Measurement of serum anti-Müllerian hormone by revised Gen II or automated assay: Reproducibility under various blood/serum storage conditions.

Abstract

Objective: We investigated the agreement between anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels measured with revised Gen II (rev-Gen II) and automated AMH (Access) assays and evaluated the reproducibility of each method under various blood/serum storage conditions.

Methods: AMH levels in blood samples from 74 volunteers were measured by rev-Gen II and Access assays under various conditions: immediate serum separation and AMH measurement (fresh control); serum stored at -20 °C and AMH measured after 48 hours, 1 week, and 2 years; serum stored at 0 to 4 °C and AMH measured after 48 hours and 1 week; and blood kept at room temperature and delayed serum separation after 48 hours and 1 week, with immediate AMH measurement.

Results: In fresh controls, all rev-Gen II-AMH values were higher than comparable Access-AMH values (difference, 8.3% to 19.7%). AMH levels measured with the two methods were strongly correlated for all sample conditions (r=0.977 to 0.995, all p<0.001). For sera stored at -20 °C or 0 to 4 °C for 48 hours, Access-AMH values were comparable to control measurements, but rev-Gen II-AMH values were significantly lower. AMH levels in sera stored at -20 °C or 0 to 4 °C for 1 week were significantly lower than in fresh controls, irrespective of method. Across methods, long-term storage at -20 °C for 2 years yielded AMH measurements significantly higher than control values. When serum separation was delayed, rev-Gen II-AMH values were significantly lower than control measurements, but Access-AMH values varied.

Conclusion: The rev-Gen II and Access-AMH assays showed varying reproducibility across blood/serum storage conditions, but automated Access yielded superior stability to rev-Gen II.