United states – This new study has revealed that women are being sold a fake fertility test that paints a skewed picture of their chances of getting pregnant.
The AMH test is a blood test to calculate the ovarian reserve of AMH, as researchers demonstrated that adult women possess, as reported by HealthDay.
AMH Test Limitations
However, the AMH test does not assess the maturity of those eggs, and it cannot give a clear projection of a woman’s likelihood of getting pregnant or the age at which she may reach the menopausal stage, they noted.
Because of this, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is urging women who do not have fertility concerns to avoid AMH tests. It is just a way of estimating how many eggs could be available they are for IVF or freezing.
Misleading Marketing Tactics
Unfortunately, the AMH test is being presented as something that would help women get additional information about their fertility by researcher Tessa Copp, a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Sydney’s School of Public Health in Australia.
“Companies, including some accredited fertility clinics, are now selling the test direct to consumers, falsely promising women detailed insights into their fertility potential,” Copp said.
“We undertook this study due to seeing a plethora of false and misleading advertising by online companies and on social media, and hearing of friends who were tested for inappropriate reasons, thinking it was a test of their fertility, and who then subsequently made significant life changes based on the test result,” Copp said.
In the new study, Copp and her colleagues wanted to know whether women would proceed with the AMH test if they explained all that the test can and cannot reveal.
Study Findings
To do so, the study enlisted over 1,000 women aged 25 to 40 without children in Australia or The Netherlands who could potentially be interested in having a child. All the women in the study had not taken an AMH test.
There were two types of interventions: the first was an evidence-based review of the AMH test by medical writers, and the second was a brochure that contained content collected from a direct-to-consumer website promoting the same test to women in Australia.
On a seven-point scale, the average for women was 3. 8 if given the factual conclusion of the AMH test – a general meh, no thanks. ”
However, women who were given the commercial brochure were more interested in the test, with an average of 4. 9.
“Given that the mid-point of the scale is four, this means that the women given the evidence-based information were not interested, on average, in having an AMH test, while women in the control group were interested, on average,” Copp said.
“Women who viewed the evidence-based information had a more accurate understanding of what the test could tell them,” Copp added. “They also saw it as a less valuable test and were less interested, on average, in discussing it with their doctor or getting tested, compared to the control group.”
The new data, published in the journal Human Reproduction on July 28, suggest that “it is crucial for the women to understand what the test actually offers and what is not possible. ”
Call for Regulatory Action
Copp also asked the health regulators not to allow clinics and companies providing false information regarding AMH test by neglecting codes of practice, as reported by HealthDay.
“Regulatory bodies need to do better at ensuring clinics are transparent and provide accurate information, and act against any parties promoting false and misleading information,” Copp said in a journal news release. “We were concerned to find that women in the control group considered the misleading information to be trustworthy and balanced.”