Basal follicle-stimulating hormone as a predictor of fetal aneuploidy

ObjectiveTo determine whether an elevated basal FSH concentration is an independent predictor of fetal aneuploidy, as measured in spontaneous abortions (SAB).DesignRetrospective study.SettingAcademic reproductive endocrinology and infertility center.Patient(s)All women with karyotypes of chorionic villi isolated from first trimester spontaneous miscarriages at the time of dilation and curettage from 1999 to 2006. The highest basal serum FSH level in the year preceding dilation and curettage was recorded.Interventions(s)Monitoring of early pregnancy.Main Outcome Measure(s)Fetal karyotype.Results(s)A total of 177 spontaneous miscarriages with karyotypes (70 euploid and 107 aneuploid) were identified, of which 53% were conceived by IVF. The aneuploid cohort consisted of trisomic (87%), teraploid (9.3%), and monosomic (3.7%) gestations. Using logistic regression analysis, basal FSH was not found to be independently predictive of an aneuploid gestation in our data set.Conclusion(s)Our data do not support the hypothesis that an elevated basal FSH concentration is associated with an increase in fetal aneuploidy. Our findings suggest that the association between diminished ovarian reserve and SAB may result from nonkaryotypic factors.