Low anti-Müllerian hormone level is not a risk factor for early pregnancy loss in IVF/ICSI treatment

STUDY QUESTION: Is a low ( SUMMARY ANSWER: A low or moderately low serum AMH level does not associate with miscarriage, non-visualized pregnancy loss or overall early pregnancy loss rate in the IVF/ICSI treatment. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Low AMH predicts poor ovarian response and small oocyte yield in IVF/ICSI treatment, but its value in the evaluation of live birth rate (LBR) is modest Little is known about the risk of early pregnancy loss in ART among women with low AMH. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: A retrospective cohort study on 1383 women undergoing their first oocyte retrieval for IVF/ICSI in Helsinki University Hospital in Helsinki, Finland, between 2012 and 2016, with all associated fresh (n = 1315) and frozen-thawed (n = 1418) ET cycles finished by August 2018. AMH was measured within 12 months before the IVF/ICSI stimulation. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Of all the women, 235 (17.0%) had low (= 2.0 mu g/L) AMH. The primary outcomes were miscarriage, non-visualized pregnancy loss and early pregnancy loss (miscarriage and non-visualized pregnancy loss combined) after fresh or frozen-thawed ET. The impact of AMH on these outcomes was calculated in three populations: among all women who became pregnant, among women with AMH MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Of 1123 pregnancies, 285 (25.4%) ended in non-visualized pregnancy loss and 143 (12.7%) in miscarriage. The LBR was 24.6% per ET (673/2733). Low or moderately low AMH, compared with normal AMH, did not associate with miscarriage or non-visualized pregnancy loss in analyses among all women who became pregnant (adjusted relative risk (RR) for miscarriage vs live birth, 0.70 and 95% CI 0.42-1.17 in low AMH and adjusted RR, 1.00 and 95% CI, 0.68-1.49 in moderately low AMH; adjusted RR for non-visualized pregnancy loss vs live birth, 0.90 and 95% CI, 0.65-1.23 in low AMH and adjusted RR, 1.09 and 95% CI 0.85-1.41 in moderately low AMH), nor did low or moderately low AMH associate with the overall early pregnancy loss rate (adjusted RR for early pregnancy loss vs live birth, 0.86 and 95% CI, 0.68-1.10 in low AMH and adjusted RR, 1.01 and 95% CI, 0.86-1.27 in moderately low AMH). Results remained similar after restricting the analysis to women with AMH LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: The number of miscarriages in women with low AMH was moderately small, limiting the power of the study. The real-world clinical setting of the study restricted the ability to control for all factors causing selection bias. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: The cLBR was higher among women with normal AMH than among women with low or moderately low AMH in their first IVF/ICSI treatment because these women had more oocytes and embryos. Women with low or moderately low AMH did not have an increased risk for early pregnancy loss. This information is reassuring for couples and useful in counseling. These results are also valuable when assessing the overall effectiveness of IVF/ICSI treatment.Peer reviewe

Assessment of endometrial and ovarian characteristics using three dimensional power Doppler ultrasound to predict response in frozen embryo transfer cycles

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>To evaluate whether endometrial or ovarian parameters as measured using 3D power Doppler ultrasound would predict the outcome in frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Thirty women with no known gynecological pathology undergoing FET were recruited. The FET was carried out in the natural menstrual cycle 3-4 days after the first positive LH test result. Blood samples for hormonal analysis were collected, and three-dimensional (3D) ultrasonographic examination was performed on the day of the FET and repeated with analysis of the total hCG one week later.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The demographic, clinical, and embryological characteristics were similar between the pregnant (15/30) and nonpregnant groups (15/30). There were no differences between the groups in endometrial/subendometrial thickness, volume, or vascularization index (VI). The endometrial triple-line pattern was more often present in the pregnant group on the day of the FET (93.3% vs. 40.0%, 95% CI 25.5-81.2%). No differences in the ovaries were observed on the day of the FET. At the second visit, the triple-line pattern was still more often present in those patients who had conceived (91.7% vs. 42.9%, 95% CI 18.5-79.1%), and their corpus luteum was more active as judged by the rise in 17-hydroxyprogesterone and estradiol levels. No differences were observed in the dominant ovarian vasculature.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>According to our results, measurement of power Doppler indices using 3D ultrasound on the day of the FET does not provide any additional information concerning the outcome of the cycle. The existence of the triple-line pattern on the day of the FET seems to be a prognostic sign of a prosperous outcome after FET. The dominant ovary in the pregnant group seems to be already activated one week after the FET.</p

X-inactivation and marker studies in three families with incontinentia pigmenti: implications for counselling and gene localisation

Article first published online: 24 DEC 2001Familial incontinentia pigmenti (IP) is an X-linked dominant disorder with an extremely variable clinical presentation. Ambiguous diagnosis can complicate genetic counselling and attempts to refine the gene location in Xq28. Marked skewing of X-inactivation patterns is a hallmark of IP and provides a means for investigating uncertain cases. We have conducted X-inactivation studies in three families where Xq28 marker studies were at odds with the original clinical assessment. The results indicate that no recombination between the disease locus and Xq28 loci has occurred and suggest that mosaicism is responsible for the discrepancy in one family