Background: This study aimed to find a correlation between increased body mass index (BMI), insulin resistance (IR), hyperandrogenism, and anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) serum levels with the number of follicles retrieved in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients.
Materials and methods: The descriptive study was taken on 80 women with average ages of 20-35 years at Alzahra Hospital of Tabriz-Iran who referred for in vitro fertilization. Patients were divided into four groups and serum levels of AMH, testosterone and IR were evaluated at the puncture time.
Results: The mean number of follicle retrieved was higher in PCOS (P < 0.05) group than non-PCOS patients. There was a negative significant correlation of follicle number with BMI (r = -0.26, P < 0.05). The ratio of follicle numbers in PCOS/overweight group decreased in comparison to PCOS/normal weight group (-30%, P < 0.05) while the follicle numbers in non-PCOS/overweight patients decreased in comparison with non-PCOS/normal weight (-26%, P > 0.05). There was a significant negative association between BMI with AMH (r = -0.59, P < 0.05), BMI with the follicle numbers (r = -0.2, P < 0.05) and a positive association BMI with -IR (r = 0.3, P < 0.05), but there wasn't a significant correlation between BMI with testosterone (r = 0.1, P < 0.5).
Conclusion: Our finding provides that increasing BMI with direct effect on AMH levels and IR can affect the number of follicles, which are retrieved in these patients.
Keywords: Anti-mullerian hormone; follicles retrieved; insulin resistance; polycystic ovary syndrome; testosterone.