FIGURE 6.

Hyaluronan (HA) levels are decreased in follicular fluid of reproductively older women, and HA polydispersity demonstrates enrichment of low‐molecular mass HA irrespective of age. (a) HA levels demonstrated an age‐dependent decrease in follicular fluid of women undergoing infertility treatment (n = 10 for <34 years, n = 10 for 36–38 years, n = 9 for >39 years group). (b) The weighted average molecular mass of HA displayed a trend toward lower size in follicular fluid of reproductively young women (n = 10 for <34 years and n = 9 for >39 years group). The box extends from the 25th to 75th percentiles, and the whiskers go from the minimum to the maximum value. (c) HA polydispersity analysis plotted as a frequency distribution histogram demonstrated the enrichment of low‐molecular mass HA in both age groups (n = 10 for <34 years and n = 9 for >39 years group). Data are represented as mean ± SD. One‐way ANOVA test followed by Tukey's multiple‐comparison tests was used to compare HA levels across age groups. Column bars with different letterheads are significantly different from each other. Two‐sided Student's t‐test was used to compare weighted average molecular mass. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.