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New hormone test could offer hope for women struggling with fertility

Posted at 6:41 PM, May 03, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-03 20:41:30-04

SALT LAKE CITY – They’re ready to start families, but for thousands of Utah women, fertility problems keep their dreams from becoming reality. Now, a new hormone test could provide answers those women are looking for.

“I always wanted to be a mom. I was looking forward to having kids,” said Camille Hawkins, of Sugar House.

Soon after Hawkins got married, she struggled to get pregnant.

“That was the beginning of our five-year infertility journey,” she said.

Hawkins’ doctor recommended the AMH test, which measures levels of anti-mullerian hormones in a woman’s blood to predict fertility.

The test costs about $100. Results are measured at the ARUP laboratories in Salt Lake.

“It kind of gives us an idea of how many eggs may be present in the ovaries,” said Dr. Joely Straseski, the medical director for Endocrine Testing ARUP Laboratories.

Women are born with about two million eggs. Around puberty, the number declines. The fewer eggs a woman has the more difficult it is to become pregnant.

“Some people may use an AMH result to decide if they want to seek further help with infertility,” Straseski said.

While AMH testing can give women an indicator as to whether they should start a family sooner rather than later, doctors say it’s only part of the fertility puzzle.

“It’s not an absolute though. It may just give them an indication as to whether or not there’s a better path for them,” Straseski said.

Hawkins’ results came back normal so she decided to try in vitro fertilization, but was unsuccessful.

“We put everything into it. We put all of our emotion and all of our hopes and dreams into it,” she said.

Hawkins was discouraged yet again, but didn’t give up. She and her husband adopted 16-month-old Elizabeth and 6-month-old Emerald.

“It just makes me appreciate every day how hard I worked in being a mom now that I have these beautiful girls,” Hawkins said.

Some doctors believe AMH levels don’t change as you age, but some studies show that AMH levels start declining in your mid-30s and urge women to take the test before then.