Observational studyFrontiers in endocrinology2026
Lead concentration in follicular fluid of infertile patients with and without endometriosis: a propensity score matching exploratory study.
Observational study in Frontiers in endocrinology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objective: This preliminary study sought to provide initial insights into lead concentrations within the follicular fluid of infertile patients with and without endometriosis, tentatively observing any potential links between lead presence and the condition. Furthermore, we attempted to discern whether these levels might show a possible correlation with Methods: We conducted an exploratory retrospective observational case-control study at the Fertility Unit of the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, utilizing propensity score matching to compare follicular fluid samples from infertile patients with and without endometriosis undergoing IVF from January 2022 to July 2024. The study's initial aim was to tentatively assess variations in lead concentration in the follicular fluid of women undergoing IVF with or without endometriosis. Additionally, a small-scale sub-analysis was performed to begin investigating how these follicular lead levels might relate to serum Beta-Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) positivity after embryo transfer in the endometriosis group. Results: In this preliminary evaluation, follicular fluid samples from 46 patients were analyzed, comprising 13 with endometriosis and 33 matched controls without. The median follicular lead concentration was notably higher in patients with endometriosis (2.07 µg/dL) compared to controls (0.63 µg/dL; p<0.001). Logistic regression analysis suggested a possible association between elevated lead levels and increased odds of endometriosis (OR: 14.6, 95% CI: 2.50-142.59, p = 0.007). In our further exploratory sub-analysis of endometriosis patients, 30.8% had positive serum Beta-hCG after embryo transfer but the variation in follicular lead concentration between positive serum Beta-hCG (1.00 µg/dL) and negative (2.54 µg/dL) was not statistically significant (p=0.12). Conclusions: While our exploratory observations within this limited cohort suggest higher lead levels in the follicular fluid of patients with endometriosis compared to those without, these initial findings should be considered hypothesis-generating. Given the modest sample size, independent validation through larger, robustly designed prospective studies is essential.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.