Maternal serum anti-Mullerian hormone level is not superior to chronological age in predicting down syndrome pregnancies

Abstract

Objective: To compare the difference in maternal serum anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) level between Down syndrome pregnancies and unaffected pregnancies, and to evaluate its performance as a screening marker for Down syndrome pregnancy. Method: A total of 145 pregnancies affected by foetal Down syndrome and 290 unaffected controls matched with maternal age and gestational age were selected, and their archived first or second trimester serum retrieved for AMH assay. Results: There was no significant difference in maternal serum AMH level between pregnancies affected and unaffected by foetal Down syndrome. Our first trimester serum samples had higher AMH concentration compared to second trimester samples. Conclusions: Maternal serum AMH level, as a marker of ovarian age, is not superior to chronological age in predicting Down syndrome pregnancies. Despite the cross-sectional nature of our study, the variation of maternal serum AMH concentration with gestational age warrants further investigation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.