HIGH-FREQUENCY OF IGG ANTAGONIZING FOLLICLE-STIMULATING HORMONE-STIMULATED STEROIDOGENESIS IN INFERTILE WOMEN WITH A GOOD RESPONSE TO EXOGENOUS GONADOTROPINS

Objective: To investigate the presence of FSH-blocking IgG in infertil e women.Design: Retrospective study. Sera from patients and controls w ere processed for IgG purification, and purified IgG were tested at va rious concentrations. for their ability to inhibit the recombinant hum an FSH-induced P production in vitro by human granulosa cells, Setting : Departments of Endocrinology, and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Univers ity of Caen. Patient(s): Fifty-seven infertile women including 14 wome n with premature ovarian failure (POF), 29 women with a poor response to IVF-ET, and 14 women with a good response to IVF-ET. Controls consi sted of 22 healthy age-matched women,Intervention(s): IVF-ET allowed h uman granulosa cell pooling and culture for FSH bioassay. Main Outcome Measure(s): Inhibition by purified IgG of the in vitro recombinant hu man FSH-induced P production by human granulosa cells. Result(s): Bloc king IgG were identified in only 3 of 14 POF and in 2 of 29 women with a poor response to IVF-ET, In contrast, Ige from women with a good re sponse to IVF-ET inhibited significantly P production, and blocking Ig G were detected in 85% women with a good response to IVF-ET. Conclusio n(s): This study identified FSH-blocking Ige in a high proportion of w omen with a good response to IVF-ET, The significance of this remains questionnable. (C) 1998 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.