title: Clinical usefulness of basal FSH as a prognostic factor in patients undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine if basal serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) level could be a prognostic factor of the clinical outcome in intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles in the couples with male factor infertility.
  
  
  METHODS
  From December 1995 to March 1998, total 118 patients underwent in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) with ICSI due to male factor infertility were included in this study. Patients were allocated to the low basal FSH group (< 8.5 mIU/ml) and the high basal FSH group (> or = 8.5 mIU/ml). The basal levels of FSH were measured in the 3rd day of menstrual cycle preceding ovarian stimulation cycle in total IVF cycles by immunoradiometric assay (IRMA). Statistical analysis was performed using Student's t-test, Fisher's exact test, and chi 2 test as appropriate. Statistical significance was defined as p < 0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total dose of exogeneous gonadotropin required in the high basal FSH group was significantly higher than that in the low basal FSH group. The numbers of retrieved oocytes and oocytes with grade I, II were significantly higher in the low basal FSH group. The clinical pregnancy rate per cycle in the low basal FSH group (16.2%) was significantly higher than that in the high basal FSH group (4.0%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggested that the basal serum FSH levels could be predictive of pregnancy outcome and the results of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) in ICSI cycles.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, University of Ulsan, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Chae
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Y S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004624:Embryo Transfer; D005260:Female; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011379:Prognosis; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic
chemical_list: D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone