Is ABO blood type associated with ovarian stimulation response in patients with diminished ovarian reserve?
OBJECTIVE
Recent studies have explored the relationship between ABO blood type and serum markers of ovarian reserve, specifically follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and anti-mullerian hormone (AMH). The primary objective of this study is to investigate whether there is an association between ABO blood type and ovarian stimulation response in patients with serum markers of diminished ovarian reserve (DOR).


METHODS
This is a retrospective study of all patients undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) for in vitro fertilization (IVF) between May 2010 and July 2013. Patients were sub-grouped, a priori, based on serum AMH levels: ≤1 ng/mL, ≤0.5 ng/mL and ≤0.16 ng/mL. Within each sub-group, demographic, baseline IVF characteristics and COS response parameters based on ABO blood types were compared. The number of mature oocytes retrieved was considered the primary outcome. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Chi-square tests were used to compare means and percentages between ABO blood types within groups.


RESULTS
Complete data was available for 2575 patients. The mean (± SD) age and BMI of the study cohort was 38.9 (±3.97) years, 23.4 (±5.91) kg/m(2), respectively. The distribution of ABO blood types in the cohort was as follows: 36.8 % (A), 6.56 % (AB), 17.3 % (B), and 39.3 % (O). The demographics and baseline IVF characteristics were comparable among patients with blood types A, AB, B, and O within each AMH group. Within each AMH sub-group, no difference was found in the total days of COS, total gonadotropins administered, peak estradiol level, or number of mature oocytes retrieved based on blood type.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest no association between ABO blood type and ovarian stimulation response in patients with DOR. The predictive value of ABO blood type in determining ovarian stimulation response in such patients is currently limited.
Weill Cornell Medical Center, The Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine, 1305 York Ave., New York, NY, 10021, USA.
Nigel
N
Pereira
Anne P
AP
Hutchinson
Jennifer L
JL
Bender
Jovana P
JP
Lekovich
Rony T
RT
Elias
Zev
Z
Rosenwaks
Steven D
SD
Spandorfer
D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D054304:Anti-Mullerian Hormone / Q000097:blood; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001788:Blood Grouping and Crossmatching; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006801:Humans; D065851:Ovarian Reserve; D010062:Ovulation Induction; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D015415:Biomarkers; D054304:Anti-Mullerian Hormone