Pregnancy outcome and ovarian antibodies in infertility patients undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation

PROBLEM: Several endocrine markers are well-established, but not absolute, predictors of successful outcomes following controlled ovarian hyperstimulation. Another potential predictor for success may be a marker of ovarian autoimmunity. Ovarian antibodies (OVAB) are detected in women with unexplained infertility. We tested the hypothesis that women with OVAB have a poorer pregnancy outcome in in vitro fertilization (IVF). METHOD OF STUDY: Serum samples (n = 47) were assessed by a previously described immunoassay for OVAB in a cross-sectional, retrospective study design. RESULTS: Women who became pregnant had a lower frequency of OVAB than women who did not become pregnant (25.0% [4/16] vs. 58.1% [18/31], respectively; P = 0.03). There was no significant difference in day 3 estradiol, amount of human menopausal gonadotropin given, peak estradiol, the number of follicles observed, or the number of eggs retrieved between women who achieved pregnancy and those who did not. CONCLUSIONS: Together with other information such as reproductive hormone levels and measures of follicle growth, OVAB may contribute additional information for prediction of successful IVF outcomes.