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Arabian Peninsula ethnicity is associated with lower ovarian reserve and ovarian response in women undergoing fresh ICSI cycles

Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics volume 35, pages 331–337 (2018)Cite this article

Abstract

Purpose

Recent studies have demonstrated that ethnicity can be an independent determinant of assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcomes. In this context, we investigate whether ART outcomes differ between Arabian Peninsula and Caucasian women.

Methods

This is a retrospective cohort study of women undergoing fresh intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)-embryo transfer (ET) cycles for male factor infertility. The study cohort was divided into 2 groups based on ethnicity—Arabian Peninsula or Caucasian. Ovarian reserve, ovarian response, and pregnancy outcomes were compared between the groups. A sub-analysis was performed between individual Arabian Peninsula nationalities for the same outcomes. A multiple linear regression model was used to assess the independent effect of ethnicity on ovarian response.

Results

Seven hundred sixty-three patients were included—217 (28.4%) Arabian Peninsula and 546 (71.6%) Caucasian. There was no difference in the mean age of the two groups; however, the former had a higher body mass index (28.5 ± 7.5 vs. 23.3 ± 5.7; P < 0.001). Although follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels and antral follicle counts (AFC) were within the normal range in both groups, Arabian Peninsula women had higher FSH levels (5.7 ± 2.5 vs. 4.9 ± 2.8; P = 0.001) and lower AFC (13.9 ± 4.7 vs. 16.5 ± 4.3; P < 0.001) when compared to Caucasian women. Women from the Arabian Peninsula also had a statistically lower number of mature oocytes retrieved (15.6 ± 6.8 vs. 14.1 ± 8.4; P = 0.01), despite requiring higher gonadotropin doses. Multiple linear regression reveled that Arabian Peninsula women had 2.5 (95% CI 2.1–3.9) less mature oocytes, even after controlling for confounders. A sub-analysis within the Arab cohort demonstrated that Qatari women had a higher yield of mature oocytes when compared to Emirati, Kuwaiti, and Saudi women. There was no difference in the rates of implantation, clinical pregnancy, or live birth when comparing individual Arabian Peninsula nationalities with each other or to Caucasians.

Conclusions

Arabian Peninsula ethnicity is associated with lower ovarian reserve and ovarian response parameters in women undergoing their first ICSI-ET cycle.

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Author information

Author notes

  1. Aya M. Tabbalat and Nigel Pereira contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Doha, Qatar

    Aya M. Tabbalat

  2. The Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1305 York Ave., New York, NY, 10021, USA

    Nigel Pereira, Devon Klauck, Clara Melhem, Rony T. Elias & Zev Rosenwaks

Authors
  1. Aya M. Tabbalat
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  2. Nigel Pereira
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  3. Devon Klauck
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  4. Clara Melhem
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  5. Rony T. Elias
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  6. Zev Rosenwaks
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nigel Pereira.

Ethics declarations

Our retrospective study was approved by the Institutional Review Board.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Cite this article

Tabbalat, A.M., Pereira, N., Klauck, D. et al. Arabian Peninsula ethnicity is associated with lower ovarian reserve and ovarian response in women undergoing fresh ICSI cycles. J Assist Reprod Genet 35, 331–337 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-017-1071-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-017-1071-7

Keywords

  • Intracytoplasmic sperm injection
  • Assisted reproductive technologies
  • Ovarian response
  • Ethnicity
  • Disparities
  • Arabian Peninsula