HUMAN FOLLICULAR NITRIC-OXIDE PATHWAY - RELATIONSHIP TO FOLLICULAR SIZE, ESTRADIOL CONCENTRATIONS AND OVARIAN BLOOD-FLOW

Nitric oxide (NO) has been suggested to be involved in ovarian physiol ogy, Our aim was to study follicular nitrite and nitrate (NO3/NO2) lev els in women undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF), and to examine t heir relationship to follicular size, oestradiol concentrations, and o varian artery and intra-ovarian blood flow as measured by Doppler ultr asound, A total of 15 patients from the IVF programme of Hadassah Univ ersity Hospital, Mt Scopus, Israel, participated in the study, Detaile d transvaginal ultrasonographic examination was performed before ovum collection, and ovarian artery and intra-ovarian blood flow were measu red, While aspirating the follicles, the content of two to four of the follicles in each ovary was collected individually, the volume of fol licular fluid measured, and NO3/NO2 concentrations were determined, A statistically significant positive correlation was found between folli cular fluid NO3/NO2 concentrations and follicular volume (r = 0.76), a s well as between NO3/NO2 concentrations and oestradiol concentrations (r = 0.63), A statistically significant negative correlation was foun d between follicular fluid NO3/NO2 concentrations and ovarian flow par ameters as well as between NO3/NO2 concentrations in follicles contain ing 4-5 ml and ovarian artery pulsatility index.