Does Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Receptor Polymorphism Status Affect Fertilization-Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection Results and Live Birth Rate? A Retrospective Study.

Background: Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) plays a key role in fertility and shows its effect through the FSH receptor (FSHR), which is localized in cells.

Aims: The aim of this study was to examine pregnancy outcomes and responses to controlled ovarian stimulation according to FSHR polymorphism types.

Study Setting And Design: The study was retrospective, and included patients who applied to the University of Health Sciences Tepecik Training and Research Hospital fertilization (IVF) Unit during 2018 and 2019.

Materials And Methods: Patients who underwent IVF-intracytoplasmic sperm injection and at the same time studied FSHR gene polymorphism in the genetic unit of our hospital were included in the study.

Statistical Analysis: The Kruskal-Wallis test was used for multiple comparisons of continuous variables. The Chi-square test was used for categorical variables between groups.

Results: A total of 143 patients who met our criteria were included in the study. 14% ( = 20) of the patients are also homozygous natural (Asn/Asn) type; 44.7% ( = 64) of the heterozygous mutant (Asn/Ser) type; 41.3% ( = 59) of them were homozygous mutant (Ser/Ser) type. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of pregnancy rate per started cycle, ongoing pregnancy per started cycle, ongoing pregnancy per embryo transfer and live birth per embryo transfer. A significant difference was observed between peak E2 and peak progesterone levels between Asn/Ser and Ser/Ser groups, and the levels of these hormones were lower in the Ser/Ser group ( = 0.018 and = 0.016, respectively). Ovarian responses were classified as poor (≤3 oocytes), normal (4-20 oocytes) and hyperresponse (≥20 oocytes) according to the oocyte count. Accordingly, the number of patients with poor response was higher in the Ser/Ser group ( = 0.011).

Conclusions: Ser/Ser polymorphism is characterised by a poor ovarian response. Despite this, polymorphisms in the FSHR gene do not seem to affect the results of pregnancy per started cycle, ongoing pregnancy per started cycle, ongoing pregnancy per embryo transfer and live birth per embryo transfer.