Astaxanthin compound nutrient improved insulin resistance, hormone levels, embryo quality and pregnancy outcomes in polycystic ovary syndrome patients undergoing <i>in vitro </i>fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of astaxanthin compound nutrient (ACN) complementary therapy on pregnancy outcomes in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients undergoing in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI). This study enrolled 92 patients with PCOS who were continuously supplemented with ACN for three months prior to IVF/ICSI treatment from 2021 to 2023, and selected 92 patients who did not receive the treatment during the same period as controls. Baseline characteristics, ovulation induction outcomes, and pregnancy outcomes were compared between the two groups. In addition, the body mass index (BMI), anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), antral follicle counting (AFC), fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting insulin (FINS), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistant (HOME-IR), and basal sex hormones of the supplementary group patients before and after treatment were compared. The results showed that there were no significant differences in the patient's duration of stimulation, total gonadotropin dose, peak E2 levels, and number of retrieved oocytes between the two groups. However, the number of 2 pronucleus (PN) fertilization, transferable embryos, and high-quality embryos was significantly higher in the ACN group compared with the control group. For both fresh and frozen embryo transplantation, positive pregnancy outcomes increased in PCOS patients who received supplementation of ACN for 3 months. In addition, after 3 months of supplementing with ACN, the patient's BMI, AMH, fasting insulin, HOME-IR, basal luteinising hormone (bLH), and basal testosterone (bT) decreased compared to before treatment. This study suggested that ACN improved insulin resistance, hormone levels, embryo quality and pregnancy outcomes in PCOS patients.