International Journal of Translational Medicine
Pooled Follicular-Fluid Melatonin Under Standardized Supplementation in IVF-ICSI Cycles: Associations with Clinical Ovarian Response Phenotypes and Exploratory Embryological Outcomes: A Prospective Observational Study
By Seval Taşdemir, Muhammet Volkan Bülbül, Betül Kalay and 7 others.
Abstract
Background
Melatonin concentrations in follicular fluid exceed serum levels, suggesting local ovarian accumulation and a potential role in the follicular microenvironment. Previous studies reporting associations between intrafollicular melatonin and IVF outcomes have largely relied on dominant-follicle sampling. This study evaluated pooled follicular-fluid melatonin concentrations across clinical ovarian-response phenotypes in women undergoing standardized melatonin-supplemented IVF-ICSI cycles.
Methods
Seventy-one women undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation with a GnRH antagonist protocol were prospectively enrolled. All participants received oral melatonin at 3 mg/day) from gonadotropin initiation until oocyte retrieval. Participants were classified as poor (n = 24), normal (n = 22), or high responders (n = 25) using predefined clinical ovarian-response criteria. Pooled follicular fluid was collected during oocyte retrieval and melatonin was measured by ELISA. Age-adjusted and multivariable models were used to re-evaluate between-group melatonin differences, the AMH–melatonin association, and the relationship between melatonin and retrieved oocyte number.