Does thiol/disulfide homeostasis affect the number of metaphase 2 oocyte in the treatment of in vitro fertilization?

AIM: To investigate the effect of thiol/disulfide homeostasis on the number of oocytes retrieved and metaphase 2 (M2) oocytes in patients undergoing in vitro fertilization. METHOD: A prospective study of 94 patients who were admitted to the in vitro fertilization clinic was conducted. Serum samples were taken on the oocyte pick-up day and kept until the analysis. Thiol and disulfide were measured in order to evaluate the total thiol/disulfide. RESULTS: A statistically significant correlation was observed between disulfide and M2. CONCLUSION: This study provides an inexpensive and noninvasive method to measure oxidative stress, and suggests that there is a positive correlation between the number of M2 and disulfide, resulting in low-impact oxidative stress.