Early Negative Pregnancy Test Before a Positive – Stats Study
Early Negative Pregnancy Test Before a Positive – Stats StudySource:
http://www.fertilityfriend.com/ffrss/faqrss.xml
Posted on February 6, 2012 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
Archive for Fertility News
Slow Kill Holocaust – Proof the Government is Killing You .01 – Video
30-12-2011 21:35 NEWS Based on FACTS not PROPAGANDA. Playlist has all Videos for easier viewing. Proof that the government is poisoning the population. With their stated goal to reduce population worldwide, the eugenicists who run the world state have resorted to any means to target reproduction and fertility, including the outrageous measures identified in the 1969 Planned Parenthood — World Population memo written by Frederick S. Jaffe. That memo proposes reducing US fertility via postponement of marriage, discouraging tax incentives for parents, encouraged increases in homosexuality, adding fertility control agents to the water supply and encouraging women to work, as well as measures including forced abortion and payments to encourage abortions. Many of these draconian calls for involuntary fertility control reflect some of the most controversial entries in the 1977 Ecoscience volume written by current White House science advisor John P. Holdren and population bomb scare-monger Paul Ehrlich. From Bisphenol-a (BPA), to GMO crops, fluoride in water and countless other toxins slow killing modern society, the elite controllers have intentionally triggered cancer, disease and sterility while trying to mask their attack through “slow” ambient poisons that gradually drag down the masses as they eat factory-produced foods, drink public water and are bombarded by packaging products of all kinds. BPA and other synthetic estrogen-mimickers are particularly harmful, and widely used in food-grade …
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Slow Kill Holocaust – Proof the Government is Killing You .01 – Video
Posted on February 3, 2012 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
New European pill works against uterine fibroids
New research offers hope for the first pill to treat a common problem in young women: fibroids in the uterus. The growths can cause pain, heavy bleeding and fertility problems, and they are the leading cause of hysterectomies.
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New European pill works against uterine fibroids
Posted on February 3, 2012 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
Innovative Product Improves Chances of Conception
It may be surprising to know that 10% of Canadian couples have a difficult time conceiving. By age 30, experts say, a woman's chance of conceiving each month is about 20%, and by the time she reaches the age of 40, it drops to 5%. A new product, called Zestica Fertility, recently approved by Health Canada, is now available to help couples increase their chances of conceiving.Toronto, Ontario …
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Innovative Product Improves Chances of Conception
Posted on February 1, 2012 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
Vitrolife AB (publ): Conference call Year-end report 2011
GÖTEBORG, Sweden–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Regulatory News:
Invitation to attend Vitrolife’s conference call regarding presentation of the Year-end report for 2011. The presentation will be held in English.
Time: Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 10.00 a.m. CET.
Registration can preferably be done in advance under the following link: https://eventreg2.conferencing.com/webportal3/reg.html?Acc=526965&Conf=207356
or shortly before time of the conference starts on:
Sweden dial in number: +46 (0)8 505 201 14
UK dial in number: +44 (0)20 7162 0177
Conference name: Vitrolife, conference ID: 911127
Vitrolife participants:
Thomas Axelsson, acting CEO
Mikael Engblom, CFO
The press release for Vitrolife’s Year-end report will be released at 8.30 CET on the same day.
Before the conference call, slides will be available at the company web page, www.vitrolife.com/sv/Corporate/.
A recorded version of the presentation will be available for seven days on number +46 8 505 203 33 (Sweden) or 020 7031 4064 (UK), access code 911127.
This is a translation of the Swedish version of the press release. When in doubt, the Swedish wording prevails.
Vitrolife is a global biotechnology/medical device Group that has business activities within the areas of fertility and transplantation. The Fertility product area works with nutrient solutions (media), cryopreservation products and advanced consumable instruments such as needles and pipettes, for the treatment of human infertility. There is also business to enable the use and handling of stem cells for therapeutic purposes. The Transplantation product area works with solutions and systems to evaluate and maintain organs outside the body in order to select usable organs and keep them in optimal condition while waiting for transplantation.
Vitrolife today has approximately 220 employees and its products are sold in almost 90 markets. The company is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, and there are offices in USA, Australia, France, Italy, United Kingdom, China and Japan. The Vitrolife share is listed on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm, Small Cap.
