A combination of follicle stimulating hormone, estradiol and age is associated with the pregnancy outcome for women undergoing assisted reproduction: a retrospective cohort analysis

To investigate the effect of basal hormone levels including follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and estradiol (E 2 ) and age on the pregnancy outcomes in women undergoing in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET), we designed a retrospective cohort analysis and collected information of patients undergoing IVF between January 2014 and April 2017. We found that young women had much better pregnancy outcomes than older women regardless of the hormone levels. The pregnancy outcomes declined in young women with high basal E 2 , even though they had normal FSH. Older women with higher FSH had a worse outcome of pregnancy, especially with increased E 2 level. The results suggest that a combination of FSH, E 2 and age could effectively predict the pregnancy outcome for women undergoing IVF-ET, and we should encourage infertile women with diminished ovarian reserve, especially young infertile women, to try the assisted reproduction as early as possible. After 40-yearold, the cost-benefit ratio should be considered according to the ovarian function.