PURPOSE: to evaluate the concentration of steroid hormones in follicular fluid (FF) of small (10-14 mm) and large (> 18 mm) follicles of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) submitted to controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. METHODS: a case-control study was conducted on 13 infertile women with PCOS (17 cycles) and 31 infertile women due to male factor - Control Group (31 cycles). FF was aspirated individually and divided into four groups: G1 (FF of small follicles of the Control Group), G2 (FF of small follicles of the PCOS group), G3 (FF of large follicles of the Control Group) and G4 (FF of large follicles of the PCOS group). Estrogen, progesterone and β-hCG were determined by chemiluminescence, and testosterone and androstenedione by radioimmunoassay. The unpaired t-test was used to compare the hormone determinations in the FF of the PCOS and Control Groups, and the four groups were compared by ANOVA. Fisher's exact test was used to compare the pregnancy rates. RESULTS: the small follicles of the two groups had lower progesterone levels (8,435±3,305 ng/mL) than large follicles (10,280±3,475 ng/mL), p-value <0.01. The progesterone levels of all follicles of group PCOS (8,095±4,151 ng/mL) were lower than Control (9,824±3,128 ng/mL), p-value =0.03. Testosterone differed between G1 (326.6±124.4 ng/dL) and G3 (205.8±98.91 ng/dL), p-value <0.001, and between G3 (205.8±98.91 ng/dL) and G4 (351.10±122.1ng/dL), p-value <0.001. Small follicles had higher testosterone levels (508.9±266 ng/dL) than large follicles (245.10±123 ng/dL), p-value <0.0001. The pregnancy rates did not differ between the PCOS (5/13, 38.5%) and the Control groups (9/31, 40.9%), p-value =072. CONCLUSIONS: women with PCOS had high testosterone concentrations in the FF, regardless of the stage of follicle development, and reduced progesterone levels, suggesting that paracrine factors may inhibit the secretion of the latter by follicular cells. The pregnancy rates showed that treatment with COH and IVF is a good option for women with infertility secondary to PCOS.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome; In vitro fertilization; Follicular fluid; Hyperandrogenism; Steroids
