Aromatase gene (CYP19A1) variants, female infertility and ovarian stimulation outcome: a preliminary report

Abstract

Progress has been made towards ascertaining the genetic predictors of ovarian stimulation in IVF. Aromatase cytochrome P450, encoded by the CYP19A1 gene, catalyses a key step in ovarian oestrogen biosynthesis. Hence, the aromatase gene is an attractive candidate for genetic studies. This study aimed to examine the genetic influences of CYP19A1 TCT trinucleotide insertion/deletion (Ins/Del) and (TTTA)n microsatellite intronic polymorphisms on ovarian stimulation outcome and aetiology of female infertility. IVF patients (n = 152) underwent ovarian stimulation according to recombinant FSH and gonadotrophin- releasing hormone antagonist protocol. Del/Del homozygous patients with shorter TTTA repeats exhibited decreased ovarian FSH sensitivity in ovarian stimulation, which may reflect variations in aromatase gene expression during early antral follicle development. Accordingly, this study demonstrates correlations between Del allele and shorter (TTTA)n repeat sizes with smaller ovaries (r = −0.70, P = 0.047) and fewer antral follicles (r = 0.21, P = 0.018) on days 3–5 of spontaneous menstrual cycle, respectively. Furthermore, Del variation linked with low-repeat-number (TTTA)n alleles are involved in enhanced genetic susceptibility to unexplained infertility (adjusted OR = 4.33, P = 0.039) and endometriosis (r = −0.88, P = 0.026), which corroborates evidence on the overlapping patient profiles of ovarian dysfunction in both types of female infertility.