The Effect ofProlactin, Total Antioxidant Capacity, Antisperm Antibodies andthePresence of Chlamydia trachomatis IgGinFertile andInfertile Women inCalabar, Nigeria

Aim: Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the bacterium, Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), which can damage a woman's reproductive tissues, thus, affecting fertility. Our aim therefore was to determine the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) andantisperm antibodies (ASA) in relation to the presence or absence of Chlamydia trachomatisIg G in fertile and infertile women. Materials and Methods:One hundred and two (102) volunteer infertile women visiting the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital and sixty (60) apparently healthy women (control group), aged 20 – 45years were recruited. The infertile women were further grouped as primary (n = 14) and secondary (n = 88) infertility as appropriate and also divided into three groups based on their prolactin levels, namely; those with normal value (normal) (n=32), those with prolactin values between 25-60ng/ml (moderate) (n=46) and those with prolactin values >60ng/ml (high)(n=24). Serum samples were obtained from the subjects and Chlamydia trachomatisIg G and ASA assays were done using ELISA method while Serum total antioxidant capacity measurement was done spectrophotometrically. Results: The mean prolactin and total antioxidant capacity of the infertile group was significantly higher than that of the fertile group (p<0.05) while there was a negative correlation between TAC and prolactin in infertile women (r=-0.196; p˂0.05).No significant difference (p>0.05) was found in the total antioxidant capacity and antisperm antibodies between the infertile women with normal hormonal profile and the controls, while prolactin was high significantly (p<0.05) in the infertile women with normal ovarian profile than the controls. The prolactin values were significantly higher in the high group compared with the normal ovarian profile and moderate group. Also, the antisperm antibodies levels were significantly higher in the moderate group compared to the high and normal groups (p˂0.05). Conclusion:Chlamydia trachomatis infection is low while total antioxidant capacity is higher among the infertile women in our test population. This study shows that antioxidant is involve in infertility and may have potential application in diagnosis and treatment of female infertility.