The association between serum prolactin levels and live birth rates in non-PCOS patients: A retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This paper aimed to analyze the relationship between baseline prolactin (PRL) levels and live birth rates (LBRs) in patients undergoing embryo transfer who did not have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) using a retrospective design. Patient(s): A total of 20,877 patients who had undergone IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) between December 2014 and December 2019. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined the association between PRL concentrations and LBRs using multivariate regression analysis. In addition, a model for nonlinear relationships based on a two-part linear regression was developed. RESULTS: Following adjustment for confounding factors, multivariate regression analysis confirmed a statistically significant correlation between serum PRL and LBR. Particularly, when blood PRL content was less than 14.8 ng/mL, there exists a positive relation between serum PRL and LBRs. In contrast, once PRL concentrations surpassed the inflection point at 14.8 ng/mL, a meaningful relationship could no longer be inferred between serum PRL and LBR. CONCLUSIONS: Basal serum PRL levels were segmentally connected with LBRs.