The Impact of Essential Trace Elements on Ovarian Response and Reproductive Outcomes following Single Euploid Embryo Transfer

Abstract

Essential trace elements are required in extremely small amounts and obtained through diet. This research focuses on detecting major trace elements in different biofluids of sixty women undergoing ICSI with PGT-A and SET/FET at IVI-RMA, New Jersey, and assessing their impact on their IVF outcomes. Urine, plasma, and follicular fluid samples were collected on the vaginal oocyte retrieval day to measure the concentrations of eight essential trace elements (copper, zinc, molybdenum, lithium, selenium, manganese, chromium, and iron) using ICP-MS. After analysis, ovarian response and preimplantation outcomes had significant positive associations with both copper alone and the copper/zinc ratio in the follicular fluid and plasma, in addition to plasma manganese. Alternatively, elevated follicular fluid lithium concentrations were significantly associated with poor preimplantation outcomes while the urinary molybdenum concentration was significantly associated with a lower probability of implantation, clinical pregnancy, and live birth. Urinary lithium and chromium concentrations were significantly associated with a lower probability of achieving a live birth. Our results suggest that the essential trace elements present in follicular fluid, plasma, and urine of women are directly associated with their reproductive outcomes, with copper and manganese exerting positive effects and lithium and molybdenum exerting negative effects.

Higher Concentrations of Essential Trace Elements in Women Undergoing IVF May Be Associated with Poor Reproductive Outcomes Following Single Euploid Embryo Transfer

“…In the American patients undergoing IVF, the FF levels of essential trace elements were positively correlated with those in plasma [12]. However, in the Spanish patients undergoing IVF, we did not observe positive correlations between biofluids, which was likely due to the analysis of whole blood rather than plasma.…”

“…The associations between essential trace element exposure and IVF treatment outcomes have shown to be inconsistent across prior studies [9][10][11][12][20][21][22]. The discrepancies may reflect variations in ART protocols and in demographic, geographic, and sociocultural exposure factors.…”

“…In these cases, supplementation may help mitigate associated conditions and improve reproductive outcomes [5,7], but the pathogenesis of reproductive disorders driven by irregular trace element concentrations remains unclear. The reported associations between essential trace element levels and assisted reproductive treatment (ART) outcomes in cohorts of American women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) are inconsistent between studies [9][10][11][12]. These discrepancies may be due to geographical and cultural factors or variable ART methodologies between clinics.…”

Minerals and the Menstrual Cycle: Impacts on Ovulation and Endometrial Health

“…Thus, ensuring appropriate iron levels is not only vital for general health but is also intricately linked to female reproductive success. There has also been a significant association between iron overdose and lower egg counts noted in assisted reproductive technologies (ART) studies [53,240].…”

A Targeted Multi-Crystalline Manganese Oxide as a Tumor-Selective Nano-Sized MRI Contrast Agent for Early and Accurate Diagnosis of Tumors

“… 15 , 16 These harmful effects limit the applicability of Gd-based MRICAs. Manganese is an essential trace element for maintaining various life activities; 17 therefore, manganese complexes such as MRICAs may have a better biosafety profile than Gd complexes. Developing novel nanoplatforms that accommodate a high payload of manganese ions can effectively improve the contrast of individual manganese chelates.…”