Predictive value of follicular fluid insulin like growth factor-1 in IVF outcome of normo-ovulatory women

Introduction Insulin like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) has been found to stimulate follicular development, estrogen and progesterone production and oocyte maturation. This study aims to detect the changes in the follicular fluid IGF-1 levels in normo-ovulatory women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle and evaluate the possibility of IGF-1 to be a predictive marker for IVF outcome in normo-ovulatory women. Materials and methods This prospective cross-sectional study was performed among 88 IVF normo-ovulatory women who were categorized according to IVF pregnancy outcome (clinical pregnancy) into two groups: 55 pregnant women and 33 non-pregnant women. Follicular fluid IGF-1 levels have been measured at the time of oocyte retrieval by utilizing enzyme linked immune-sorbent assay (IGF-1 ELISA kit, Diametra, Inc, Italy). The relationship between follicular fluid IGF-1 (FF IGF-1) levels and the number of oocytes retrieved, number of mature oocytes, number of embryos, fertilization and clinical pregnancy rate were assessed. The demographic data were similar between two groups as regards age and BMI. Results FF IGF-1 levels were significantly higher in pregnant women than in non-pregnant women (90.11 ± 44.31 ng/ml, 69.07 ± 30.55 ng/ml) respectively (p < 0.05). There is no significantly correlation between FF IGF-1 levels and any IVF outcomes (retrieved oocyte number, mature oocyte number, fertilized oocyte number, embryos number, percent of mature oocytes, cleavage rate and fertilization rate). In addition to that there is no difference in terms of age and body mass index (BMI). Conclusion Our study demonstrated that higher FF IGF-1 levels predict higher pregnancy rates in normo-ovulatory women undergoing IVF cycles.