THURSDAY, Feb. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Having at least 13 follicles at least 11 mm in diameter is a better predictor than estrogen levels of the risk of developing ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), a serious complication of in vitro fertilization, researchers report in the January issue of Fertility and Sterility.
Evangelos G. Papanikolaou, M.D., and colleagues from Dutch-Speaking Brussels Free University in Belgium, examined OHSS in 1,801 women undergoing 2,524 cycles of in vitro fertilization, and the predictive value of estrogen levels and number of follicles on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin.
Of 53 patients hospitalized for OHSS, 31 had early OHSS (occurring within nine days of oocyte retrieval) and 22 had late OHSS (occurring 10 days or more after). Late cases, all of which occurred in a pregnancy cycle, tended to be more severe than early cases.
Having at least 13 follicles at least 11 mm in diameter was a significantly better predictor of OHSS risk than an optimal threshold estrogen level of 2,560 ng/L, with 53% sensitivity and 77% specificity. For predicting severe OHSS, raising the threshold to at least 18 follicles and/or an estrogen level of at least 5,000 ng/L resulted in 83% sensitivity and 84% specificity.
"The number of follicles can discriminate the patients who are at risk for developing OHSS," the authors conclude.
Abstract
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