How To Reduce AMH Levels in PCOS

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine condition for women of reproductive age. Since it has to do with hormones, it can affect a lot of your body’s regular functioning, making day-to-day life challenging.

There are a lot of symptoms of PCOS that Cysters juggle every day. Things like acne, headaches, weight gain, fatigue, depression, anxiety, hair loss, and infertility are common. And, that last one can be one of the most difficult of all if you’re trying to conceive a baby.

However, there’s plenty of hope! There are lots of ways you can heal your PCOS totally naturally and find symptom relief that includes fertility. As you better understand your body and restore normal functioning, you can increase your chances of conceiving and having a healthy pregnancy. 

There is a lot, of course, that goes into measuring a woman’s fertility especially someone with PCOS! Today, I’m going to zoom in on one factor contributing to infertility in Cysters: AMH levels. I’ll talk about what this AMH is exactly, how it impacts conception, and what you need to do to regulate the hormone. 

Let’s get into it:

How To Reduce AMH Levels in PCOS

The anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) is one of the primary hormones for ovarian function. It’s produced during ovulation and is actually used by a conceived fetus for development!

However, prior to conception, AMH levels can give us a look at our ovarian reserve and overall fertility. This is because it can tell us how many antral follicles we have (AKA, how many eggs are waiting for fertilization!) 

If a woman gets her AMH levels tested and they’re low, it could mean their ovarian reserve is lacking the normal number of eggs. Of course, this wouldn’t be ideal if trying to conceive. However, high AMH levels aren’t great either!

When AMH Is too high, like with women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), there are a higher quantity of eggs, but those rising numbers don’t positively influence fertility and egg quality. Because of that, it’s important to work on lowering AMH levels as part of your PCOS healing journey. 

PCOS and AMH

There are a lot of reasons Cysters have high AMH levels. One of the primary reasons is hormone imbalances! When the body tries to ovulate, the hormone imbalances can prevent the egg from actually leaving the follicle. Instead, it turns into ovarian cysts.

Normally, the AMH levels would drop when the egg was released during the menstrual cycle. However, when ovulation doesn’t happen, the follicles continue to grow and accumulate, making those AMH levels continue to rise, and the appearance of cysts on the ovaries happens as well. 

Another reason for high AMH levels in Cysters is insulin resistance. When the body can’t process glucose properly, high insulin levels can increase androgen levels and actually prompt the ovaries to produce more AMH.

What’s worse is that insulin resistance can worsen hormone imbalances and vice versa, create a difficult cycle of symptoms and issues! 

One last reason women with PCOS often have high AMH levels is an error in the internal feedback system between the ovaries, pituitary gland, and the brain. Basically, the brain doesn’t tell the ovaries when to stop producing AMH like it’s supposed to! 

To summarize, other imbalances and issues in the body can trigger high AMH levels. However, there are ways to get to the root cause of the issues and heal naturally! So, below I’m going to get into how you can lower your AMH levels and get to a more normal range.

What are the AMH Levels in PCOS?

A woman of reproductive age should have AMH levels between 1.0 and 4.0 ng/mL. However, a woman with PCOS usually has high AMH levels of 3.8 – 5 ng/mL! Research shows us that if we can reduce AMH levels we can likely also improve fertility plus, your AMH levels regulating are a sign of a lot more good things happening in the body that can reverse PCOS symptoms! 

Here’s how you can lower your AMH levels in PCOS:

How to Reduce Anti-Mullerian Hormone Levels in PCOS

Do regular slow-weighted workouts.

I don’t have to tell you exercise is good for you. We all know that! However, did you know it’s not just good for your muscles and weight, but also beneficial for things like hormone balance and insulin sensitivity?

It’s true! Since hormone imbalance and insulin resistance are two of the primary causes of high AMH levels, getting them under control with exercise and other changes on this list are a must!

To get the most gain from your workouts, I recommend low-impact exercises like slow-weighted workouts. They give you a full-body exercise without increasing your heart rate and pumping you full of adrenaline and cortisol, which could adversely affect insulin sensitivity and hormone balance.

For PCOS-specific workout plans, download The Cysterhood app!

Maintain a balanced diet. 

Keeping a balanced diet is also great for reducing your AMH levels and alleviating your symptoms. You can manage things like inflammation, insulin resistance, and hormone imbalances with the help of the right food!

I recommend choosing nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory, gluten-free, and dairy-free meals to improve your PCOS symptoms! 

I know that all might sound VERY restrictive, but it’s not! In fact, I don’t believe in unsustainable super-restrictive diets. This PCOS meal plan is meant to be a lifelong change that helps you live symptom-free with PCOS.

