title: Serum anti-Müllerian hormone levels do not predict the efficiency of testicular sperm retrieval in men with non-obstructive azoospermia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We aimed to determine whether serum concentrations of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) can be used as a tool for prediction of the efficacy of sperm retrieval.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a prospective cohort observational study. AMH levels were determined in 47 men presenting for infertility evaluation. Group 1 consisted of 24 infertile patients diagnosed with non-obstructive azoospermia. Group 1 was further divided into two subgroups. The patients with spermatozoa in their testicular samples constituted group 1a (n = 13), while the patients with absence of spermatozoa constituted group 1b (n = 11). Twenty-three normozoospermic fertile men constituted group 2. Serum AMH was measured before obtaining testicular specimens.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Testicular spermatozoa were recovered in 13 out of the 24 patients (54%). Demographic characteristics of the three groups were similar. The difference between serum AMH levels among the three groups did not reach statistical significance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We speculated that although AMH is secreted predominantly into the seminiferous tubules, studying serum samples might be more advantageous than seminal plasma because the presence of seminal proteases could influence AMH levels in the latter. However, our results did not demonstrate differences in serum concentrations of AMH between the studied groups. Studies with extended patient populations focusing on seminal plasma concentrations of AMH are warranted.
authors.affiliation: Antalya IVF, Antalya, Turkey. misikoglu@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Mete
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Isikoglu
authors.forename: Kemal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ozgur
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oehninger
authors.forename: Sebahat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ozdem
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Seleker
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D054304:Anti-Mullerian Hormone; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009845:Oligospermia / Q000097:blood* / Q000628:therapy; D013094:Spermatozoa; D013735:Testicular Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D013737:Testis / Q000166:cytology*; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting
chemical_list: D006023:Glycoproteins; D013735:Testicular Hormones; D054304:Anti-Mullerian Hormone