Obesity is not a descriptive factor for oxidative stress and viscosity in follicular fluid of in vitro fertilization patients.
BACKGROUND
Obesity's impact on micro-environmental oxidative stress and follicular fluid (FF) viscosity and whether or not it has any effect on in vitro fertilization (IVF) success is a matter of debate.


OBJECTIVE
In this study, our aim was to evaluate the levels of oxidative stress markers and the FF viscosity in obese and non-obese patients.


METHODS
Eighty norm-responder patients undergoing IVF were prospectively grouped according to their body mass indexes (BMI). Group 1 (n = 40) and group 2 (n = 40) had BMI values of ≤24.9 and ≥25.0, respectively. Total sulfhydryl (RSH) levels (nmol/m) and the formation of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (malondialdehyde, or MDA) (µmol/ml) in FFs were quantified. For the first time in our study, FF viscosity with changing BMI values was also determined.


RESULTS
The mean levels of MDA (µmol/ml) and RSH (nmol/ml) were not significantly different between groups (1.37 ± 0.51; 1.51 ± 0.51; p > 0.05 for MDA and 0.42 ± 0.30; 0.41 ± 0.20; p > 0.05 for RSH, respectively). Similarly, the FF viscosity (centipoise) was not different between groups (1.28 ± 0.28; 1.30 ± 0.19; p < 0.05, respectively). Independent of BMI, no correlation was found between FF levels of oxidative markers and the number of oocytes retrieved or the fertilization rates.


CONCLUSIONS
In our study, we found no difference in the levels of follicular oxidative and anti-oxidative markers or the follicular fluid viscosity with changing BMI values. We also demonstrated that the levels of oxidative stress markers and the viscosity of follicular fluid did not affect clinical outcomes.
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility, Dumlupinar University Faculty of Medicine, Kutahya, Turkey. berilyuksel@gmail.com.
B
B
Yuksel
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility, Bahcesehir University Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey.
S
S
Kilic
Department of Infertility, Dr. Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
N
N
Yilmaz
Department of Physiology, Gazi University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
T
T
Goktas
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility, Gulhane Military Medical Faculty, Ankara, Turkey.
U
U
Keskin
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility, Dumlupinar University Faculty of Medicine, Kutahya, Turkey.
A
A
Seven
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility, Gulhane Military Medical Faculty, Ankara, Turkey.
M
M
Ulubay
Department of Infertility, Dr. Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
S
S
Batioglu
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000379:methods*; D015571:Follicular Fluid / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000276:immunology*; D014783:Viscosity
Body mass index; Follicular fluid; Malondialdehyde (MDA); Oxidative stress; Sulfhydryl group (RSH); Viscosity