Side of ovulation and its effects on uterine and ovarian stromal blood flow and reproductive hormones

Objective: Effect of the side of ovulation on uterine, ovarian, and follicular blood flow parameters and various hormone levels. Design: Prospective, observational study. Setting: Fertility Clinic, St. George's Hospital. Patient(s): Nineteen women with regular menstrual cycles. Intervention(s): Pulsed Doppler measurements and serum hormonal concentrations during midfollicular, periovulatory, and midluteal phase for three successive cycles. Main Outcome Measure(s): Doppler blood flow and serum hormones. Result(s): Doppler blood flow of the ovarian stroma and follicular and uterine arteries showed no differences in the three phases between the right and left sides. Left-side uterine peak systolic velocity (PSV) (right-side PSV, 31.51cm/s; left-side PSV, 37.38 cm/s) during the periovulatory phase tended to be higher in the nondominant ovary; however, this was not quite significant. The serum hormone concentration showed no significant differences. Conclusion(s): The side of ovulation did not influence the Doppler blood flow to the ovarian stroma or follicular and uterine arteries. The side of ovulation had no effect on serum FSH, LH, 17beta-estradiol, P, inhibin A, or inhibin B levels. (C) 2003 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.