Comparison of serum anti-Müllerian hormone concentrations measured in capillary fingerstick and venous samples from Korean reproductive-aged women

Objective: This study compared serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) concentrations measured in capillary fingerstick and venous samples using the automated fluorescence immunoassay system (AFIAS) AMH assay and evaluated procedure-related discomfort. Methods: We conducted a prospective paired-sample method-comparison study at Korea University Anam Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea, in October 2023. During a single clinic visit, paired venous and fingerstick blood samples were obtained from each participant. Serum AMH concentrations were measured with the AFIAS AMH assay, and all laboratory analyses were performed at EONE Laboratories, Incheon, Republic of Korea. Agreement between sampling methods was evaluated using Passing-Bablok regression, Bland-Altman analysis, Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients, and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Procedure-related pain was assessed immediately after sampling using an 11-point numeric rating scale (NRS; 0=no pain, 10=worst pain imaginable). Results: Overall, 90 women aged 25-46 years provided paired samples. Mean AMH concentrations were 2.74 ng/mL (range, 0.11 to 9.99) in venous samples and 3.42 ng/mL (range, 0.17 to 11.55) in fingerstick samples. Passing-Bablok regression indicated proportional bias (y=0.123+1.175x), with no significant deviation from linearity on the cumulative sum (CUSUM) test (p=0.07). Agreement and correlation were high (ICC=0.930; Pearson r=0.982; p<0.001). Mean NRS pain scores were 2.36 for venipuncture and 2.91 for fingerstick sampling. Conclusion: Capillary fingerstick sampling may be an alternative approach for AMH measurement when improved access to testing is desired. However, because proportional bias was observed, fingerstick and venous AMH measurements should not yet be considered fully interchangeable without further validation.