Use of serum inhibin B levels at the start of ovarian stimulation and at oocyte pickup in the prediction of assisted reproduction treatment outcome

Abstract

To assess whether serum inhibin B levels before gonadotropin administration and at oocyte pickup (OPU) are associated with pregnancy. Retrospective case-control study. University-based IVF program. Fifty-five IVF pregnancies and 55 control cycles matched by age, type of infertility, E(2) at ovulation induction, number of oocytes retrieved, and number of embryos replaced. None. Association between serum inhibin B at stimulation day 1 (SD1) and OPU and pregnancy; correlation between inhibin B with clinical and endocrine parameters; predictive accuracy of inhibin B measurements at OPU. Inhibin B on SD1 was similar between pregnant and nonpregnant subjects, whereas it was significantly higher at OPU in pregnant cycles, but did not allow differentiation between pregnancy outcomes. Inhibin B on SD1 was positively correlated with same-day E(2) in both groups and inversely with age in pregnant cycles. In both groups, inhibin B at OPU correlated positively with number of oocytes collected and with E(2) at ovulation induction. Higher inhibin B concentrations at OPU are predictive of clinical pregnancy, independently of age, peak E(2), number of oocytes retrieved and number of embryos replaced. Inhibin B on stimulation day 1 did not prove to be a useful predictor.