The carriers of the A/G-G/G allelic combination of the c.2039 A>G and c.-29 G>A FSH receptor polymorphisms retrieve the highest number of oocytes in IVF/ICSI cycles

Adolfo Allegra, Angelo Marino, Stefania Raimondo, Antonio Maiorana, Salvatore Gullo, Piero Scaglione, Aldo Volpes, Riccardo Alessandro

The objective of this study was the elucidation of the possible role of the single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) at position -29 and 2039 of the FSH receptor gene (FSHR) as independent predictive markers of ovarian response. Indeed, the tailoring of reproductive treatments is crucial for both maximizing the success of IVF patients and obtaining a reduction in hypo- or hyper-response rates. This prospective, observational study analyzed the association of -29 and 2039 FSHR polymorphisms with the number of retrieved oocytes in 140 patients attending an IVF/ICSI cycle for severe male factors (≤5,000,000 spermatozoa/mL) or tubal factors at the ANDROS Day Surgery Clinic, Palermo, Italy. The results of this study demonstrate that the genetic combination of A/G for polymorphism c.2039 A>G with G/G for polymorphism c.-29 G>A is significantly associated with the highest number of collected oocytes (p = 0.03). This association was significant even after controlling for the effect of other clinical variables. The A/G-G/G allelic variant, identified as an independent variable, if confirmed in a larger number of patients, could be considered as a new genetic biomarker, which could increase the efficacy of prediction models for ovarian stimulation.