Vitrolife AB (publ), Box 9080, SE-400 92 Göteborg, Sweden. Corporate identity number 556354-3452.
Tel: 46 31 721 80 00. Fax: 46 31 721 80 90. E-mail: info@vitrolife.com. Website: www.vitrolife.com/
This information was brought to you by Cision http://www.cisionwire.com
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Vitrolife AB (publ): Conference call Year-end report 2011
Posted on January 31, 2012 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
New Lubricant Designed to Help Couples Get Pregnant
For many couples, rather than being an enjoyable experience, trying to get pregnant can actually become a stressful and even a depressing experience. This is especially true when conception does not occur within the first year of trying. A new product, called Zestica Fertility, recently approved by Health Canada, is now available to help couples increase their chances of conceiving.Toronto …
Excerpt from:
New Lubricant Designed to Help Couples Get Pregnant
Posted on January 31, 2012 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
Testing the water before swimming: satisfying the need for clinical trials of devices, media, and instruments before their use in assisted reproduction laboratories
The steady progress of assisted reproduction technologies (ART) realized significant improvements that increase the chance of delivering healthy offspring to parents suffering with infertility. Developments in ART laboratories, such as the introduction of new devices, instruments, and the evolution of culture media formulations, were crucial to this success. At present, laboratories and ART-related technology are light years from those that existed when the first test-tube babies were born.Source:
http://www.fertstert.org/current.rss
Posted on January 31, 2012 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
Contemporary aspects of male gamete (dys)function: aiming towards optimizing the treatment of fertilization disorders
At its inception, in vitro fertilization (IVF) was a relatively straightforward procedure encompassing the in vitro insemination of surgically retrieved oocytes and the trans-cervical uterine placement of the ensuing embryos with the goal of overcoming tubal infertility. Since that time, IVF has become the ultimate treatment modality for all infertility indications when standard treatments have failed. While IVF has revolutionized our clinical armamentarium, it has also served as a remarkable scientific tool allowing direct visualization of male and female gamete interaction and assessment of human embryo development, thus enabling reproductive specialists to dissect and better understand the early human reproductive processes. In its earliest stages, IVF was directed at the treatment of female infertility focusing on the role of the oocyte, later to be eclipsed by assisted fertilization techniques that revolutionized the treatment of male factor infertility. The advent of assisted fertilization techniques, from the most simplistic approaches to direct sperm injection, has made it possible for suboptimal male gametes to penetrate the oocyte vestments. The latter technique has shed light on the ultimate function of the spermatozoon and the fascinating process of syngamy. Moreover, the ability to temporally monitor the cleaving embryo in vitro has enabled us to ascertain the individual steps involved in the development of the conceptus from syngamy to blastocyst as well as to shed light on hitherto unapproachable infertility etiologies.Source:
http://www.fertstert.org/current.rss
Posted on January 31, 2012 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
Development and current applications of assisted fertilization
Since the very early establishment of in vitro insemination, it became clear that one of the limiting steps is the achievement of fertilization. Among the different assisted fertilization methods, intracytoplasmic sperm injection emerged as the ultimate technique to allow fertilization with ejaculated, epididymal, and testicular spermatozoa. This work describes the early steps that brought forth the development of intracytoplasmic sperm injection and its role in assisted reproductive techniques. The current methods to select the preferential male gamete will be elucidated and the concerns related to the offspring of severe male factor couples will be discussed.Source:
http://www.fertstert.org/current.rss
Posted on January 31, 2012 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
Semen analysis: looking for an upgrade in class
