Anti-Müllerian hormone and embryo quality as determined by time-lapse imaging

There is conflicting evidence as to whether serum anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) is a biomarker of oocyte quality in addition to its known role in assessing ovarian reserve. This study aims to examine the relationship between AMH and embryo potential as assessed by time-lapse imaging (TLI).

A total of 106 embryos from 67 patients were included in the study. All subjects were women with recorded pre-treatment AMH levels who underwent in vitro fertilization using a TLI embryo incubator. Exclusion criteria included cases of donor oocytes, rescue-ICSI, and >2 embryos transferred. Individual time measures, presence of multinucleation (MN), and composite TLI score were analyzed in relation to patient AMH. Linear regression was used to model AMH among embryo TLI parameters while controlling for age as a continuous covariate.

There was no statistically significant difference in the mean AMH levels between patients in the normal and abnormal time frames for CC2, S2, and T5. Similarly, there was no significant difference in AMH levels based on composite TLI score or presence/absence of multinucleation. The lack of association between AMH levels and embryo TLI variables persisted after controlling for age (Grade P=0.19, CC2 P=0.47, S2 P=0.52, t5 P=0.34, MN P=0.92).

Serum AMH is not predictive of embryo quality as assessed by TLI standardized time intervals, composite score, and presence of MN. From a clinical perspective, these findings suggest that diminished ovarian reserve alone does not imply poorer quality of individual embryos.