A new method to assess oxidative stress in ART cycles

The role of oxidative stress (OS) in female reproduction is an understudied area for investigation. The aim of the study was to assess reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels both in follicular fluid (FF) and in serum samples of women undergoing IVF and to relate them to clinical outcomes. A total of 56 women were enrolled. From each patient a sample of serum and FF were collected at oocyte retrieval day and analyzed for OS, by measuring a class of reactive oxygen metabolites (ROMs) (dROMs test) and for biological anti-oxidant potential levels (BAP test). The data analyzed in serum and in FF were related to pregnancy outcomes. There was no significant relationship between d-ROMs and BAP levels in serum or FF GROUP A and B and the clinical parameters of prognosis of women: age, number of oocytes retrieved number of oocytes methaphase II, FSH, fertilization rate and cleavage rate, number of embryos transferred and embryo score. There was a positive association between systemic levels of OS measured in serum GROUP A and pregnancy outcomes (p = 0.007) suggesting that the evaluation of OS in FF needs more investigation about markers in follicular microenvironment in order to predict IVF success.