Correlation between endometrial parameters in doppler sonography and success rate of implantation in assisted reproductive programs

ABSTRACT

A good blood supply towards the endometrium is usually considered to be an essential requirement for implantation. Evaluating the role of endometrial and sub-endometrial blood flows detected by color Doppler sonography at the day of embryo transfer, as a predictor of pregnancy rate during IVF/ICSI programs was our main goal in this study. Seventy three infertile patients aged <38 years with basal serum FSH level<12 mIU/ml who had less than two failed attempts of ART cycles were prospectively evaluated. The cases with more than two failed IVF cycle and uterine disorders were excluded. All procedures were performed by one expert and two good quality embryos were transferred. Vaginal power color Doppler sonography was performed at the day of embryo transfer and endometrial characteristics including endometrial vascularization, area of vascularization distribution and pulsatility index were registered. Then pregnant and non-pregnant groups were compared for ultrasonographic parameters of endometrium Pregnancy occurred in 28 patients. Mean age, duration and etiology of infertility, baseline mean FSH and estradiol level at the day of Human chorionic gonadotropin [HCG] injection, amount of drug administered, number of retrieved oocytes and embryos, also number and quality of transferred embryos in the pregnant and non-pregnant groups showed no statistically significant difference. On the other hand, none of the sonographic parameters reported in two groups indicated a statistically significant difference. Doppler ultrasonographic indices at the day of embryo transfer are not considered appropriate criteria for prediction of success rate or failure of embryo implantation