Follicular homocysteine as a marker of oocyte quality in PCOS and the role of micronutrients

Abstract

Abstract Purpose Does follicular homocysteine predict the reproductive potential of oocytes following FSH stimulation in PCOS women? Can it be modulated by dietary interventions? Methods This was a prospective, randomized, interventional clinical study. Forty-eight PCOS women undergoing in vitro fertilization at a private fertility clinic were randomized for a dietary supplementation providing micronutrients involved in homocysteine clearance or no treatment. The supplement was assumed 2 months before stimulation until pick-up day. Monofollicular fluids were collected and frozen. After embryo transfer, the fluids from the follicles generating the transferred embryos were thawed and analyzed. Results Follicular homocysteine showed a negative correlation with clinical pregnancy both in the whole population (r =  − 0.298; p = 0.041) and in controls (r =  − 0.447, p = 0.053). The support achieved a non-significantly lower concentration of follicular homocysteine (median [IQR]–7.6 [13.2] vs 24.3 [22.9]). Supplemented patients required far less FSH for stimulation (1650 [325] vs 2250 [337], p = 0.00002) with no differences in the number of oocytes collected, MII rate, and fertilization rate. Supplemented patients enjoyed higher blastocyst rate (55% [20.5] vs 32% [16.5]; p = 0.0009) and a trend for improved implantation rate (64% vs 32%; p = 0.0606). Clinical pregnancy rates were 58% vs 33% in controls (p = ns). Conclusion Follicular homocysteine is a suitable reporter that might be investigated as a tool for oocyte-embryo selection. A diet enriched with methyl donors may be useful in PCOS and supplements may also help. These findings may be also true for non-PCOS women, which warrants investigation. The study was approved by the Acibadem University Research Ethics Committee (2017–3-42). Clinical trial retrospective registration number ISRCTN55983518.