Measuring IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 profiles in women seeking assisted reproduction; relationship to ovarian reserve parameters, namely AFC and AMH (study 2).

This is the second of five studies undertaken on women preparing for assisted reproduction, to sequentially examine the relevance of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) profile (IGF-1, IGFBP-3 and the IGFBP-3/ IGF-1 ratio) which, in children, provides the essential criteria to identify the GH-deficient individual. Whilst our first, published study, focussed on clinical parameters, this study examines its relevance to the two parameters which define the ovarian reserve. The first, that of the antral follicle count (AFC), shows highly significant, sequential changes across 4 age groups ranging from high counts in the younger women