{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,16]],"date-time":"2025-12-16T15:12:10Z","timestamp":1765897930707,"version":"3.48.0"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"24","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,16]],"date-time":"2025-12-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1765843200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100005322","name":"Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan University","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["TTU-2022-1453"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["TTU-2022-1453"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100005322","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a prevalent proinflammatory condition. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid obtained through the diet, is known for its anti-inflammatory properties. This study aimed to compare DHA concentrations in serum and cervical mucus between women with PCOS and healthy controls. Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study included 42 women with PCOS and 42 healthy controls aged 18\u201340 years. Anthropometric measurements, fasting metabolic and hormonal profiles were obtained, and paired serum and cervical mucus samples collected on midluteal phase of the menstrual cycle were analyzed for DHA concentrations using ELISA. Results: Serum DHA levels were significantly higher in the PCOS group compared with controls (304.50 [167.75\u2013593.00] vs. 168.50 [105.25\u2013312.75] ng\/L; median difference of 136.0 ng\/L [95% CI: 18.46\u2013284.50]; p = 0.015). Cervical mucus DHA levels tended to be lower in the PCOS group (189.50 [168.75\u2013240.25] vs. 220.00 [189.50\u2013241.75] ng\/L; median difference of \u221230.50 ng\/L [95% CI: \u221263.01 to \u221212.00]; p = 0.098). The serum-to-cervical mucus DHA ratio was significantly higher in the PCOS group (1.65 [0.85\u20132.83] vs. 0.80 [0.52\u20131.93]; median difference of 0.85 [95% CI: 0.10\u20131.60]; p = 0.002). Conclusions: Women with PCOS exhibited significantly elevated serum DHA levels and serum to cervical mucus DHA ratios compared to healthy controls, while cervical mucus DHA levels were similar between groups. The higher serum DHA and comparatively lower cervical mucus DHA in PCOS patients may indicate impaired DHA metabolism, slower metabolic processing, or reduced utilization of its active mediators. To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine DHA levels in both serum and cervical mucus in PCOS, highlighting the need for further large-scale studies.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm14248899","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,16]],"date-time":"2025-12-16T14:36:53Z","timestamp":1765895813000},"page":"8899","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Comparison of Serum and Cervical Mucus Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) Levels in Patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Healthy Controls"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5136-2744","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cigdem Can","family":"Bayrak","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University Faculty of Medicine, Rize 53100, T\u00fcrkiye"},{"name":"Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Health Ministry Bucak State Hospital, Burdur 15300, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Bulent","family":"Yilmaz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University Faculty of Medicine, Rize 53100, T\u00fcrkiye"},{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Health Ministry Izmir City Hospital, Izmir 35540, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mehmet","family":"Kagitci","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University Faculty of Medicine, Rize 53100, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2263-8956","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Onur","family":"Ince","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara 06100, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7147-5087","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sibel","family":"Mataraci Karakas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biochemistry, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University Faculty of Medicine, Rize 53100, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4842-1173","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Adnan","family":"Yilmaz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biochemistry, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University Faculty of Medicine, Rize 53100, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"6","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fertnstert.2016.05.003","article-title":"Criteria, prevalence, and phenotypes of polycystic ovary syndrome","volume":"106","author":"Lizneva","year":"2016","journal-title":"Fertil. 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