Here’s more on my recommended PCOS diet plan and download The Cysterhood app for delicious PCOS-friendly meals that can help lower AMH levels and reverse your symptoms. 

(And, I do mean delicious. Mongolian beef & broccoli, chicken Alfredo, chocolate waffles, lemon poppyseed cheesecake bars . . . yeah. ALL that is PCOS-friendly and on the app.) 

Reduce stress levels.

Stress actually has an effect on the body! When we get stressed, our adrenal system produces cortisol, and that cortisol alerts our body that we’re overwhelmed and something bad is happening.

This sends all our systems into fight or flight, triggering insulin resistance, hormonal imbalance, and inflammation, which can all negatively impact AMH levels and other PCOS symptoms. 

Managing stress is huge for getting the most out of your diet and exercise efforts. Consider adding meditation to your daily routine, practice mindfulness, take part in regular self-care, and spend time in nature to reduce stress. 

Drink plenty of water.

Nothing in our bodies can work well without water. Hydration is essential for every bodily function, including health ovulation. Drinking more water can prevent cysts, regulate hormones, improve insulin sensitivity, and more! It’s time to fill-up that Stanley and get hydrated! 

Prioritize getting good quality sleep. 

Proper sleep doesn’t just impact your fatigue levels. Studies show that getting better sleep can actually improve hormone balance including those that have to do with reproductivity!

When we don’t get enough sleep, our bodies can’t properly regulate or produce sex hormones like progesterone, estrogen, FSH, and more. 

To help reduce AMH levels and improve fertility, practice better sleep hygiene. You can do things like turn screens off early, create a bedtime routine, and spend time in the sun!

Here’s more on how to improve sleep with PCOS.

Take the right supplements. 

No matter how well you take care of your body using the things listed about, getting all the right nutrients for your reproductive system to perform optimally is SUPER hard!

It’s just difficult to know all the vitamins and minerals you’re consuming and where you may have gaps. However, one deficiency could cause hundreds of chemical processes! 

So, what can you do? Take supplements! The right supplements can be tremendously helpful for lowering AMH levels and improving other fertility markers, too.

Here are some that could specifically help with AMH levels:

Vitamin D3

Vitamin D3 can be super beneficial for fertility! It can boost egg quality, foster healthy embryo development, increase chances of conception, and help balance hormones. Specifically, vitamin D can help regulate AMH levels, lowering it if it’s too high and raising it if it’s too low. You can get vitamin D3 in a high-quality multivitamin like my Ovafit MetaMulti that’s been curated specifically with PCOS in mind! 

Omega-3

Omega-3 can have an indirect but powerful impact on AMH levels by helping reduce inflammation and insulin resistance. Since those two things can trigger the over-production of AMH, omega-3 is an important supplement to include in your routine! You can also grab an NSF-certified Omega-3 supplement from Ovafit! 

CoQ10

CoQ10 is one of the best supplements for both male and female fertility! For women, it can help with egg quality, ovulation, uterine lining thickness, embryo implantation, and AMH levels. Studies show that CoQ10 can help significantly decrease the AMH levels in women with PCOS! Of course, with this many female fertility benefits, CoQ10 is included in the Metabolism Plus bundle from Ovafit along with omega-3 and the MetaMulti! 

Ovasitol 

My all-time favorite supplement for PCOS is Ovasitol. Ovasitol, which is myo-inositol and d-chiro-inositol in a 40:1 ratio, has been shown to be more effective than a common prescription drug used to relieve common PCOS symptoms and improve fertility.

And, since it’s natural, there are usually no side effects! 

Here are some of the main benefits of Ovasitol for PCOS, but it can specifically help with fertility by improving insulin sensitivity, restoring hormone balance, promoting regular ovulation, and reducing AMH levels.

My Ovasitol supplement is in the form of an easy-to-take powder that you can take with your favorite morning drink or blend it with smoothies!

Talk to a doctor.

At the end of the day, fertility treatments should always be discussed with a doctor. It’s important to fully understand the factors you’re personally dealing with. Just make sure you find someone who has experience with PCOS patients, so they’ll have a good understanding of how to get to the root problem of your PCOS. 

You can naturally reduce AMH levels with supplements and lifestyle changes!

When trying to conceive, knowing your AMH levels is always a good idea. If you do find out that you have elevated AMH levels like many Cysters, know that there are natural ways you can improve your fertility. Consider these lifestyle changes and talk to your doctor about taking supplements to support your healing. It’s time to get symptom-free with PCOS and achieve all your big health goals!