Objective: To determine whether ovarian damage consequent to laparoscopic ovarian electrocauterization may result in the development of humoral autoimmunity and production of antiovarian antibodies (AOA).
Design: Prospective study.
Setting: Infertility and gynecologic endoscopy units of one of the medical university hospitals.
Patient(s): Sixty-four reproductive-age infertile women (<or=35 y of age) with clomiphene citrate-resistant polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and 50 fertile, healthy, reproductive-aged women (<or=35 y of age) as control group.
Intervention(s): Laparoscopic ovarian electrocauterization was performed under general anesthesia in clomiphene citrate-resistant PCOS patients for treatment of infertility.
Main outcome measure(s): Serum samples from 52 patients (before and about 30-40 days after operation) and from 50 fertile healthy controls were assayed for determination of immunoglobulin class-specific AOA (IgM, IgG, and IgA) by using a commercially available ELISA kit that used human ovary as antigen.
Result(s): A trend of rising in the level of AOA in all isotypes, IgM, IgG, and IgA, was found in sera after operation, compared with the case of sera obtained before operation. But when the ELISA value was calculated according to the formula recommended by the manufacturer, none of the patients were positive for AOA before the surgical intervention, and none of them developed positive AOA after operation. The overall ovulation rate was 81.3%, and the pregnancy rate was 67.2%.
Conclusion(s): The ovarian trauma consequent to laparoscopic ovarian electrocauterization in patients with resistant PCOS does not result in a significant production of AOA.