The Correlation of the Follicular Fluid Levels of Anti-Mullerian Hormone and Beta Human Chorionic Gonadotropin with Oocyte Matura-tion

Background: Follicular fluid (FF) plays a key role in preparing a microenvironment for the development and fertilization of oocytes. Moreover, biochemical and hormonal changes in the FF surrounding the oocyte can affect its quality and successful fertilization. The present study was conducted to investigate the relationship of beta human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-HCG) and anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) levels of FF with oocyte maturation in in-vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. Materials and Methods: FF was monitored in 30 women under a controlled ovarian stimulation cycle. Oocyte maturation was examined by an embryologist. Beta-HCG and AMH levels were then investigated in the FF containing metaphase I (MI), metaphase II (MII) and germinal vesicle (GV) oocytes using ELISA. To evaluate clinical pregnancy, serum levels of beta-HCG were measured 14 days after transfering the embryo. Identifying fetal heart rate (FHR) was considered clinical pregnancy. Results: No significant differences were observed in the mean betal-HCG levels between the mature (53.73±21.081 IU/ml) and immature oocytes (52.90±21.000 IU/ml) (P=0.8). Beta-HCG levels of the FF containing the MII oocytes (64.73±14.49 IU/ml) were significantly related to clinical pregnancy (P=0.04). Oocyte maturation and clinical pregnancy were also found not to be significantly related to AMH levels of FF. Conclusion: The present study found oocyte maturation not to be significantly associated with the betaHCG and AMH levels of FF. Beta-HCG levels of FF were also found to be associated with clinical pregnancy. The other constituents of FF along with AMH and beta-HCG might have therefore affected the oocyte quality and maturation.