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

Objective: To assess whether Doppler indices of intraovarian blood flow are related to the subsequent follicular response in an in vitro fertilization (IVF) program. Methods: 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. Results: 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). Conclusion: 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.