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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Isolation of Small Preantral Follicles from the Bovine Ovary Using a Combination of Fragmentation, Homogenization, and Serial Filtration
Published on: September 27, 2022
A lower antral follicle count is associated with infertility
Mitchell P Rosen1, Erica Johnstone, Carolyne Addauan-Andersen
1Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences: University of California, San Francisco, California 94115, USA. rosenm@obgyn.ucsf.edu
Objective:
To determine whether infertile women have lower antral follicle counts (AFC) than age-matched normal women.
Design:
Case-control.
Setting:
Academic center.
Patient(S):
A total of 881 infertile women and 771 women from the community.
Intervention(S):
Antral follicle count and basal hormone measurements.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
Median AFCs and FSH levels were compared between the two groups within 5-year age strata by using the median test. A subanalysis was performed by identifying women in the control group with a history of attempting conception without success (subfertile group) and with a spontaneous conception in fewer than 12 months resulting in a live birth (fertile group). Age-specific AFC percentiles were calculated and compared within strata determined by age at the time of attempted conception.
Result(S):
AFCs were significantly lower in infertile women than in control women across age groups up to 40 years of age. Average FSH levels were significantly higher in the younger-age infertile group versus the community. AFC percentiles differ significantly between fertile and subfertile women within the community up to 40 years of age.
Conclusion(S):
Decreased AFC in infertile women suggests that factors affecting the size of the remaining follicle pool in younger women also affect oocyte quality and the likelihood of conception.
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