26/06/2025
Insulin resistance often comes up with PCOS, where it affects 35 to 80% of patients, but many people without PCOS have it too, often without knowing. This so-called “silent” insulin resistance can go undetected unless specifically tested for.
A new study by Ana Belén Albert and colleagues compared IVF outcomes in women with or without insulin resistance, who didn't have PCOS or diabetes and weren't obese.
After an oral glucose tolerance test, they found that nearly one in three of these women had insulin resistance.
Those with insulin resistance had lower live birth rates and higher miscarriage rates, which improved with metformin (a medication that boosts insulin sensitivity). These insulin-resistant patients had about 4x the live birth rate when treated with metformin!
All patients used donor eggs, suggesting that the uterus, and not the egg, was involved in this lower success.
Biologically, this may relate to how insulin regulates glucose uptake and the buildup of energy stores (glycogen) in the endometrium, which is critical for implantation.
Previous studies have shown that insulin resistance worsens IVF outcomes in women with PCOS, but evidence in non-PCOS women is limited and mixed.
Overall, this study suggests it may be worth screening for insulin resistance during IVF, even in people who seem healthy.
✅ Check out all the details on Remembryo, link is in the comments.
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𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐕𝐅, 𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧? 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤-𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴.
