Association of homocysteine with IVF/ ICSI outcomes stratified by MTHFR C677T polymorphisms: a prospective cohort study

Research question: What is the association between homocysteine (Hcy) and IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) outcomes, stratified by methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphisms? Design: This prospective cohort study recruited 1011 infertile women undergoing IVF/ICSI treatment for the first time at the International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital between June 2015 and March 2018. Results: The concentration of total serum Hcy was significantly negatively associated with clinical pregnancy and implantation rate. When adjusted for maternal and paternal age and educational level, maternal body mass index, and FSH and oestradiol concentrations, logistic regression analysis showed that women with higher Hcy had a higher risk of unsuccessful pregnancy. After stratification by MTHFR C677T polymorphisms and adjustment for confounding factors, a higher risk of unsuccessful pregnancy and a significantly lower implantation rate only existed in women with higher Hcy concentration in the MTHFR C677T TT genotype. There was no significant association between Hcy concentrations and other ovarian stimulation outcomes (oocytes retrieved, metaphase II stage oocytes, fertilization rate, cleavage rate, high-quality embryo rate) or neonatal outcomes (preterm birth, gestational age at delivery, Caesarean section, birthweight, small for gestational age, large for gestational age or birth defects). Conclusions: Hcy is highly negatively associated with clinical pregnancy and implantation rate during the first IVF/ ICSI cycle, especially in women carrying the MTHFR C677T TT genotype. Other factors with impacts on reproductive outcomes, such as stage of embryo transferred, other factors involved in folate metabolism, preimplantation genetic testing, etc., should be taken into account in further research.

Automated summary

The study reveals that there is a significant negative association between total serum Hcy concentration and clinical pregnancy and implantation rate; after adjusting for various factors, it was found that women with higher levels of Hcy also had a higher risk of unsuccessful pregnancy.