Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2008 Apr 16:3:259-268.
doi: 10.4137/bmi.s537.

Biomarkers of Ovarian Reserve

William E Roudebush  1 , Wendy J Kivens, Jessica M Mattke
Affiliations

Biomarkers of Ovarian Reserve

William E Roudebush et al. Biomark Insights. .

Abstract

The primary function of the female ovary is the production of a mature and viable oocyte capable of fertilization and subsequent embryo development and implantation. At birth, the ovary contains a finite number of oocytes available for folliculogenesis. This finite number of available oocytes is termed "the ovarian reserve". The determination of ovarian reserve is important in the assessment and treatment of infertility. As the ovary ages, the ovarian reserve will decline. Infertility affects approximately 15%-20% of reproductive aged couples. The most commonly used biomarker assay to assess ovarian reserve is the measurement of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) on day 3 of the menstrual cycle. However, anti-müllerian hormone and inhibin-B are other biomarkers of ovarian reserve that are gaining in popularity since they provide direct determination of ovarian status, whereas day 3 FSH is an indirect measurement. This review examines the physical tools and the hormone biomarkers used to evaluate ovarian reserve.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic of the reproductive endocrinology in the female. Please see notations within the Figure for detailed description of the relationships between the hormones.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Baird DT, Collins J, Egozcue J, Evers LH, Gianaroli L, Leridon H, Sunde A, Templeton A, Van Steirteghem A, Cohen J, et al. Fertility and ageing. Hum. Reprod. Update. 2005;11:261–76. - PubMed
    1. de Boer EJ, den Tonkelaar I, te Velde ER, Burger CW, Klip H, van Leeuwen FE. A low number of retrieved oocytes at in vitro fertilization treatment is predictive of early menopause. . Fertil. Steril. 2002;77:978–85. - PubMed
    1. de Boer EJ, den Tonkelaar I, te Velde ER, Burger CW, van Leeuwen FE. Increased risk of early menopausal transition and natural menopause after poor response at first IVF treatment. . Hum. Reprod. 2003;18:1544–52. - PubMed
    1. Lawson R, El-Toukhy T, Kassab A, Taylor A, Braude P, Parsons J, Seed P. Poor response to ovulation induction is a stronger predictor of early menopause than elevated basal FSH: a life table analysis. . Hum. Reprod. 2003;18:527–33. - PubMed
    1. Bukulmez O, Arici A. Assessment of ovarian reserve. . Curr. Opin. Obstet. Gynecol. 2004;16:231–7. - PubMed