Objective: To review the literature database regarding current methods for diagnosing male subfertility and to critique new testing methods that have the potential to be incorporated as part of routine semen analysis.Design: Literature database review.Setting: None.Patient(s): None.Intervention(s): None.Main Outcome Measure(s): None.Result(s): Methods for performing high quality semen analysis are standardized and clearly presented in the 2010 World Health Organization (WHO) laboratory manual for the examination and processing of human semen. In spite of the fact that lower reference limits contained therein are now evidence-based, debate persists about their clinical value. One test put forth as being additive to the semen analysis is assessment of DNA integrity. However, due to lack of standardized methods and quality control measures, accessibility to instrumentation, and evidence-based reference values for clinical interpretation this test has not become incorporated into the clinical andrology mainstream. Novel tests that probe molecular function have emerged that also have promise for integration into routine clinical semen analysis.Conclusion(s): Semen analysis, when performed according to WHO guidelines, will yield accurate and precise clinical laboratory data on traditional semen parameters. Due to the biological nature of the specimen in question definitive diagnosis of subfertility and its cause(s) remains enigmatic. Novel tests that may be easily standardized for subsequent multi-center, prospective randomized trials need to be integrated so more meaningful clinical diagnoses can be made.Source:
http://www.fertstert.org/current.rss
Posted on January 31, 2012 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
Epigenetics of the male gamete
Objective: To review and summarize the current understanding of the epigenetic status of human sperm in regards to protamination, specific localization and modifications of retained histones, and DNA methylation.Design: Review of the relevant literature.Setting: University-based clinical and research laboratories.Patient(s): Fertile and infertile men.Intervention(s): None.Main Outcome Measure(s): Critical review of the literature.Result(s): Sperm from normospermic, fertile men have epigenetic modifications consistent with gene “poising” at the promoters of genes involved in development, including the localization of retained histones with bivalent histone modifications and hypomethylation of DNA. These epigenetic marks are altered in some patients with abnormal spermatogenesis, and in some men who exhibit unexplained, altered embryogenesis during IVF therapy.Conclusion(s): The sperm epigenome implies a poising of the paternal genome for embryogenesis and a possible role in the establishment of totipotency of the embryo and may help in understanding some causes of reduced fertility and transmission of disease risk.Source:
http://www.fertstert.org/current.rss
Posted on January 31, 2012 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
Human spermatozoal RNAs
Objective: To provide a focused review of the scientific literature pertaining to spermatozoal RNA.Design: Review of the literature and appraisal of relevant articles.Setting: Not applicable.Patient(s): Infertile male.Intervention(s): None.Main Outcome Measure(s): Spermatozoal RNAs as potential epigenetic modifiers in early embryo development and as clinical markers of male infertility.Result(s): The nucleus of mature spermatozoa contains a complex population of mRNAs and miRNAs despite its transcriptionally inert state.Conclusion(s): A specific set of functional RNAs are delivered into oocytes during fertilization and are thought to contribute extragenomically to early embryonic development. Even if spermatozoal RNAs is merely residual, it still has the potential to greatly improve the investigative and diagnostic potential of male infertility.Source:
http://www.fertstert.org/current.rss
Posted on January 31, 2012 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
Increased maternal cardiovascular mortality associated with pregnancy in women with Turner syndrome
In women with Turner syndrome, the risk of death from aortic dissection or rupture during pregnancy may be 2%, and this risk persists during the postpartum period owing to pregnancy-related aortic changes. Turner syndrome is a relative contraindication for pregnancy; however, it is an absolute contraindication for pregnancy in a patient with a documented cardiac anomaly. This document replaces the 2008 document of the same name.Source:
http://www.fertstert.org/current.rss
Posted on January 31, 2012 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
Genome-wide sperm deoxyribonucleic acid methylation is altered in some men with abnormal chromatin packaging or poor in vitro fertilization embryogenesis
Objective: To evaluate genome-wide DNA methylation patterns in sperm from men with abnormal sperm chromatin packaging and patients displaying abnormal embryogenesis after IVF in the absence of known female factors.Design: Case–control study.Setting: University andrology and research laboratory.Patient(s): Men with abnormally high and low protamine 1/protamine 2 ratio (n = 15); patients who have undergone IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection resulting in abnormal embryogenesis (n = 13); and normozoospermic, fertile controls (n = 15).Intervention(s): Genome-wide sperm DNA methylation was measured using the Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation27 BeadChip assay. Follow-up targeted methylation analysis was performed using bisulfite