Morphology and Functional Characteristics of Human Gametes - the Potencial Clinical Application

Reduced fertility is a growing problem trough the population in fertile age. It currently affects 10-15% of couples; any method of assisted reproduction cannot help 10% of them. The effort to identify new prognostic markers that would help to improve the effectiveness of treatments of infertility assumes increasing significance. The first part of this publication is focused on the study of levels of selected hormones and markers of oxidative stress in follicular fluid of women with diagnosis of infertility compared to healthy and fertile donors of oocytes. Levels of prolactin, free T3 and T4 hormone, homocysteine, malonydiladehyd, glutathione peroxidase and total antioxidant capacity and were analyzed. Next part is devoted to the difference between these parameters in women with normal body mass index (BMI) compared to women suffering from overweight. The second half of this work is focused on the male factor of infertility. The aim of our study was to determine comprehensively mitochondrial respiratory activity of sperm with normal and reduced motility and to evaluate the impact of propolis on human sperm motility. Respiratory activity of sperm was measured using oxygraph Oroboros. The results showed significantly higher levels of prolactin and free T4 hormone in follicular fluid of infertile..