Follicle stimulating hormone as a predictor of ovarian response in women undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation for IVF

Objective: To evaluate the effect of basal follicle stimulating hormone (FHS) level on ovarian response in women undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation for in vitro fertilization. Methods: A descriptive and analytic study of 212 cycles of IVF chosen from about 2200 files of women treated at Royan Institute, Tehran, Iran, from 1991 to 1999. Treatment was started with intranasal or subcutaneous buserlin (0.5 cm3), on day 21 (long protocol). On day 2 of the next cycle, stimulation with human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG) was initiated. When the number and size of follicles were suitable, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) was given intramuscularly for ovulation induction, followed by oocyte retrieval 36 to 40 h later. Embryos were transferred about 48 to 72 h after oocyte retrieval. The women were assigned to 2 groups on the basis of day 3 serum FSH levels (≥ 15 IU/mL, group 1 and < 15 IU/mL, group 2). Results: There were statistically significant differences between the 2 groups in number of follicles, number of oocytes retrieved and embryos transferred (lower in group 1), and level of serum luteinizing hormone and number of canceled cycles (higher in group 1). There were no statistical differences in number of ampoules of hMG used or age of patients. Conclusion: Day-3 serum FSH level was a predictor of ovarian response and IVF outcome in this study.