BIOCHEMICAL AND ULTRASOUND DETERMINANTS OF OVARIAN RESERVE (A LITERATURE REVIEW)
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Abstract
The aim of the research – to analyze current literature data on methods for assessing ovarian reserve, their diagnostic value, advantages, and limitations.
Materials and methods. An analysis of the scientific literature was conducted using the Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and eLibrary.ru databases, the Google Scholar academic search engine, and the UpToDate clinical reference resource, with keywords in Russian and English. The review included clinical guidelines, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and prospective and retrospective studies. The majority of the sources were publications from the past decade; selected earlier studies were also included based on their relevance to the topic under review.
Results. It has been established that anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and antral follicle count (AFC) are the main markers of ovarian reserve. However, intra- and intercycle variability in AMH levels has been observed. The use of hormonal contraceptives is associated with a decrease in AMH concentrations, depending on the contraceptive method, with AMH levels recovering within several months after discontinuation. Discrepancies between AMH levels and actual ovarian reserve have been observed in patients with infertility. Ovarian reserve is positively correlated with intraovarian blood flow parameters.
Conclusion. Despite the high diagnostic value of anti-Müllerian hormone measurement and antral follicle count, no currently available marker provides absolute predictive accuracy. Assessment of intraovarian blood flow may complement existing methods and warrants further investigation.
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The authors declare that they have no apparent or potential conflicts of interest related to the publication of this article.
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