The predictive value of uterine artery blood flow measurements for uterine receptivity in an intracytoplasmic sperm injection program.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether uterine artery blood flow impedance, measured as the pulsatility index on the day of ET in patients undergoing IVF-ET with microinjection, can predict the likelihood of pregnancy.DESIGN: Prospective clinical study.SETTING: A tertiary referral center for assisted reproduction.PATIENT(S): Seventy patients undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) for andrologic indications.INTERVENTION(S): Transvaginal color Doppler examination performed on the day of ET.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Mean (+/- SD) pulsatility index value of the left and right uterine arteries, serum E2 levels, implantation rates, and ongoing pregnancy rates (PRs).RESULT(S): The patients were divided into pregnant and nonpregnant groups and were separated according to whether the pulsatility index was low (1.00-1.99), medium (2.00-2.99), or high (> or = 3.00). The pulsatility index values did not change statistically in the pregnant and nonpregnant groups. The implantation rates were 19.5%, 15.4%, and 25% for the low-, medium-, and high-pulsatility index groups, respectively. The ongoing PRs for the same groups were 35.3%, 26.7%, and 37.5%, respectively.CONCLUSION(S): The study suggests that blood flow, measured as the pulsatility index on the day of ET, cannot predict the likelihood of pregnancy in stimulated cycles of ICSI.