pyrosequencing.Main Outcome Measure(s): Methylation levels at more than 27,000 CpGs genome-wide were compared between groups.Result(s): Of the 43 men analyzed, 40 displayed highly concordant methylation patterns; however, two men with abnormal protamine 1/protamine 2 and one abnormal embryogenesis patient displayed significantly altered methylation patterns across a large number of CpGs. Imprinted regions were more prone to deregulation than the genome at large.Conclusion(s): We have identified three individuals displaying broad disruption of sperm DNA methylation profiles. Although the sample set analyzed is relatively small, these results indicate that broad disruptions in sperm DNA methylation may be an important signature in some infertile men. Functional studies will be necessary to characterize the developmental consequences of such epigenetic disruption.Source:
http://www.fertstert.org/current.rss
Posted on January 31, 2012 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
Superoxide dismutase content in sperm correlates with motility recovery after thawing of cryopreserved human spermatozoa
Objective: To investigate the correlation between sperm superoxide dismutase (SOD) content and motility recovery after thawing of cryopreserved human sperm, based on the rationale that this antioxidant enzyme provides protection against reactive oxygen species-induced damage during cryopreservation.Design: Prospective study.Setting: Private infertility institute and university-based research laboratory.Patient(s): Forty-two consenting normozoospermic patients consulting for infertility.Intervention(s): The SOD content was measured in sperm from unfractionated samples and in sperm recovered from the pellet fraction obtained after discontinuous density gradient centrifugation.Main Outcome Measure(s): Sperm motility was evaluated post-thaw in the two sets of samples and motility recovery was plotted against the sperm SOD content to determine their correlation.Result(s): There was a significant positive correlation between motility recovery after thawing and SOD content in sperm from the 90% gradient pellet containing highly purified mature sperm. There was also a significant negative correlation between motility after thawing and SOD content in the unfractionated sample.Conclusion(s): The positive correlation between post-thaw motility recovery and SOD content in mature spermatozoa provides a good predictor of post-thaw motility recovery after cryopreservation.Source:
http://www.fertstert.org/current.rss
Posted on January 31, 2012 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
The utility and cost of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae screening of a male infertility population
Objective: To determine the utility and cost of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) screening in infertile males.Design: Cohort study.Setting: Canadian tertiary-level male infertility clinic and university-affiliated laboratories.Patient(s): 5,588 male infertility patients.Intervention(s): CT and NG testing on 8,972 urine and semen samples.Main Outcome Measure(s): Prevalence of CT and NG infection in infertile males versus general male population in Canada over 8 years (2003–2010) and the reagent cost to detect one case of CT or NG.Result(s): In infertile males, the prevalence rate for CT and NG was 0.304% and 0.0537%, which was statistically significantly lower (3.4- and 8.1-fold lower, respectively) than the age-adjusted general population prevalence. With the reagents costing $86.20 per patient tested, the reagent cost alone to diagnose one case of CT or NG was $38,669.Conclusion(s): The prevalence of CT and NG in this study are among the lowest reported in the male infertility literature. These findings question the utility of CT/NG screening in this low-risk population and emphasize that decisions about the utility of screening must be based on the prevalence rates of the disease in the studied population.Source:
http://www.fertstert.org/current.rss
Posted on January 31, 2012 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
The management of retrograde ejaculation: a systematic review and update
Objective: To determine the best management of retrograde ejaculation to optimize the chance of conception.Design: Systematic review.Setting: Tertiary reproductive medicine center.Patient(s): Subfertile men with retrograde ejaculation.Method(s): Systematic search of studies using search terms “management” or “therapy” or “treatment” and “retrograde ejaculation.” We excluded case reports and papers not in English.Main Outcome Measure(s): Pregnancy and live birth rates and rates of achievement of antegrade ejaculation.Result(s): Thirty-four studies met our criteria. Studies were mostly observational. Descriptions of predictive and confounding variables were often insufficient. The treatment options included urinary sperm retrieval and medical management with anticholinergics and sympathomimetics. Successful pregnancies and live births were also achieved using surgical techniques and electroejaculation; however, numbers were small.Conclusion(s): Many treatment options exist in the management of retrograde ejaculation; however, current literature is insufficient to allow firm comparisons between interventions. Treatment should be tailored, therefore, to the individual. Our findings support the need for further research in this area—including large randomized controlled trials. However, these would be difficult logistically and may not be possible.Source:
