Yao Q, et al. - The objectives of this study are to investigate whether the accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGE) in follicular fluid influences ovarian responsiveness and embryo quality amid IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) with a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist protocol. The outcomes propose that ovarian responsiveness and embryo quality are associated with intraovarian exposure to AGE.

• Total 127 women who underwent IVF/ICSI in GnRH agonist cycles were enrolled in this study.
• In this study, they measured the levels of AGE in follicular fluid in selected participants.
• They also measured the plasma hormones in this study.
• By utilizing standard approaches, embryos were graded.
• There was an inverse relationship between follicular fluid AGE concentration and number of oocytes retrieved, number of fertilized oocytes, number of high-quality embryos, fertilization rate and high-quality embryo rate, adjusted for potential confounders.
• AGE concentration in follicular fluid was significantly higher in women with an ovarian response below the target (<7 oocytes) compared with those reaching the target (7-15 oocytes) or above the target (>15 oocytes).
• The cut-off value of 15.3 μg/ml for follicular fluid AGE exhibited 84.6% sensitivity and 55.5% specificity in assessing the response to ovarian stimulation as below the target.