The effect of obesity on reproductive outcomes in ICSI/ET cycles

INTRODUCTION: Obesity is an important public health problem among women at reproductive age. The relationship between obesity and reproductive functions is well known mainly in the negative way. This study aims to explore the effects of obesity on intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and embryo transfer (ET) cycles and pregnancy outcomes.
METHODS: This study was yielded retrospectively at a tertiary Reproductive Medicine and Infertility Center. Patients aged between 25 and 45 years, who underwent ICSI and ET procedure for infertility between 2015 and 2017 were included recruited in this study. Patients were stratified into three groups, as: (i) body mass index (BMI) <25 kg/m2 (normal weight); (ii) BMI between 25 and 30 kg/m2 (overweight), and (iii) BMI >30 kg/m2 (obese). The success was defined as positive serum ß-hCG levels 10–12 days after the ET.
RESULTS: A total of 196 women were included in the study. A negative association was found between conception, live birth rate, and BMI (normal weight versus obese patients) (p=0.036). A mean of 2.25 oocytes more were collected in patients with normal BMI compared with obese women (p=0.014).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This study revealed that obesity negatively affects conception and live birth rates in patients undergoing ICSI-ET procedures.