AC Appropriateness Criteria® Female Infertility

Authors

• Wendaline VanBuren, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. Electronic address: VanBuren.Wendaline@mayo.edu.
• Myra K. Feldman, Panel Chair, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio.
• Esma A. Akin, George Washington University Hospital, Washington, District of Columbia; Commission on Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.
• Adrian A. Dawkins, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky.
• Lisa Po-Lan Jones, Hospital of University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• Kira Melamud, New York University Langone Health, New York, New York.
• Krupa K. Patel-Lippmann, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee.
• Gary M. Plant, Madras Medical Group, Madras, Oregon; American Academy of Family Physicians.
• Kimberly L. Shampain, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
• Belinda J. Yauger, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas; American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
• Ashish P. Wasnik, Specialty Chair, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2-17-2026

Journal

Journal of the American College of Radiology : JACR

DOI

10.1016/j.jacr.2026.01.020

Keywords

AUC; Appropriate Use Criteria; Appropriateness Criteria; fallopian tubes; female infertility; ovaries; polycystic ovarian syndrome; reproductive medicine; uterus

Abstract

Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive spontaneously after 12 months of routinely unprotected intercourse in patients <35 years of age, and after 6 months in patients ≥35 years of age. Infertility also refers to the inability to achieve a successful pregnancy based on the medical, sexual, and reproductive history; age, physical findings; diagnostic testing; the need for medical intervention; or a combination of these variables for a patient. In the United States, 13% of women 15 to 49 years of age have accessed assisted fertility services and it has been suggested that the rate of infertility has been increasing, without geographic bias. Understanding the initial imaging evaluation is essential to this often complex and/or multifaceted clinical circumstance, which may involve the ovaries, uterus, and fallopian tubes. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision process support the systematic analysis of the medical literature from peer reviewed journals. Established methodology principles such as Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE are adapted to evaluate the evidence. The RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method User Manual provides the methodology to determine the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures for specific clinical scenarios. In those instances where peer reviewed literature is lacking or equivocal, experts may be the primary evidentiary source available to formulate a recommendation.

APA Citation

VanBuren, Wendaline; Feldman, Myra K.; Akin, Esma A.; Dawkins, Adrian A.; Po-Lan Jones, Lisa; Melamud, Kira; Patel-Lippmann, Krupa K.; Plant, Gary M.; Shampain, Kimberly L.; Yauger, Belinda J.; and Wasnik, Ashish P., "AC Appropriateness Criteria® Female Infertility" (2026). GW Authored Works. Paper 8700.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/8700

Department

Radiology