This review focuses on genetic and environmental influences that result in long term alterations in lung structure and function. Environmental factors operating during fetal and early postnatal life can have persistent effects on lung development and so influence lung function and respiratory health throughout life. Common factors affecting the quality ...

Two recent meta-analyses claim that abortion leads to a deterioration in mental health. Previous reviews concluded that the mental health outcomes following an unwanted pregnancy are much the same whether the woman gives birth or terminates the pregnancy, although there is an increased mental health risk with an unwanted pregnancy. ...

Objective: To provide practical guidance for psychiatrists asked to conduct an assessment of a woman requesting a termination of pregnancy. Method: The law relevant to termination of pregnancy in each of the Australian states and territories and in New Zealand was synthesised and reviewed, as was the available literature around ...

Objective: Pregnancy has been reported to be an independent risk factor for 50% of acute aortic dissections recorded in women younger than 45 years of age. The present epidemiologic study aimed to identify whether this putative association of pregnancy and acute type A dissection could be an artifact of selective ...

To determine the clinical relevance of obtaining antral follicle counts (AFC) before ovarian stimulation in an IVF program. Retrospective cohort study. An IVF program in a large academic teaching hospital. A total of 1,049 stimulated IVF cycles in 734 subjects between September 2003 and December 2007 selected from our program's ...

Pregnancy and congenitally bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) are thought to be risk factors for aortic dissection; however, the population-based risk for patients with the 2 risk factors remains unknown. We investigated the relation between pregnancy and ascending aortic events in women with congenital BAV living in Olmsted County, Minnesota. Our ...

Attempting to compare the rates of premature luteinization (PL), clinical pregnancy, and cycle cancellation in ovulation induction-intrauterine insemination (OI-IUI) cycles with and without the GnRH antagonist, cetrorelix, a randomized-controlled trial was undertaken in which patients were randomized to one of two OI-IUI protocols. Those in the cetrorelix arm showed a ...

To analyze the impact of LH administration on cycle outcome in ovarian stimulation with GnRH antagonists. Randomized, open-label, controlled trial performed in two age subgroups. Recombinant (r) FSH versus rFSH + rLH administration was compared. University-affiliated private infertility clinic. Up to 35 years old (n = 380) and aged 36 ...

Relationships between follicular fluid levels of IL-6 with ovarian response and clinical pregnancy were evaluated in IVF-ET cycles. Follicular fluid was collected from ovarian follicles ≥ 14 mm, pooled for each patient, and IL-6 levels were assessed using ELISA (n = 68). Relationships between IL-6 levels and IVF cycle parameters were assessed using nonparametric ...

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) administration for the induction of oocyte maturation during in vitro fertilization treatment is effective in the prevention of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). However, some studies have reported a lower ongoing pregnancy rate after GnRHa trigger. The excellent conception rates reported in recipients receiving embryos originating from ...

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) trigger instead of human chorionic gonadotropin in the context of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) prevention has been used for >20 years. In its first decade it did not gain popularity because it cannot work in GnRHa-based ovarian stimulation protocols. The introduction of GnRH antagonists has revolutionized ...

To investigate the effects of endometrial thickness measurements and serum hormone levels on the outcomes of GnRH antagonist down-regulated ICSI cycles. Forty consecutive infertile women undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation with recombinant FSH and GnRH antagonists for ICSI were enrolled in this study. All patient's age, day 3 FSH, antral follicle ...

The association between tenaculum application to the cervix just before embryo transfer and lower pregnancy rate has been reported. However, studies on the use of tenaculum in intrauterine insemination (IUI) cycles are not available. This study attempted to investigate whether the use of tenaculum affects the clinical outcomes of IUI. ...

Monitoring assisted reproductive technology (ART) is essential to evaluate the performance of fertility treatment and its impact on birth rates. In Europe, there are two kinds of ART registers: voluntary and mandatory. The validity of register data is very important with respect to the quality of register-based observational studies. The ...

Domestic dogs are monoestrous, typically non-seasonal, polytocous, spontaneous ovulators and have a spontaneous luteal phase slightly longer (by approx 5 day) than the 64±1day luteal phases of a 65±1day pregnancy, a phase followed by an obligate anestrus before the next 2-3 week "heat" (proestrus-estrus). The resulting inter-estrus intervals of 5-12 ...

To examine and compare the effect of the two commercially available menotropins (highly purified-human menopausal gonadotropin (HP-hMG) and the traditional human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG)) on ovarian stimulation characteristics and in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) cycle outcome. We studied 36 patients undergoing at least two controlled ovarian hyperstimulation cycles for IVF, with the ...

To review current non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic options for ovulation induction in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This guideline reviews the evidence for the various options for ovulation induction in PCOS. Ovulation, pregnancy and live birth rates, risks, and side effects are the outcomes of interest. Published literature was retrieved ...