http://www.fertstert.org/current.rss
Posted on January 31, 2012 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
Normal live birth after testicular sperm extraction and intracytoplasmic sperm injection in variant primary ciliary dyskinesia with completely immotile sperm and structurally abnormal sperm tails
Objective: To report on the investigation and fertility management of variant primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD).Design: Case report.Setting: University-affiliated assisted reproductive technologies practice.Patient(s): A 40 year-old man presenting with 12 months’ primary infertility, complete sperm immotility, severe morphologic defects, and moderate sinopulmonary disease.Intervention(s): Electron microscopy (EM) of sperm, nasal cilial function studies, open testis biopsy, and sperm extraction for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).Main Outcome Measure(s): Outcome of ICSI treatment using immotile testicular sperm.Result(s): EM revealed abnormal connecting pieces, shortened midpieces with attenuated mitochondrial sheaths, poorly developed annulus, abnormal outer dense fibers, and axonemes missing the two central mircotubules. Nasal ciliary beat frequency was subnormal and dyssynchronous. Immotile testicular sperm were selected for ICSI based on physical characteristics and fertilized 12 of 18 eggs. A single day-5 blastocyst achieved a normal pregnancy and delivery of a healthy 3,840-g girl at 38 weeks’ gestation.Conclusion(s): Nonclassic PCD may present with structurally abnormal completely immotile sperm, with seemingly little prospect of fertility, and moderate respiratory dysfunction supporting the presence of an underlying ciliopathy. Despite testicular sperm also being immotile and showing profound structural defects that would seem to preclude fertilization, more morphologically normal sperm are capable of establishing a normal pregnancy.Source:
http://www.fertstert.org/current.rss
Posted on January 31, 2012 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
Presence of spermatogonia in 47,XXY men with no spermatozoa recovered after testicular sperm extraction
Objective: To evaluate the presence of spermatogonia in men diagnosed with Klinefelter syndrome (KS), in whom no testicular spermatozoa were recovered by testicular sperm extraction.Design: Retrospective case series.Setting: University hospital.Patient(s): Testicular samples from 22 nonmosaic 47,XXY men, aged 24–43 years, with no spermatozoa at multiple biopsies.Intervention(s): Paraffin-embedded testicular tissue was sectioned and stained with hematoxylin-eosin, and immunostainings were performed for both MAGE-A4 and vimentin.Main Outcome Measure(s): The presence of spermatogonia.Result(s): Massive fibrosis and hyalinization were observed in all men with KS. Spermatogonia were observed in 4 of 22 men with KS, with differentiation up to the spermatocyte level in 2 of them.Conclusion(s): A few men with KS, having no spermatozoa after testicular sperm extraction, still had few spermatogonia. These patients may eventually benefit from in vitro maturation using spermatogonial stem cells. The adult KS population can thus be divided into three subgroups: one subgroup showing focal spermatogenesis, a second having spermatogonia, and a third group in which no germ cells can be recovered. Further research is necessary to unravel the mechanism leading to these different patterns in patients with KS.Source:
http://www.fertstert.org/current.rss
Posted on January 31, 2012 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
Elective single embryo transfer and perinatal outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Objective: To determine whether elective single embryo transfer (eSET) lowers the risk of poor perinatal outcomes associated with IVF, when [1] compared with double embryo transfer (DET) or multiple embryo transfer (MET), and separately, [2] compared with spontaneous conceptions.Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.Setting: Centers for reproductive care.Patient(s): Infertility patients.Intervention(s): MEDLINE, Embase, and bibliographies were searched for the period 1978–2011. Two reviewers independently assessed titles, abstracts, and full studies, extracted data, and assessed quality. Dichotomous data were pooled using relative risks and continuous data with mean differences using a random effects model. