Proteomics in the study of female fertility: an update

INTRODUCTION: Female fertility has been a field of interest for the scientific community throughout the years. The contribution of proteomics in the study of female fertility as well as female infertility and in vitro fertilization (IVF) has been significant. Proteomics is a recently developed field, extensively applied to the identification and quantification of proteins, which could be used as potential biomarkers in a diagnostic, prognostic, or predictive manner in a variety of medical conditions. AREAS COVERED: The present review focuses on proteomic studies of the oocyte and endometrial environment as well as on conditions related to infertility, such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis, obesity, and unexplained infertility. Moreover, this review presents studies that have been done in an effort to search for fertility biomarkers in individuals following the IVF procedure. EXPERT OPINION: The comprehension of the molecular pathways behind female fertility and infertility could contribute to the diagnosis, prognosis, and prediction of infertility. Moreover, the identification of proteomic biomarkers for IVF cycles could predict the possible outcome of an IVF cycle, prevent an unsuccessful IVF, and monitor the IVF cycle in a personalized manner, leading to increased success rates. [Figure: see text].