The significance of antral follicle count in controlled ovarian stimulation and intrauterine insemination

Abstract

Purpose: This retrospective study evaluated the role of antral follicle count (AFC) in predicting ovarian response and successful outcome of stimulated insemination cycles. Methods: One-hundred and fifty infertile women with bilateral patent tubes receiving a standard regime of human menopausal gonadotrophin (HMG) in their first cycle were evaluated. Multiple regression analysis was used to evaluate the effects of different parameters on ovarian responses and multiple logistic regression analysis was applied to determine which parameters gave the maximum discrimination to predict clinical pregnancy. Results: Body mass index was the only significant parameter to predict the number of follicles ≥14 mm whereas AFC was the only significant parameter to predict the HMG duration. Only the number of follicles ≥14 mm significantly improved the chance of clinical pregnancy with an odds ratio of 1.8. Conclusion: AFC was related to the HMG duration but was not predictive of number of follicles and clinical pregnancy of stimulated insemination cycles. © 2005 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.