Follicular VEGF Expression Is Disrupted In Hyperstimulation Syndrome.(Brief Article)

2001 SEP 6 - (NewsRx Network) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Abnormal follicular activity may explain an abnormal correlation between hormones, the number of follicles produced, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)165 levels in in vitro fertilization (IVF) patients who experience ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS).

During IVF procedures, women with infertility problems may receive injections of drugs that stimulate the ovaries, causing ovulation. In some cases, these drugs stimulate the ovaries too much, causing a potentially life-threatening disorder known as OHSS. In comparisons between women undergoing IVF who developed OHSS and those who did not, doctors found that VEGF(165) plasma levels were almost the same, but the relationship between VEGF(165) levels and progesterone production and follicular development in women with OHSS was different, indicating abnormal follicular VEGF expression.

In the prospective cohort study, 15 patients and twice as many matched controls were tested for serum levels of VEGF at four distinct time points, beginning from when ovarian stimulation procedures were initiated until embryonic transfer was actually accomplished, according to A. Enskog and colleagues, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

"There were no differences between OHSS and control patients in plasma VEGF(165) levels at any of the four time points," according to Enskog and coworkers.

There were, however, differences relative to progesterone expression levels and the quality and quantity of follicle production ...