Comparison of ovarian reserve and response to gonadotropin stimulation in fertile and infertile Indian women based on ovarian reserve markers, anti-Mullerian hormone and antral follicle count

Abstract

Background: Poor ovarian response to gonadotropin (GT) stimulation during assisted reproductive technology cycles is often encountered in infertile women and is considered to be a cause of their infertility. Poor ovarian response is mostly a result of a low ovarian reserve (OR), implying that there may be an earlier depletion of the oocyte pool in infertile women. Aim of the Study: To evaluate whether infertile Indian women below the age of 35 years have an earlier depletion of their OR and a lower ovarian response to GT in comparison to age-matched fertile controls. Materials and Methodology: A total of 146 women undergoing in vitro fertilization-intracytoplasmic sperm injection at our fertility center between March 2017 and August 2017 were prospectively enrolled in this study. Anti-Mullerian hormone and antral follicle count (AMH and AFC) assessment was done for women enrolled in the study in the early follicular phase. Flexible GnRH antagonist protocol was followed. Age, AMH, AFC, body mass index, and response to ovarian stimulation (OS) were compared between the fertile and infertile groups. We also sought to determine which among these had the best prediction for ovarian response to controlled OS. Statistical Analysis: Chi-square test was used for comparisons between study groups with respect to percentages. P Results: When adjusted for the differences in the demographic variables, we found no difference in the AMH (P = 0.298) and AFC (P = 0.302) between the fertile and infertile women. In addition, there was no difference in the ovarian response; the mean number of oocytes retrieved was 15.8 ± 7.5 in the fertile group and 14.3 ± 7.5 in the infertile group (P = 0.510). AMH had the strongest correlation with the number of oocytes retrieved (r = 2.11) in comparison to AFC (r = 0.08) and age (r = −0.45) Conclusion: There is no difference in OR and response in fertile and infertile Indian having similar demographics and basal characteristics.