BACKGROUND In a randomized controlled study aiming to test the effectiveness of preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) in women of advanced maternal age, embryos diagnosed as chromosomally abnormal and those with no diagnosis were fixed for reanalysis. The aim of this study was to determine how well the chromosomal constitution of one biopsied blastomere reflects the status of...
BACKGROUND Couples undergoing preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) have a different background and set of treatment characteristics to couples undergoing regular IVF or ICSI. The aim of this study was to analyse the cumulative reproductive outcome of a large cohort of couples undergoing PGD in relation to a number of explanatory variables potentially affecting the prognosis...
BACKGROUND Monozygotic (MZ) twin pregnancies are associated with increased perinatal mortality and morbidity, and risk of congenital anomalies. The causes of MZ twinning in humans are unclear but the incidence may increase after PGD, for example, as a result of holes created in the zona pellucida. We compared the incidence of MZ twin pregnancies in ICSI cycles with PGD, versus...
BACKGROUND The sex ratio in the USA has declined over recent decades, resulting in fewer male births. Concurrent changes in the childbearing population may have influenced the sex ratio, including increases in multiple births, improvements in perinatal survival and increased Hispanic births. METHODS Data from the US natality files (1981–2006) were analyzed to determine the impact...
BACKGROUND No data are currently available regarding kinetics of human endometrial steroid receptors in stimulated cycles. METHODS In 31 patients (age <39 years) stimulated with gonadotrophins and GnRH antagonists for intrauterine insemination (IUI) an endometrial biopsy was performed on the first day after the end of menstruation and a second biopsy was performed two (Group 0...
BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between thyroid function, reflected by thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels, and insulin resistance (IR) in 337 women suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). METHODS Clinical, metabolic and endocrine parameters were obtained and an oral glucose tolerance test was performed, with calculation of IR...
BACKGROUND GnRH-antagonist protocols shorten the treatment period and reduce inconvenience for IVF patients. This randomised controlled trial (RCT) further explored whether low-dose hCG can be used clinically to replace recombinant FSH (rFSH) during the late follicular phase in a GnRH-antagonist protocol. METHODS Seventy ICSI patients undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation...
BACKGROUND The purpose of this prospective observational study was to evaluate the association between estradiol (E2) levels on the day of human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) administration and pregnancy rates in a recombinant FSH (rec-FSH) antagonist fixed protocol. METHODS A group of 207 patients (≤39 years of age), treated by IVF/ICSI, received 200 IU/day rec-FSH from Day 2 of...
BACKGROUND Adiponectin is involved in the regulation of energy homeostasis and more recently in the reproductive functions. We have previously shown that adiponectin receptors (AdipoR1 and AdipoR2) are expressed in human granulosa cells. However, it remains to be investigated whether both AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 or only one of these receptors serve as the major receptor(s) for...
BACKGROUND Galectin-3 (gal-3) is a β-galactoside-binding protein which can be detected in endometrium. The study was designed to investigate synergism of gal-3 and integrinβ3 in endometrial cell proliferation and adhesion in an in vitro model of endometrial receptivity. METHODS The RL95-2 cell line was employed as an in vitro model for receptive endometrium. Cells transfected...
BACKGROUND Recent studies suggest a role for luteinizing hormone and human chorionic gonadotrophin receptor (LH/hCGR) signalling in the regulation of the oocyte–cumulus oophorus cell interplay. The present study aimed at assessing the LH/hCGR gene expression in cumulus cells (CCs) surrounding oocytes in patients undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COS) before ICSI and...
BACKGROUND Glycodelin-C is a glycodelin isoform isolated from the cumulus matrix. It stimulates spermatozoa–zona pellucida binding. Here, we report the isolation and characterization of a novel glycodelin interacting protein (GIP) from human cumulus matrix. METHODS GIP was purified by liquid chromatograph and identified by mass spectrometry. The interaction of GIP with glycodelin...
BACKGROUND This study examined the ability of cryopreserved whole ovine ovaries to resume function in vivo following autotransplantation. METHODS Swaledale ewes had their left ovaries removed and either perfused but not cryopreserved (n = 4; control), or perfused and cryopreserved (n = 8; cryopreserved) before autotransplantation sub-cutaneously to the neck by microvascular...
BACKGROUND Serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels decrease early during the transition to menopause and women with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1) experience menopause at a younger age. We hypothesized that older women with DM1 will have lower AMH levels than controls. METHODS We studied ovarian function in women with DM1 (n = 66) and healthy controls (n = 58), all <45 years...
BACKGROUND Attachment style may influence distress and relationship satisfaction in infertile couples. Appraisal and coping have also been linked to adjustment to infertility and may be related to attachment patterns. The study examined these associations in men and women around the time of attending initial appointments at fertility clinics. METHODS Attachment, appraisal, coping...
BACKGROUND Recent years have seen a growing interest in the impact of infertility on reproductive health in developing countries. Most of the research which has addressed the psychosocial consequences of infertility in African countries has been qualitative in nature and focused on women. It was the aim of this study to assess psychological distress quantitatively in men...
BACKGROUND The present study investigates anticipated support and perceived appreciation as well as perceived negative aspects of social relations as determinants of the incidence of severe depressive symptoms among women and men in unsuccessful fertility treatment. METHODS A prospective cohort study of consecutively recruited, new couples in fertility treatment completed...
BACKGROUND Higher rates of admission to residential early parenting services (REPSs) after assisted conception compared with spontaneous conception have been reported. The aim of this study was to characterize early post-partum psychological functioning and the rate of, and risks factors for, admission to REPSs in women conceiving with assisted reproductive technology (ART) in...