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), case–control studies, and cohort studies that examined any of the primary or secondary outcomes in singleton, twin, or multiple-order infants conceived by eSET as compared with [1] those conceived by DET or MET or [2] spontaneously conceived singleton gestations were included.Main Outcome Measure(s): Primary outcomes were preterm birth (PTB, <37 weeks’ gestation) and low birth weight (LBW, <2,500 g).Result(s): Sixteen studies were included (eight RCTs, eight cohort studies). Compared with DET-conceived infants, eSET-conceived singletons were less likely to be born either preterm (RCT-based relative risk [RR] 0.37, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.25–0.55) or with LBW (RCT-based RR 0.25, 95% CI 0.15–0.45; cohort study RR 0.51, 95% CI 0.29–0.91). However, compared with spontaneously conceived singletons, eSET gestations had higher risks of PTB (RR 2.13, 95% CI 1.26–3.61), placenta previa (RR 6.02, 95% CI 2.79–13.01), gestational diabetes (RR 1.69, 95% CI 1.19–2.42), and ectopic pregnancy (RR 6.40, 95% CI 4.38–9.35).Conclusion(s): Elective single embryo transfer is associated with decreased risks of PTB and LBW compared with DET but higher risks of PTB compared with spontaneously conceived singletons.Source:
http://www.fertstert.org/current.rss
Posted on January 31, 2012 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
Selection of high-potential embryos by culture in poly(dimethylsiloxane) microwells and time-lapse imaging
Objective: To assess the developmental kinetics of human embryos and their ability to develop to morphologically normal blastocysts.Design: Experimental study on human embryos donated for research using a time-lapse imaging system based on individual embryo culture in poly(dimethylsiloxane) microwells and monitored using a microscope inside the incubator.Setting: Private fertility clinic.Patient(s): Surplus embryos donated by couples after undergoing fertility treatment.Intervention(s): None.Main Outcome Measure(s): Blastocyst score and times required from beginning to completion of the second and third mitotic divisions.Result(s): The time required for completion of the second division (the three- to four-cell stage) was shorter in embryos that developed to high-scoring blastocysts (0.7 hours, n = 17) than in those forming low-scoring blastocysts (3.7 hours, n = 24). Similarly, the mean time required to completion of the third division (five- to eight-cell stage) was also significantly shorter in embryos forming high-scoring blastocysts (5.7 hours) than among those forming low-scoring blastocysts (16.9 hours).Conclusion(s): Individual embryos with the potential to develop to high-scoring blastocysts could be selected at 2–3 days of culture using this system by examining the times required to complete the second and third mitotic divisions.Source:
http://www.fertstert.org/current.rss
Posted on January 31, 2012 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
Developmental potential of embryos from intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles containing fragmented oocytes
Objective: To determine the incidence of fragmented oocytes in intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles, describe the developmental potential of their sibling oocytes, and define clinical outcomes from affected cycles.Design: Case-control study.Setting: Academic medical center.Patient(s): All ICSI cycles from January 2006 to December 2010 (n = 2,844) were reviewed for the presence of fragmented oocytes at cumulus stripping or fertilization check (n = 93). Sibling oocytes and corresponding embryos from index cycles were compared with matched control cycles without fragmented oocytes.Intervention(s): None.Main Outcome Measure(s): Cycle characteristics, embryo quality, and pregnancy rates per retrieval.Result(s): The incidence of ICSI cycles containing at least one fragmented oocyte was 3.3% (93/2,844). Twelve patients were represented more than once in these 93 index cycles. Only the first cycles (n = 81) were included, of which 28 contained fragmented oocytes at cumulus stripping, 48 at fertilization check, and five at both. Compared with matched controls, index cycles had fewer good-quality embryos available for transfer (18.8% vs. 32.1%) and significantly lower rates of implantation (20.3% vs. 32.7%), clinical pregnancy (33.3% vs. 58.0%), and ongoing delivery (29.6% vs. 49.4%). The cumulative ongoing delivered rate was also significantly lower for index cycles (32.1% vs. 55.6%), with no difference in the percentage of cycles with cryopreserved embryos remaining at study conclusion (13.5% vs. 23.5%).Conclusion(s): Cohorts containing fragmented oocytes have decreased developmental potential. The biologic mechanisms underlying this occurrence merit further investigation, and patient counseling should reflect the possible decreased success rates associated with this aberrant developmental pattern.Source:
http://www.fertstert.org/current.rss
Posted on January 31, 2012 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
Vaginal (Crinone 8%) gel vs. intramuscular progesterone in oil for luteal phase support in in vitro fertilization: a large prospective trial
