Figure 3. ART alters cholesterol and progesterone levels in the murine maternal-placental-fetal unit.
A-C) ART lowers cholesterol in the maternal livers and leads to its higher clearance in the placenta. D-F) ART affects progesterone levels in maternal and fetal livers and leads to its higher clearance across the placenta. * = P < 0.05, ** = P < 0.01, *** = P < 0.001 vs. normal reproduction except where indicated by a line, then significance is between indicated bars. Bars are means ± SD for maternal livers, n = 3 each. Bars are means ± SEM for placenta (n = 20, n = 30 and n = 21 for normal reproduction, IVF and ICSI, respectively) and fetal livers (n = 26, n = 35 and n = 25 for normal reproduction, IVF and ICSI, respectively). Where there are less placentas and fetal livers tested for estrogenic hormones than those produced, this was due to sample processing and loss.