Small antral follicle count (2-5 mm) and ovarian volume for prediction of pregnancy in in vitro fertilization cycles

Role of ultrasonographic markers of ovarian reserve in prediction of IVF and ICSI outcome

The aim of the study was to assess correlation of ultrasonographic markers of ovarian reserve and IVF/ICSI outcome. Two-hundred twelve IVF/ICSI patients were included. Upon pituitary suppression confirmation, antral follicle count (AFC), ovarian volume (OV), and ovarian stromal indices [vascularization index (VI), flow index (FI), and vascularization flow index (VFI)] were assessed by three-dimensional (3D) and power Doppler (PD) ultrasound and correlated with the number of mature oocytes retrieved. The number of mature oocytes retrieved correlated strongly with AFC (r = 0.832, p ≤ 0.001) and OV (r = 0.835, p ≤ 0.001), but weakly with VI (r = 0.166, p = 0.016), FI (r = 0.151, p = 0.028), and VFI (r = 0.14, p = 0.041). AFC and OV correlate strongly with the number of mature oocytes retrieved in IVF/ICSI cycles, whereas 3D PD indices of the ovarian stromal vascularity have a weak correlation.