Website content varied regarding what the test can do, usefulness of the test result, statements about limitations of test
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Aug. 22, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Many misleading claims are made about the value of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) tests on websites that sell direct-to-consumer (DTC) AMH tests, according to a study published online Aug. 21 in JAMA Network Open.
Alexis Johnson, M.P.H., from the University of Sydney in Australia, and colleagues described and analyzed information on websites that sell DTC AMH tests in a qualitative study including content analysis of text information from websites in multiple countries that sell DTC AMH tests. The sample for analysis included 27 websites across seven different counties.
The researchers found considerable variation in information across websites, which was organized into six main categories: whether a test description was included (93 percent of websites); statements about what the test can do, including indicating ovarian reserve and likelihood of conceiving (96 and 74 percent, respectively); statements about usefulness of the test results, including adjustment of reproductive timeline and determining whether egg freezing was viable (41 and 30 percent, respectively); blood collection methods; promotion tactics, including stating the convenience of testing and using language promoting empowerment and control (89 and 26 percent); and statements about test limitations, including polycystic ovary syndrome falsely inflating AMH levels and inaccuracy in prediction of conception (48 and 33 percent).
“In this qualitative study including content analysis, websites across several countries offering DTC AMH testing were easily found through simple internet searches and most contained false and misleading claims about the utility of the AMH test,” the authors write.
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