Obesity Is Associated With Elevated Chronic Inflammatory Markers, ESR and CRP, in Frozen Embryo Transfer [ID 1595]

INTRODUCTION: In a prior study by our group, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (above 25 mm/hour) and C-reactive protein (CRP) (above 15 mg/L) were associated with implantation failure or miscarriage in patients undergoing frozen embryo transfer (FET). The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and ESR/CRP levels in these FET patients. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study involved 108 patients who underwent euploid embryo transfer between March and July 2024 at a single institution. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate and CRP levels were measured at the time of the initial β-hCG. Body mass index and FET outcome were obtained from the SART database. Statistical analyses included t-tests for continuous variables and chi-squared tests for categorical variables with data processed in Excel. RESULTS: The average BMI for all patients was 29.32 kg/m 2 (SD=7.01), 39.8% of whom were obese. Obese patients had significantly higher ESR (33.02 versus 13.12 mm/hour, P <.001) and CRP (18.38 versus 6.41 mg/L, P <.001). Obesity was associated with combined elevated ESR and CRP (X2=21.20, P <.001). 81.25% of patients with combined elevated ESR and CRP were obese, and of these patients, 86.61% experienced implantation failure or miscarriage. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: This study demonstrates a significant association between obesity and elevated inflammatory markers in patients undergoing FET. These findings suggest that obesity may be a key factor in the inflammatory processes that contribute to poor FET outcomes. Further research is needed to determine if weight loss interventions prior to FET could improve outcomes by reducing inflammatory marker levels in obese patients.