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

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).

Serum samples (n = 47) were assessed by a previously described immunoassay for OVAB in a cross-sectional, retrospective study design.

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.

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.