ORGAN-SPECIFIC AUTOANTIBODIES ARE POSSIBLE MARKERS FOR REPRODUCTIVE FAILURE - A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY IN AN IN-VITRO FERTILIZATION-EMBRYO TRANSFER PROGRAM

This study was conducted to investigate the usefulness of organ-specif ic autoantibodies as possible markers for reproductive failure, Antith yroid and antiovarian autoantibody concentrations were measured in 78 patients with mechanical or unexplained infertility that were enrolled in an in-vitro fertilization (IVF)/embryo transfer programme with fol low-up of the outcome, In all, 16 patients (20.5%) were positive for a ntithyroid antibodies, nine (11.5%) were positive for antiovarian auto antibodies and two (2.6%) were positive for both autoantibodies. All 2 3 patients who were positive for either antithyroid or antiovarian aut oantibodies, or both, were defined as the study group, and 55 who were negative for autoantibodies were considered as the control group, No statistical difference in the incidence of autoantibodies was found be tween the patients with mechanical infertility and those with unexplai ned infertility, No differences were found in the mean number of oocyt es retrieved, fertilization rates or mean numbers of transferred embry os between the study and the control groups. The pregnancy rate per cy cle was 10.8% (7/65) in the study group, compared with 25.0% (24/96) i n the control group (P < 0.05), We conclude that organ-specific autoan tibodies such as antithyroid and antiovarian antibodies may serve as p ossible markers for reproductive failure, Further investigation is req uired to understand the possible immunopathological mechanism for repr oduction failure in patients with organ-specific autoantibodies.