Ovarian Reserve Tests for Sub-fertility:When to Intervene

摘要

Back ground: During the past two decades , a greater majority of women have been known to plan their pregnancies in the thirties, often because of carrier priorities and as a result, they have to face the consequences of their declining fecundity (reproductive potential). Hence, it was decided to assess the ovarian reserve, which is an estimate of the follicular pool, the production of follicles being the primary function of the ovary. Our work highlights the assessment of the ovarian reserve in sub-fertile women. Aim:To assess the ovarian reserve in subfertile women by doing hormonal assays and by using ultrasonographic methods. Materials and Methods: 50 subfertile women of the childbearing age, without an issue even after 3 years of unprotected sexual acts, were included in this study. The subjects who were under study were divided into two groups. Group 1- sub-fertile women with their ages ranging from 20-25 years and Group 2- sub-fertile women of comparatively older ages, whose ages ranged from 26-33 years. For both the groups, hormones like the Follicular Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and oestradiol (E2) were measured by ELISA. The Antral Follicular Count (AFC) and the ovarian volume (OV) were measured by transvaginal ultrasound. The correlations between the various parameters were analyzed and the Student??s t-test was performed between the two groups by using SPSS. Results: Statistically significant correlations between age and antral follicular count (AFC), ovarian volume (OV) and FSH were observed. Elevated FSH, and decreased AFC and OV were observed in sub-fertile women of comparatively older ages and their mean values were also statistically different between the two groups. Conclusion: Women with elevated FSH and E2 and decreased AFC and OV should be insisted to proceed for Assited Reproductive Technique (ART) as early as possible, irrespective of their ages, as parenthood is undeniably one of the most universally desired goals in adulthood.