[Transition of ovarian arterial compliance during the human menstrual cycle, assessed by Doppler ultrasound--correlation with serum hormone levels].

Ovarian arterial velocimetry was performed using color and pulsed Doppler ultrasound. Seventy-one examinations were done on 9 healthy women with regular menstrual cycles. The change in ovarian arterial compliance was based on the calculation of the pulsatility index (PI). In the active ovary carrying a dominant follicle or corpus luteum, PI in the early proliferative phase was significantly higher than that in the late proliferative phase (p less than 0.001), and PI in the early secretory phase was significantly lower than that in the late proliferative phase (p less than 0.001). PI became significantly higher in the late secretory phase than that in the early secretory phase (p less than 0.001). In the inactive ovary without a follicle of corpus luteum, no changes were seen among the values for PI, in any menstrual phase. There was a significant difference between the values for PI in the active ovary and the inactive ovary in the late proliferative, the early and the late secretory phases (p less than 0.001), respectively. The PI values for the active ovary significantly correlated with the serum progesterone levels (r = -0.53, p less than 0.05) but not with the estradiol levels. These findings provide a useful foundation for assessing ovarian hemodynamics during the menstrual cycle.