Objectives To assess the effects of heavy metal and trace element concentrations in blood
and follicular fluid on assisted reproductive technology cycle outcome. Study design A
prospective study was conducted between January 2012 and July 2012 in a university
hospital infertility clinic. One hundred and one patients with unexplained infertility who
underwent intracytoplasmic sperm injection using GnRH-antagonist protocol were recruited.
Concentrations of four toxic metals (Cd, Pb, Hg, As) and three trace elements (Cu, Zn, Fe) …