Antral follicles are smaller follicles that can be counted during vaginal ultrasound to give the antral follicle count. The AFC, combined with age, can give insights into a woman’s ovarian reserve and can be used to predict ovarian response after stimulation for IVF.
A higher AFC often means a better ovarian response and more eggs will likely be retrieved, while a low count indicates a poor response with fewer eggs retrieved. Having a higher number of eggs retrieved is often associated with increased chances of IVF success.
Synonyms:
antral follicle count, AFC