Purpose Previous studies have indicated that OxS (oxidative stress) may appear as a possible reason for poor ART outcome. Our aim was to study OxS levels in both partners of couples seeking Assisted reproduction Technology (ART). Methods Altogether 79 couples were recruited. Oxidative DNA damage (8-OHdG) and lipid peroxidation (8-EPI) were measured, and clinical background and ART outcomes were recorded. Results Both OxS markers accurately reflected clincal conditions with prominent negative effects attributable to genital tract infections, endometriosis, uterine myoma and smoking. Furthermore, the level of OxS was also affected by partner's state of health. The highest 8-EPI levels were detected in both partners when biochemically detectable pregnancies did not develop into clinically detectable pregnancies (in women, 97, 8±16,7 vs 72.9±22,9, p=0.007; in men, 89.6±20,4 vs 72,1± 22,6, p=0.049). Conclusions To conclude, high grade systemix OxS in both partners may negatively affect the maintenance and outcome of pregnancy. Applying the detection of OxS in ART patients may select patients with higher success rate and/or those who require antioxidant therapy. This would lead to improvement of ART outcome as well as natural fertility.

We suggest that INS VNTR genotypes are not associated with PCOS in general, but could have a certain influence on the phenotypic spectrum of the syndrome.

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