Study of Follicular Growth Variability in Women with Normal Fertility
Author Information
Author(s): Mikolajczyk Rafael T, Stanford Joseph B, Ecochard René
Primary Institution: Department of Public Health Medicine, School of Public Health, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
Hypothesis
What are the sources of variation in ovarian follicular growth in women with normal fertility?
Conclusion
The study found that variation in maximum follicular diameter before ovulation is primarily due to differences in the duration of follicular development across cycles, rather than differences between women.
Supporting Evidence
- About 40% of women had a maximum follicular diameter of less than 19 mm the day before ovulation.
- The average growth rate of follicles was estimated at 1.68 mm/day.
- Maximum follicular diameter varied significantly across cycles but not between women.
Takeaway
This study looked at how the size of ovarian follicles changes before ovulation in healthy women, finding that the size can vary a lot from cycle to cycle.
Methodology
The study used a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study with ultrasound examinations across multiple centers in Europe.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the hierarchical structure of the data and the limited number of centers involved.
Limitations
The study did not include subfertile women, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.
Participant Demographics
Women aged 20 to 45, with a median age of 33.6 years, and more than 60% having at least one child.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.7
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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