The response of the ovaries to ovarian stimulation can be predicted by parameters that indicate what a woman's ovarian reserve is like at a given moment: the follicle count in the ovaries by transvaginal ultrasound and the anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) value; these data, as well as the body mass index, help us to adapt the doses of medication that each woman will need to obtain the most ideal ovarian response.
In an artificial insemination (AI) treatment we look for the growth of one or two follicles, unlike in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment, in which we look for the growth of all the antral follicles present in the ovaries. Therefore, in an artificial insemination we usually perform a very gentle ovarian stimulation, with low doses of gonadotropins, and most often the vast majority of women (both those with a high ovarian reserve and those with normal or low ovarian reserve) respond in a very similar way, with one or two follicles.
In the case of women with polycystic ovaries there are occasions in which the ovarian response is greater, and a greater number of follicles may grow and the treatment must be cancelled in these cases due to the risk of multiple pregnancies. In women with polycystic ovaries we usually start the treatment with an even lower dose of gonadotropins, or even with a pattern of administration every 36 hours instead of the usual 24 hours, in order to reduce as much as possible the response of the ovaries and minimize the possibility of cancellation of the cycle.
Dr. Chavez has made several publications, courses and presentations at conferences on fertility, assisted reproduction, gynecology, both nationally and at European level. Since the opening of Ovoclinic Madrid, she is the medical director and gynecologist of the clinic.
