The effect of elevated levels of serum prolactin on the quality of the embryo in infertile women undergoing assisted reproductive technology

Background: Prolactin is a hormone produced in the pituitary gland. High levels of prolactin (hyperprolactinemia) reduces gonadotropin hormones and inhibits ovulation. Prolactin levels can be considered as an important factor which increases women s infertility at their reproductive age. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between the concentration of elevated prolactin and the quality of embryo in infertile women at reproductive age.Methods: In this study, the prolactine levels were analyzed in 80 34-to-39-year-old women where 43 of them were within a normal prolactine level and 37 of them had an elevated level. The quality of generated embryos was investigated through assisted reproductive method within A, B and C classes. The data collected from this study was analyzed through the independent sample T test method. The mean was significantly different from the P value with an accuracy of less than 0.05.Result: The comparison between women with normal and elevated serum prolactin levels indicates that those with elevated prolactin have a significant decrease on the percentage of A grade embryos.Conclusion: Based on previous studies, there is a relationship between the concentration of serum prolactin and hypothalamic-pituitary axis. As a result, any change in prolactin level by affecting this hypothalamic-pituitary axis function might affect the quality of generated embryos and oocytes. This study suggests that the prolactin hormone level in women can be an effective tool to assess oocyte and embryo quality.

کلیدواژه ها:

Assisted reproductive technology ، Hypothalamic-pituitary axis ، Infertility ، Pregnancy ، Quality of embryo ، Prolactin