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Age does not affect uterine resistance to vascular flow in patients undergoing oocyte donation
P P Guanes1, J Remohí, E Gallardo
1Instituto Valenciano de Infertilidad and Valencia University School of Medicine, Spain.
Objective:
To determine whether uterine vasculature is affected by age using oocyte donation as an in vivo model.
Design:
Prospective longitudinal study in which recipients were grouped according to age. They underwent a successful oocyte donation cycle, and single pregnancies were followed during the first trimester by color Doppler ultrasound in uterine arteries.
Setting:
Oocyte donation and IVF program at the Instituto Valenciano de Infertilidad.
Interventions:
Serum E2, P, and hCG levels in single ovum donation pregnancies; pulsatility and resistance indexes in uterine arteries during initial pregnancy.
Results:
Similar serum levels of E2, P, and hCG in both groups of patients were observed. There was no difference between groups regarding the flow indexes analyzed.
Conclusions:
The increased incidence of early pregnancy losses observed in patients > 40 years cannot be attributed to defective response of uterine vasculature to exogenous hormone replacement. Thus, uterine aging does not appear to be a factor influencing the poor reproductive performance of women with advancing age.