To evaluate the role of ovarian reserve tests for the prediction of miscarriage among pregnancies resulting from assisted reproduction treatment. Cohort study in a large IVF centre. Three hundred and fourteen women aged <43 years with basal FSH <12 IU/L who conceived following their first cycle of IVF/ICSI were included. ...

Background. A 2:1 (150 IU:75 IU) follitropin alfa:lutropin alfa formulation has been developed. A 3-year post-marketing surveillance study is ongoing in Germany to explore the use of this formulation in routine clinical practice. Materials and methods. An 11-month interim analysis of data from assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles only is described. Results. Data ...

Immunohistochemical staining for human prolyl hydroxylase revealed intense staining of the human corpora lutea (CL) parencyma during early pregnancy compared with those in the menstrual cycle. These results suggest that human prolyl hydroxylase might play an important role in determining the physiology and structure of the CL during the menstrual ...

The 10th report of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) PGD Consortium is presented, documenting cycles collected for the calendar year 2007 and follow-up of the pregnancies and babies born until October 2008 which resulted from these cycles. Since the beginning of the data collections there has ...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the contribution of different subfertility treatments to the number of multiple pregnancies in a subfertile population. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study between January 2002 and December 2006. SETTING: A subfertility clinic in a large regional training hospital in the Netherlands. POPULATION: A total of 1,001 continuing pregnancies, ...

The gene expression of human endometrium on the day of oocyte retrieval of pregnant and nonpregnant patients in a stimulated IVF cycle was compared in two independent groups with different GnRH-antagonist ovarian stimulation protocols. The present data suggest that increased gene expression of cyclooxygenase-2, together with the expression of other ...

To assess salivary stress biomarkers (cortisol and α-amylase) and female fecundity. Prospective cohort design. United Kingdom. 274 women aged 18 to 40 years who were attempting pregnancy. Observation for six cycles or until pregnancy: women collected basal saliva samples on day 6 of each cycle, and used fertility monitors to ...

To evaluate the effects of three different luteal phase support protocols on pregnancy and implantation rates, as well as luteal phase hormone profile in intracytoplasmic sperm injection-ET cycles. A prospective, randomized study. A tertiary teaching and research hospital. Two hundred eighty-eight patients who were undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection with a ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Letrozole, an aromatase inhibitor, is the newest addition to our armamentarium in the treatment of infertility. It is utilized in much the same way as clomiphene citrate, but with some additional benefits. In this review, the latest studies will be summarized with emphasis on dose, duration of ...

OBJECTIVE: To test whether the clinical efficiency of recombinant FSH (rFSH) and highly purified human menotrophin (hMG) differs in terms of pregnancy and live birth rates during the first treatment cycle of IVF or ICSI. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Rikshospitalet, Oslo University Hospital. STUDY ...

To compare the clinical outcomes of a vitrified blastocyst stage embryo transfer (ET) program among natural, ovulation induced and artificial cycles. The clinical outcomes were retrospectively analyzed in three groups according to endometrial preparation (natural cycle group [n = 34], ovulation induced [n = 21], and artificial cycles [n = ...

To determine the relationship between number of fertility treatment cycles and pregnancy rates. Prospective cohort study. Eight community and academic infertility practices. Four hundred eight (408) couples presenting for an infertility evaluation. Face-to-face and telephone interviews and questionnaires. Incidence of pregnancy. Cox regression analysis compared the efficacy of cycle-based fertility ...

There are different funding arrangements for fertility treatments between New Zealand (NZ) and Australia. In NZ, there are two options for patients accessing treatment: either meeting specified criteria for age, no smoking and BMI for publicly funding or funding their own treatment. This differs from Australia, which has no explicit ...

This study is designed to compare the results of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and tubal factor disorders. This was a cohort study performed in Royan Institute from 2007 to 2009. For this evaluation, 183 patients with PCOS and 183 patients with tubal factor (control group), ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of the flare-up agonist and the antagonist protocols in patients with poor prognosis for ovarian response. METHODS: A randomised trial was conducted on two hundred and twenty-one women considered as having poor prognosis for ovarian response to stimulation, based on previous cycles or clinical criteria. ...

The aim of this study was to measure circulating and intrafollicular concentrations of three inflammatory cytokines from women undergoing ovarian stimulation in order to determine their prognostic value in the outcome of intracytoplasmic sperm injection/embryo transfer cycles. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 72 women following ovarian stimulation and intracytoplasmic ...

OBJECTIVE: To examine leading follicle size on human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) day and pregnancy rate in anovulatory polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients treated with clomiphene citrate (CC). DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Fertility clinics in women's health centers. PATIENTS: Data on 291 infertile women with PCOS and irregular cycles who ...

