, women with high AMH (above 5.5 ng/mL) didn’t have a meaningful advantage over women with normal levels. Their per-cycle conception rate was 15.7%, only slightly higher than the normal group. So more eggs doesn’t necessarily translate into faster pregnancies.
According to Baylor College of Medicine, diminished ovarian reserve is diagnosed when AMH falls below the expected value for your age, with severe cases dropping below 1.0 ng/mL. If you’re 35 and your AMH is 0.6 ng/mL, that’s below the 25th percentile for your age group and worth discussing with a reproductive specialist, especially if you’ve been trying to conceive for several months.
When AMH Is Too High
Very high AMH can also be a flag. In women ages 20 to 29, levels above roughly 8 ng/mL, and in women 30 to 39, levels above about 6 ng/mL, may point toward polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). PCOS causes the ovaries to develop many small follicles that each produce AMH, inflating the total. Women with PCOS often have irregular or absent ovulation, which is the more direct barrier to pregnancy. If your AMH is unusually high and your cycles are irregular, PCOS is a likely explanation.
What AMH Tells You About Your Timeline
Beyond immediate fertility, AMH can offer a rough window into how many reproductive years you have left. Research in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that women ages 45 to 48 with AMH below 0.20 ng/mL reached menopause in a median of about 6 years. For women ages 35 to 39 with the same low AMH, the median time to menopause was closer to 10 years. Once AMH becomes undetectable, menopause typically follows within about 6 years.
This doesn’t mean you’re fertile right up until menopause. Fertility drops sharply well before your final period. But if your AMH is declining faster than expected for your age, it may signal a narrower window for conceiving and a reason to act sooner rather than later.
Getting an Accurate AMH Test
One advantage of AMH testing is that it’s relatively stable throughout your menstrual cycle. Levels tend to be slightly higher during the follicular phase (the first half of your cycle) compared to the luteal phase, but the fluctuations aren’t large enough to change clinical interpretation. You can have the test drawn on any cycle day, though many clinics default to days 2 through 5.
If you’re on hormonal birth control, your result may read about 30% lower than your true baseline. Some studies have found this suppression effect, though others show no statistically significant difference. If your AMH comes back low while you’re on the pill, your doctor may recommend retesting a few months after stopping contraception to get a clearer picture.
AMH results are reported in two units depending on the lab: ng/mL (common in the United States) or pmol/L (common in Europe and Australia). To convert, multiply ng/mL by 7.18 to get pmol/L. So 1.0 ng/mL equals about 7.2 pmol/L, and 5.5 ng/mL equals roughly 39.5 pmol/L.
Putting Your Number in Context
A single AMH number doesn’t define your fertility. It tells your doctor how many eggs are likely available, which matters most for predicting how well you’d respond to ovarian stimulation during IVF. For natural conception, your age, ovulation regularity, fallopian tube health, and your partner’s sperm quality all carry as much or more weight than AMH alone.
If your AMH is in the normal range for your age, that’s reassuring but not a guarantee. If it’s low, it narrows your window but doesn’t close it. The most useful thing you can do with an AMH result is use it alongside your full clinical picture to decide how urgently to pursue conception or fertility preservation, rather than treating the number as a verdict on its own.