Failure of Implantation in IVF due to oxidative stress

Oxidative stress may play a role in implantation failure on multiple levels. Oxidative stress is found widely in several biological systems, as well as it acts on various molecular levels with different mechanisms. It has been shown that it is rather the disequilibrium between reactive oxygen species causing oxidative stress and antioxidant mechanisms counteracting their effects, than reactive oxygen species levels themselves. Reactive oxygen species play a role in implantation and fertilisation by acting on different levels of embryo-formation and endometrial changes. Additionally, it is widely abundant in the female reproductive tract including ovaries, oocytes, tubal as well as follicular fluid. Moreover, it has been shown that male fertility is affected by reactive oxygen species by determining sperm quality. Last but not least, oxidative stress may affect IVF indirectly through its actions on peritoneal fluid. As long as research studies on elucidating the development of oxidative stress markers on patients undergoing IVF continue, ever more new possibilities emerge on predicting the pregnancy outcome.