Human Reproduction vol.5 no.8 pp.915-919, 1990

'To whom correspondence should be addressed The concentrations of glucose, lactate, progesterone and oestradiol have been measured in 122 foUicular fluids obtained from women attending a natural cycle IYF programme. Some women received low-dose clomiphene. Fluids were recovered 28-35 h after the onset of the spontaneous LH surge. Mean foUicular fluid volumes were greater for stimulated (4.46 ml) than spontaneous (3.11 ml) cycles. Mean glucose and lactate concentrations were similar in the two groups, with overall means of 3.29 mM (glucose) and 6.12 mM (lactate). Total glucose and lactate were greater in the fluids from stimulated (14.1 and 29.5 mol, respectively) than from the spontaneous cycles (11.5 and 20.2 mmol, respectively). There were negative correlations between foUicular fluid volume and glucose concentration (r = —0.348) and between glucose concentration and lactate concentration (r =-0.367) but no relationship between foUicular fluid volume and lactate concentration (r = 0.086). A model is presented to account for these findings in terms of the movement of pyruvate, glucose and lactate from the vascular theca into foUicular fluid, and of glycolysis occurring in the granulosa cells. Key words: follicular fluid/glucose/lactate/oocyt