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Regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) and monocyte chemotactic protein 1 in follicular fluid accumulate differentially in patients with and without endometriosis undergoing in vitro fertilization.

Xu H, Schultze-Mosgau A, Agic A, Diedrich K, Taylor RN, Hornung D

Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Schleswig-Holstein, Luebeck, Germany.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the amount of regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) and monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) in follicular fluid (FF) of patients with and without endometriosis and to determine their oocyte fertilization and pregnancy rates. DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Luebeck, Germany. PATIENT(S): Thirty-two women with endometriosis stages I-IV and 28 women without endometriosis, both groups surgically and histologically confirmed. INTERVENTION(S): Diagnostic laparoscopy, IVF-ET. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): RANTES and MCP-1 levels in follicular fluid, measured by ELISA, and oocyte fertilization and pregnancy rates. RESULT(S): Follicular response and days of gonadotropin stimulation were similar between the two groups. The levels of RANTES in FF from patients with endometriosis were significantly higher (460.4 +/- 90.3 pg/mL) compared with concentrations in patients with tubal infertility (243.8 +/- 70.9 pg/mL; P<.05). In contrast, MCP-1 concentrations in FF from women with endometriosis (330.0 +/- 29.2 pg/mL) were lower than in women with tubal infertility (420.5 +/- 46.6 pg/mL; P<.05). Oocyte fertilization rates in the endometriosis group (54%) were significantly lower than those of the tubal infertility group (73%; P<.05), as were the pregnancy rates (19% vs. 35%, respectively; P<.01). CONCLUSION(S): Women with endometriosis-associated infertility have a poor IVF outcome. Immune cell recruitment into the ovary might affect follicular function and lead to impaired oocyte quality.

Published 27 November 2006 in Fertil Steril, 86(6): 1616-20.
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