Relationship of ovarian stromal blood flow at the baseline ultrasound scan to subsequent follicular response in an in vitro fertilization program

TLDR

The study aimed to determine whether Doppler-derived intraovarian blood flow indices predict subsequent follicular response in IVF. One hundred five women underwent early follicular phase ultrasound, transvaginal color Doppler assessment of ovarian blood flow, and serum FSH measurement during an IVF cycle. Peak systolic velocity of ovarian stromal blood flow correlated with follicular response, whereas pulsatility index did not; lower velocity was associated with poorer response, with a 22% increase in odds of poor response per cm/s decrease, indicating baseline stromal flow may predict ovarian responsiveness.

Abstract

To assess whether Doppler indices of intraovarian blood flow are related to the subsequent follicular response in an in vitro fertilization (IVF) program.One hundred five women underwent ultrasonographic assessment of ovarian morphology, transvaginal color Doppler measurement of intraovarian blood flow and immunoassay of serum FSH during the early follicular phase of an IVF cycle. The subsequent follicular response was related to the Doppler data.Mean ovarian stromal peak systolic blood flow velocity was significantly correlated with the follicular response (P = .001), even after adjusting for the age of patient, type of ovary (polycystic or normal), total number of human menopausal gonadotropin ampules used, and serum FSH. Mean ovarian stromal pulsatility index was not related to the follicular response. Mean ovarian stromal peak systolic blood flow velocity was significantly lower (P = .007) in the poor-response group. The adjusted odds of a poor response increased significantly by an estimated 22% per cm/second decrease in velocity (P = .02).Ovarian stromal blood flow at the baseline ultrasound scan is correlated with subsequent follicular response and may be a new indicator for predicting ovarian responsiveness in an IVF program.