Original articleAssisted reproductionAntral follicle counts are strongly associated with live-birth rates after assisted reproduction, with superior treatment outcome in women with polycystic ovaries
Section snippets
Materials and methods
For demographic data, see Table 1. Before their first treatment, all patients were scanned with two-dimensional ultrasound for AFC by one of two investigators (JH, TBe), both with more than 10 years of experience of ovarian scanning. Patients were scanned regardless of the day in their cycle by means of a 7.5 MHz vaginal probe, either with a Pie Medical Scanner 150 or 240 (Pie Medical) or Sonoace X6 (Medison Co., Ltd.). The AFC was recorded as the sum of all follicles of 2 to 10 mm in size.
Results
The AFC ranged from 3 to 80. The mean overall AFC (±standard deviation) was 19.2 (11.7). The pregnancy rate and live-birth rate per started treatment cycle were positively associated with the AFC in a log-linear way (Fig. 1). The pregnancy rate intervals 0% to 15%, 16% to 25%, 26% to 35%, and >35% corresponded to the AFC strata 0–5, 6–11, 12–23, and >23, respectively (see Fig. 1). Above an AFC ∼30 (approximately 25% of all treatments) there was no further increase in pregnancy and live-birth
Discussion
This study demonstrates strong associations between ovarian reserve, measured by AFC, and assisted reproduction outcome. Both pregnancy and live-birth rates were strongly associated with AFC in a log-linear manner, a relationship not previously shown. Women with an AFC above 30, comprising women with polycystic ovaries, showed the highest pregnancy rates. Our findings also suggest that ovarian reserve measured by AFC is not only a quantitative measure but also reflects an age-independent
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Cited by (0)
J.H. has nothing to disclose. T.B. has nothing to disclose. L.B. has nothing to disclose. N.H. has nothing to disclose. M.O. has nothing to disclose. T.B. has nothing to disclose.