Objective: To compare the efficacy of intravaginal and IMP for luteal phase support in IVF cycles.Design: Prospective trial.Setting: Tertiary care private practice.Patient(s): Women 25–44 years old with infertility necessitating treatment with IVF. From April 1, 2008–April 1, 2009, 511 consecutive patients were enrolled; 474 completed participation, and 37 were excluded for no autologous ET (freeze all, donor recipients, failed fertilization/cleavage). There were no demographic differences between the two treatment groups.Intervention(s): Luteal phase support using either Crinone or P in oil starting 2 days following oocyte retrieval.Main Outcome Measure(s): Pregnancy and delivery rates stratified by patient age.Result(s): Overall, patients who received vaginal P had higher pregnancy (70.9% vs. 64.2%) and delivery (51.7% vs. 45.4%) rates than did patients who received IMP. Patients <35 who received vaginal P had significantly higher delivery rates (65.7% vs. 51.1%) than did patients who received IMP. There were no differences, regardless of age, in the rates of biochemical pregnancy, miscarriage, or ectopics.Conclusion(s): In younger patients undergoing IVF, support of the luteal phase with Crinone produces significantly higher pregnancy rates than does IMP. Crinone and IMP appear to be equally efficacious in the older patient.Source:
http://www.fertstert.org/current.rss
Posted on January 31, 2012 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
Effect of maternal height and weight on risk of preterm birth in singleton and twin births resulting from in vitro fertilization: a retrospective cohort study using the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology Clinic Outcome Reporting System
Objective: To examine the effect of height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) on the risk of preterm birth of singleton and twin pregnancies conceived by vitro fertilization (IVF).Design: Retrospective cohort study using 2006–2008 data from the Society for Reproductive Technology Clinic Outcome Reporting System (SART CORS).Setting: SART-associated assisted reproductive technology programs.Patient(s): 56,556 singleton and 23,804 twin live births resulting from fresh nondonor IVF cycles.Intervention(s): None.Main Outcome Measure(s): Rates of very early preterm (VEPTB; <28 weeks), very preterm (VPTB; <32 weeks), and preterm birth (<37 weeks) births.Result(s): In both singleton and twin births, increased maternal height was associated with a decreased risk of preterm birth. Maternal overweight and obesity were associated with significantly increased risk of VEPTB and VPTB in twin pregnancies. For very obese women (BMI > 35 kg/m2) twins were associated with a threefold increased risk of VEPTB (6.1% vs. 2.0%) and a twofold increased risk of VPTB (11.5% vs. 5.9%) compared with women of normal weight (BMI 18.4–24.9 kg/m2).Conclusion(s): Obesity and short stature significantly increase the risk of VEPTB and VPTB in twins conceived by IVF.Source:
http://www.fertstert.org/current.rss
Posted on January 31, 2012 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
A cost-effectiveness analysis of surgical versus medical management of early pregnancy loss
Objective: To determine the cost-effectiveness of medical and surgical management of early pregnancy loss.Design: Analyses of cost, effectiveness, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios and utilities of a multicenter trial with 652 women with first-trimester pregnancy failure randomized to medical or surgical management.Setting: Analysis of data from a multicenter trial.Patient(s): Secondary analysis of a multicenter trial.Intervention(s): Cost-effectiveness analysis.Main Outcome Measure(s): Cost and effectiveness of competing treatment strategies.Result(s): Cost analysis of treatment demonstrates an increased cost of US$336 for 13% increased efficacy of surgical management. This analysis was sensitive to the probability of an extra office visit, the cost of the visit, and the probability of success. When the surgical arm is divided into outpatient manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) versus inpatient electric vacuum aspiration (EVA), there is an increased cost of $745 for EVA but a decreased cost of $202 for MVA compared with medical management. In general, MVA was found to be more cost-effective than medical management. For treatment of incomplete or inevitable abortion, medical management was found to be less costly and more efficacious. Utilities studies demonstrated that a patient would need to prefer surgery 14% less than medication for its treatment efficacy to be outweighed by the desire to avoid surgery.Conclusion(s): Surgical or medical management of early pregnancy failure can be cost effective, depending on the circumstances. Surgery is cost effective and more efficacious when performed in an outpatient setting. For incomplete or inevitable abortion, medical management is cost effective and more efficacious.Source:
http://www.fertstert.org/current.rss
Posted on January 31, 2012 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink