14
highlights
The HEALTH | AUGUST, 2018
Accurate
anti-mullerian
hormone
(AMH) test for
women
• Planning your parenthood ahead
with AMH.
• Diagnostic test developed to
help women understand their
fertility levels.
GLOBALLY, 80 million people are affected
by infertility, with one in 10 couples facing
fertility issues. However in Malaysia,
The Department of Statistics Malaysia
(DOSM) found that the country’s fertility
rate was at its lowest point in 2017.
Infertility is an issue that sees equal
contribution from both the male and
female. A growing trend in the city, more
and more couples are conceiving at a later
age. Thus comes the need for women to
understand their chances of becoming
pregnant.
Newly-elected president of the
Obstetrics and Gynaecology Society
Malaysia (OGSM), Dr Eason Sinthamoney
said over the past five years, he has
witnessed more and more women in their
early 30s come to him to find out about
how they can plan parenthood ahead.
Highlighting the fact that there will
always be those who would like to delay
but nevertheless experience motherhood
in the future, he pointed out to the AMH
test which acts as a measure of how many
eggs they have left and therefore how
many fertile years remain for them. These
would enable their physicians to advise
them on how to best plan their parenthood.
The AMH test is a blood test designed
to indicate a woman’s fertility. Blood levels
are then used as a marker of a woman’s
ovarian reserves which is an important
consideration for women who are either
planning for pregnancy or struggling with
infertility. If the AMH levels are within the
normal range, the ovaries are likely to react
more positively to stimulating drugs and
more eggs are likely to be retrieved leading
to a higher IVF success rate.
Another function of the test is to
predict a woman’s response to ovarian
stimulation, a procedure that induces
ovulation of multiple ovarian follicles.
This is known as the first step towards
personalised infertility management such
as In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF).
(Third from left) Member of Parliament for Permatang Pauh Nurul Izzah Anwar with (first from left) newly-elected president of
the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Society Malaysia (OGSM) Dr Eason Sinthamoney and the rest officiating MISCOG 2018
Medical professionals
explore advancement
in fertility
Malaysian
International
Scientific Congress
of Obstetrics and
Gynaecology 2018
(MISCOG) explore
various facets
including latest
technology
(Forth from left) Lab IVF, chief embryologist Audrey Kit and the rest at their booth.
by POOVENRAJ KANAGAR