The antral follicle count predicts the outcome of pregnancy in a controlled ovarian hyperstimulation/intrauterine insemination program

Abstract

Purpose: Our purpose was to test whether age-related changes in antral follicle counts can predict the pregnancy outcome in the early follicular phase of a controlled ovarian hyperstimulation/intrauterine insemination (COH/IUI) program.

Methods: A selected group of 107 women (36 healthy women requesting child sex preselection, 52 women with unexplained infertility, and 19 with minimal endometriosis) who underwent controlled ovarian hyperstimulation with clomiphene citrate (CC) plus human menopausal gonadotrophin (hMG) and subsequent intrauterine insemination were enrolled in the study. Transvaginal ultrasonography (7.0 MHz) was used to determine the total number of antral follicles (2-8 mm) in the right and left ovaries. The association among the antral follicle count, age, dominant follicle, and estradiol (E2) level on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) was analyzed. The association of the pregnancy rate and OHSS with the antral follicle count, dominant follicle count, and age was also examined.

Results: The total antral follicle number decreased with age (P < 0.0001). Dominant follicle number increased with total antral follicle number in women who received CC plus hMG/ IUI(P < 0.0001). The pregnant group had a higher number of antral follicle and dominant follicles in comparison with the nonpregnant group (P < 0.01 and P < 0.02, respectively). The E2 level on the day of hCG injection increased positively with the total number of antral follicles (P < 0.0001) and the total number of dominant follicles (P < 0.0001). In women aged younger than 35 years, the pregnancy rate and dominant follicle number rose as the number of antral follicles increased (P < 0.03 and P < 0.0001, respectively). The pregnancy rate was low (2/39) in women aged older than 35 years regardless of the number of antral follicles (P < 0.05) and the extent of hMG administration (P < 0.02). Women aged older than 35 also produced fewer dominant follicles (P < 0.001). No pregnancy was achieved in a patient with an antral follicle number of less than five (17 cases).

Conclusions: Age-related changes in antral follicle count significantly predicted the dominant follicle count and the pregnancy outcome. In women with antral follicle counts of less than five or who are older than 35 years, the application of COH/IUI may not be indicated.