Correlation of ultrasonic and endocrinologic assessment of human follicular development.

Human ovarian follicular development measured by peripheral plasma hormone levels and ovarian follicular growth assessed by ultrasonic visualization of the ovary were compared and contrasted in apparently normally menstruating women. The linear correlation coefficient between the mean values for plasma estradiol and follicular diameter on day -5 to day 0 of 15 normal cycles was r = 0.968. When the individual paired data were subjected to multiple linear regression analyses (on days -5 to 0), r = 0.771. These good correlations show that ultrasound measurements of follicular diameter are valuable in the assessment of follicular growth and development. Observations on apparently abnormal cycles are also discussed. Ultrasound measurement of follicular diameter offers an additional technique for the study of ovarian function.