This pilot study evaluated the effects of coadministration of metformin with clomiphene citrate (CC) and human menopausal gonadotrophin (HMG) in women with CC-resistant polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Sixty women with PCOS were randomly assigned to receive 3 months' treatment with metformin or placebo together with CC and HMG. Transvaginal ultrasound ...

To compare the effect of letrozole with laparoscopic ovarian diathermy (LOD) for ovulation induction in clomiphene citrate (CC) resistant women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Two hundred and sixty anovulatory women with CC-resistant PCOS were selected in this randomized controlled trial. Group A (n = 128) received 2.5 mg letrozole daily for 5 days ...

Aim.?To compare the effect of combined metformin?clomiphene citrate (CC) with highly purified urinary FSH (HP-uFSH) for ovulation induction in CC-resistant women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Methods.?One-hundred fifty-three anovulatory women with CC-resistant PCOS were selected in this randomised controlled trial. Patients received combined metformin?CC (n?=?75, 205 cycles) or HP-uFSH (n?=?78, ...

To determine optimal management with one or two mature follicles after stimulation. Retrospective analysis. Lister fertility clinic. A total of 1,350 IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles (7.3% of total) during 1998-2009 were found to have one or two mature follicles. Group 1 (n = 807) comprised those who proceeded to vaginal ...

To our knowledge, this is the first analysis in which male and female weights have been combined. The registry dataset covering a 12-year period was analysed for all treatment cycles where an embryo transfer was reported. In all, 706,360 cycles were analysed. Treatments include IVF, ICSI, IVF/ICSI and CPE. The ...

Aim. To determine if endometrial trauma during embryo transfer trials (ETTs) improves implantation and clinical pregnancy rates in intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment cycles. Patients. One-hundred fifty women undergoing their first IVF treatment were included in a prospective randomised study in a University hospital clinic. ETTs were performed either on day 21 of ...

To compare a strategy of two cycles of intrauterine insemination with controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (IUI/COH) vs one in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment programme (one fresh plus associated frozen embryo cycles) in couples presenting with unexplained, mild male or mild female subfertility. A retrospective cohort design was used and analysed according ...

OBJECTIVE: To report an ongoing pregnancy after in vitro fertilization (IVF) with ovarian stimulation using a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist that resulted in two waves of follicular growth. DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: University of Toronto affiliated infertility clinic. PATIENT(S): A 33-year-old woman with a 3-year history of secondary infertility. INTERVENTION(S): ...

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonists have reduced the incidence of severe ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome (OHSS) and rate of hospitalization due to severe OHSS, especially in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) patients. The present study aimed to compare the outcomes of patients with PCOS undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) with GnRH agonist ...

To compare patterns of luteal phase bleeding (LPB) in IVF cycles supplemented with Crinone and with intramuscular progesterone (IMP) and to evaluate the impact of luteal estrogen supplementation on LPB. Prospective, randomized trial and post hoc analysis. University-affiliated IVF unit. Women under age 40 with day 3 FSH <15 mIU/mL ...

Previous studies of hormone patterns after clinical miscarriage suggest reduced pituitary function. Hormonal effects of very early pregnancy loss (before 6 weeks gestation) have not been described. We used within-woman differences between menstrual cycles in urinary hormone measurements from women in the North Carolina Early Pregnancy Study to describe hormonal ...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the significance of converting an IVF stimulation cycle with poor ovarian response to an IUI cycle. Between January and December 2007, 47 cycles of IVF conversion to IUI were retrospectively studied in 44 infertile women who had a low response to ovarian ...

To compare the efficacy of metformin and clomiphene citrate (CC) therapies for ovulation induction in anovulatory infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). A total of 69 consecutive infertile, anovulatory women with PCOS were enrolled in this prospective, non-randomized trial. The women were prescribed either 1,700 mg/day metformin or CC ...

To evaluate the role of Anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) in predicting cumulative pregnancy outcome during in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. Serum AMH levels on day 6 of ovarian stimulation were taken from 180 women undergoing IVF with or without intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The main outcome measures were ongoing pregnancy in the ...

Antral follicle count (AFC) is used as a marker of ovarian response. We assessed its value in predicting pregnancy outcomes in ovum donation cycles by retrospective review. Oocyte donors (n = 94) underwent ovarian hyperstimulation using rFSH and GnRH-antagonists. Recipients were synchronized using GnRH-agonist down-regulation followed by fixed dose of ...

Female patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) often experience cutaneous deterioration associated with their pregnancy or menstrual cycle. We wanted to determine the prevalence of symptom aggravation as related to pregnancy and the menstrual cycle in female patients with AD. One hundred female patients with AD were included in the study ...