The relationship between various measures of oestradiol (E2) secretion and the total number of oocytes retrieved (OR) and cleaved embryos (CE) was characterized in normal ovulatory women stimulated with pure follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in a programme for in-vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET). Patients in this study included women with tubal factor as their only cause for infertility. Cycles were monitored with serum E2 concentration and ultrasonography. Human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) was administered when two follicles had a maximum diameter greater than 15 mm. The variables used to characterize the E2 secretory response included: (i) the difference between the highest and lowest E2 concentration during stimulation; (ii) the ratio of terminal to initial E2 concentration; (iii) E2 concentration on the day of HCG administration; and (iv) the slope of the E2 curve. These measures of E2 secretion each correlated with both the number of OR and the number of CE. When all E2 variables were considered simultaneously in a stepwise multivariate regression procedure, variations in the number of OR (r2 = 0.84) or CE (r2 = 0.77) could be explained by variation in the E2 secretory profile. Equations derived from these E2 variables may help to identify and improve problem areas within IVF-ET programmes when actual results differ from expected.
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