TY - JOUR
T1 - Attitudes, knowledge and practice regarding the anti-müllerian hormone test among general practitioners and reproductive specialists
T2 - A cross-sectional study
AU - Copp, Tessa
AU - Thompson, Rachel
AU - Hammarberg, Karin
AU - Lensen, Sarah
AU - Augustine, Lidiya
AU - Doust, Jenny
AU - Peate, Michelle
AU - Cvejic, Erin
AU - Mol, Ben W.
AU - Lieberman, Devora
AU - McCaffery, Kirsten J.
N1 - Funding Information:
This project was supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Centre for Research Excellence grant (1104136), Program grant (1113532), and Emerging Leader Research Fellowship (2009419). These awarded grants included external peer review for scientific quality. The funder had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis and interpretation of the data; preparation, review or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Authors. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
PY - 2024/7
Y1 - 2024/7
N2 - Objective: To describe clinicians' attitudes, knowledge and practice relating to the anti-müllerian hormone (AMH) test. Design: Cross-sectional nationwide survey. Setting: Australia. Population or Sample: A total of 362 general practitioners (GPs), gynaecologists and reproductive specialists. Methods: Clinicians were recruited through relevant professional organisations, with data collected from May 2021 to April 2022. Main outcome measures: Clinicians' attitudes, knowledge and practice relating to the AMH test, measured using multiple choice, Likert scales and open-ended items. Results: Fifteen percent of GPs (n = 27) and 40% of gynaecologists and other specialists (n = 73) order at least one AMH test per month. Specialists reported raising the idea of testing most of the time, whereas GPs reported that patient request was more common. Half of clinicians lacked confidence interpreting (n = 182, 51%) and explaining (n = 173, 48%) an AMH result to their patients. Five percent (n = 19) believed the test was moderately/very useful in predicting natural conception/birth and 22% (n = 82) believed the same for predicting premature menopause, despite evidence that the test cannot reliably predict either. Forty percent (n = 144) had previously ordered the test to help with reproductive planning and 21% (n = 75) to provide reassurance about fertility. Conclusions: Clinicians reported use of AMH testing in clinical circumstances not supported by the evidence. With the proliferation of direct-to-consumer testing, efforts to support clinicians in the judicious use of testing and effectively navigating patient requests are needed.
AB - Objective: To describe clinicians' attitudes, knowledge and practice relating to the anti-müllerian hormone (AMH) test. Design: Cross-sectional nationwide survey. Setting: Australia. Population or Sample: A total of 362 general practitioners (GPs), gynaecologists and reproductive specialists. Methods: Clinicians were recruited through relevant professional organisations, with data collected from May 2021 to April 2022. Main outcome measures: Clinicians' attitudes, knowledge and practice relating to the AMH test, measured using multiple choice, Likert scales and open-ended items. Results: Fifteen percent of GPs (n = 27) and 40% of gynaecologists and other specialists (n = 73) order at least one AMH test per month. Specialists reported raising the idea of testing most of the time, whereas GPs reported that patient request was more common. Half of clinicians lacked confidence interpreting (n = 182, 51%) and explaining (n = 173, 48%) an AMH result to their patients. Five percent (n = 19) believed the test was moderately/very useful in predicting natural conception/birth and 22% (n = 82) believed the same for predicting premature menopause, despite evidence that the test cannot reliably predict either. Forty percent (n = 144) had previously ordered the test to help with reproductive planning and 21% (n = 75) to provide reassurance about fertility. Conclusions: Clinicians reported use of AMH testing in clinical circumstances not supported by the evidence. With the proliferation of direct-to-consumer testing, efforts to support clinicians in the judicious use of testing and effectively navigating patient requests are needed.
KW - anti-müllerian hormone
KW - fertility
KW - menopause
KW - reproductive planning
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85181927862&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/1471-0528.17741
DO - 10.1111/1471-0528.17741
M3 - Article
C2 - 38196321
AN - SCOPUS:85181927862
SN - 1470-0328
VL - 131
SP - 1072
EP - 1079
JO - BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
JF - BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
IS - 8
ER -