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

Objective: To assess whether serum inhibin B levels before gonadotropin administration and at oocyte pickup (OPU) are associated with pregnancy.

Design: Retrospective case-control study.

Setting: University-based IVF program.

Patient(s): 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.

Intervention(s): None.

Main Outcome Measure(s): 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.

Result(s): 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.

Conclusion(s): 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.