The effect of periovarian adhesions on follicular development in patients undergoing ovarian stimulation for in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer.

It has been suggested that the presence of periovarian adhesions might impair the ovarian response to gonadotropins. Periovarian adhesions were recorded in 49 women, and the total percentage of accessible ovarian cortex was described at the initiation of the operative procedure. Adhesiolysis was performed as needed for oocyte recovery. Ovarian access did not correlate with serum estradiol level on either the day of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) administration or the day after hCG administration. Similarly, neither the total number of follicles on the day of hCG or on the day after hCG, nor the number of follicles 1.0 to 1.4 cm or greater than or equal to 1.5 cm correlated with ovarian access. We conclude that periovarian adhesions are not a major determinant of the ovarian response to gonadotropin stimulation.