The "egg timer" test sold to you online
Most sellers claim it tells you your chance of conceiving. Most of them do not tell you it cannot.
Researchers read 27 websites in seven countries selling AMH tests directly to consumers, sampled from the top results of four search strings. What the sites claimed:
| Claim made | Share of the 27 sites |
|---|---|
| The test indicates ovarian reserve | 96% |
| The test indicates likelihood of conceiving | 74% |
| It lets women adjust their reproductive timeline | 41% |
| It helps decide whether to freeze eggs | 30% |
| Mentioned that polycystic ovary syndrome falsely raises AMH | 48% |
| Stated that the test cannot accurately predict chances of conceiving | 33% |
In a national survey of 1,773 Australian women, 7% had had an AMH test, rising to 14% among women aged 35 to 39. About a third had it for reasons the evidence does not support. Most had it ordered by a doctor, not bought online, so this is not only a marketing problem.
The experiment that closes the argument967 women in Australia and the Netherlands were randomly assigned to read either evidence-based information about the AMH test or the existing information from a website selling it. Women shown the honest version had significantly lower interest in having the test (mean difference 1.05 on a 7-point scale), less positive attitudes toward it, and higher knowledge about it.
The authors wrote:
That is a randomized demonstration that demand for this test is manufactured by the information environment. It is also, uncomfortably, a demonstration of what a tool like this one is for.
The authors wrote:
Despite previous studies suggesting women are enthusiastic about AMH testing to learn about their fertility potential, we demonstrate that this enthusiasm does not hold when they are informed about the test's limitations.
That is a randomized demonstration that demand for this test is manufactured by the information environment. It is also, uncomfortably, a demonstration of what a tool like this one is for.
If someone offers you this test to answer the question "how long can I wait", the answer that the evidence supports is that it will not tell you.
Where this comes from:
23. Johnson A, Thompson R, Nickel B, Shih P, Hammarberg K, Copp T. Websites selling direct-to-consumer anti-Mullerian hormone tests. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(8):e2330192.
24. Copp T, Thompson R, Doust J, Hammarberg K, Peate M, Lensen S, et al. Community awareness and use of anti-Müllerian hormone testing in Australia: a population survey of women. Hum Reprod. 2023;38(8):1571-1577.
25. Copp T, van Nieuwenhoven T, McCaffery KJ, Hammarberg K, Cvejic E, Doust J, et al. Women's interest, knowledge, and attitudes relating to anti-Mullerian hormone testing: a randomized controlled trial. Hum Reprod. 2024;39(9):2010-2020.
Covered in the essential classes
Continue
More from The evaluation
This page is educational. It supports the conversation with your own clinicians. It is not consent to any treatment, and it cannot assess you. If you are worried about a symptom now, see urgent warning signs.