Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Feb;95(2):684-8.
doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2010.07.1069. Epub 2010 Aug 24.

Age-specific nomogram for the decline in antral follicle count throughout the reproductive period

Antonio La Marca  1 , Elena Spada, Giovanna Sighinolfi, Cindy Argento, Alessandra Tirelli, Simone Giulini, Silvano Milani, Annibale Volpe
Affiliations
Free article

Age-specific nomogram for the decline in antral follicle count throughout the reproductive period

Antonio La Marca et al. Fertil Steril. 2011 Feb.
Free article

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the relationship between antral follicle count (AFC) and chronological age and to establish normal values for AFC in women with regular menstrual cycles.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: University hospital.

Patient(s): Four hundred fifteen premenopausal women were recruited for the study. Data from 362 patients were available for the statistical analysis.

Intervention(s): AFC was measured by transvaginal ultrasound examination.

Main outcome measure(s): Estimating the relationship between AFC and age and developing the AFC nomogram.

Result(s): The analysis showed a linear decline in AFC with age; for every year increase in age, the median AFC decreases by 0.4. The AFC corresponding to the 5th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 95th centiles for each age have been calculated.

Conclusion(s): A linear relationship of AFC to age was found. For the first time, a nomogram reporting normal and interquartile values for AFC, age by age, throughout the reproductive period has been provided. Until now, the interpretation of the measurement was mainly based on the individual experience of the operator, because no normative data were present. Therefore, the establishment of a nomogram of AFC values is the first step to counsel patients on a scientific basis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources