Serum and follicular fluid monocyte chemotactic protein-1 levels are elevated in obese women and are associated with poorer clinical pregnancy rate after in vitro fertilization: a pilot study Erkan Buyuk, M.D., a,b Obehi A. Asemota, M.D., a,b Zaher Merhi, M.D., c Maureen J. Charron, Ph.D., b,d,e Dara S. Berger, Ph.D., f Athena Zapantis, B.S., a and Sangita K. Jindal, Ph.D. a,b a Montefiore's Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Health, b Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, d Department of Biochemistry, and e Department of Endocrinology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx; c Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, NYU School of Medicine, New York, New York; and f Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Objective: To determine whether monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), a proinflammatory chemokine important in ovulation, is abnormally elevated in obese women undergoing IVF and whether serum and follicular fluid (FF) levels of MCP-1 are associated with IVF outcome. Design: Prospective pilot study. Setting: Academic center. Patient(s): Women undergoing IVF. Intervention(s): Serum and FF were collected from women undergoing IVF. Main Outcome Measure(s): Correlation between MCP-1 and other inflammatory markers with adiposity and pregnancy outcome after IVF. Result(s): Obese women had significantly higher serum and FF MCP-1 levels compared with overweight and normal weight women. Serum MCP-1, granulocyte colony stimulating factor, catalase, and C-reactive protein (CRP) were positively correlated with body mass index (BMI). After adjusting for age and baseline FSH, these correlations remained significant for serum MCP-1, granulocyte colony stimulating factor, and CRP. In the FF, only MCP-1 was positively correlated with BMI. Women who became pregnant had significantly lower serum MCP-1 and CRP levels compared with those who did not become pregnant; this difference was more pronounced among women with diminished ovarian reserve. Receiver operating characteristic curve demonstrated that serum MCP-1 levels >373.0 pg/mL in all women and >362.6pg/mL in women with diminished ovarian reserve predicted failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy. Conclusion(s): Elevations in serum and FF MCP-1 levels are positively correlated with adiposity and negatively correlated with pregnancy rates (PRs) in women undergoing IVF. (Fertil Steril Ò 2017;107:632–40. Ó2017 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.) Key Words: Obesity, MCP-1, follicular fluid, ovary, IVF Discuss: You can discuss this article with its authors and with other ASRM members at https://www.fertstertdialog.com/users/ 16110-fertility-and-sterility/posts/14173-23324 Received November 1, 2016; revised December 14, 2016; accepted December 20, 2016; published online January 16, 2017. E.B. has nothing to disclose. O.A.A. has nothing to disclose. Z.M. has nothing to disclose. M.J.C. has nothing to disclose. D.S.B. has nothing to disclose. A.Z. has nothing to disclose. S.K.J. has nothing to disclose. E.B. and O.A.A. should be considered similar in author order. Supported by Investigator Initiated Trial (IIT-2014-100225) from Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to E.B. and S.K.J., grant from the American Diabetes Associ- ation to M.J.C., and Investigator Initiated Trial (IIT-2014-100337) from Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to Z.M. Reprint requests: Erkan Buyuk, M.D., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Albert Einstein Col- lege of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Block Building 634, Bronx, New York 10461 (E-mail: erbuyuk@yahoo.com). Fertility and Sterility® Vol. 107, No. 3, March 2017 0015-0282/$36.00 Copyright ©2017 American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Published by Elsevier Inc. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2016.12.023 632 VOL. 107 NO. 3 / MARCH 2017