Evaluation of Oxidative and Antioxidant Markers in Unexplained Infertile Women: A Case-Control Study

Background: Unexplained infertility (UI) affects approximately 30% of infertile couples.Recent data indicate that oxidative stress (OS) may contribute to idiopathic reproductive failure in women.This study aims to assess oxidative stress markers and antioxidant enzyme levels in women with UI as compared to fertile controls.Methods: This case-control study was conducted from April 2023 to March 2025 at King George's Medical University, Lucknow, India, involving 200 women (100 diagnosed with UI and 100 age-matched fertile controls).After clinical evaluation and routine infertility workup, blood samples were analyzed for oxidative stress marker malondialdehyde (MDA) and catalase (CAT) by ELISA kit respectively, and three antioxidant enzymes: glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione reductase (GR) by Assay kit as per manufactured kit by using a microplate reader.Results: There was an insignificant association found in age between UI and control.MDA levels were significantly elevated in UI patients (96.741.14ng/ml) compared to controls (201.1492.16ng/ml) (p<0.05),indicating increased oxidative stress.CAT levels were also significantly higher in the UI group (18.024.61ng/ml vs. 12.353.18ng/ml), GR levels were significantly lower in UI patients than control (1.3060.58mU/ml vs. 1.890.979mU/ml), SOD and GPx levels showed no significant differences (p>0.05).Conclusion: Women with unexplained infertility exhibit an altered oxidative-antioxidative balance characterized by elevated MDA and CAT, and reduced GR levels.These findings support the role of oxidative stress in the etiology of UI and highlight the potential utility of oxidative stress biomarkers in diagnosis and management.