Pregnancy and Birth

Uteroplacental Bleeding Disorders During Pregnancy: Do Missing Paternal Characteristics Influence Risk?

Patients suffering from diseased and injured organs may be treated with transplanted organs. However, there is a severe shortage of donor organs which is worsening yearly due to the aging population. Scientists in the field of tissue engineering apply the principles of cell transplantation, materials science, and bioengineering to construct biological substitutes that will restore and maintain normal function in diseased and injured tissues.

Molecular Mechanisms in Uterine Epithelium during Trophoblast Binding:The Role of Small GTPase RhoA in Human Uterine Ishikawa Cells

The sperm penetration assay (SPA) is used to predict the fertilizing capacity of sperm. Thus, some programs rely on SPA scores to formulate insemination plans in conjunction with in-vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if a relationship exists between SPA scores and polyspermy rates during conventional IVF cycles.

About 30–40% of male infertility is due to unknown reasons. Genetic contributions to the disruption of spermatogenesis are suggested and amongst the genetic factors studied, Y chromosome microdeletions represent the most common one. Screening for microdeletions in AZFa, b and c region of Y chromosome showed a big variation among different studies.

The publication of a report in Nature in 2004 by the Tilly group suggesting that mouse ovaries are capable of generating oocytes de novo post-natally, has sparked interest in a problem long thought to have been resolved from classical studies in a variety of mammalian species.

The safety and tolerability of a new highly purified, urine-derived human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG) preparation [Menopur(R)] was compared with a currently available hMG [Repronex (R)] in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Central to any consideration of techniques in the IVF lab is the quality of the gametes that the lab has to work with. Usually there is little opportunity to modify the basic quality of sperm, however, the oocyte is a direct biological end product of ovarian super-ovulation as commonly conducted in human IVF therapy.

Plasma Homocysteine, Fasting Insulin, and Serum Androgens as a Function of Sonographic Ovarian Features in Women Feferred for Infertility Assessement

The first thing that usually comes to mind when people hear the term, "infertility treatment," is the risk of multiple births. This worry has been fueled by the recent highly publicized multiple births in Iowa and Texas.

Suppose you want to find a good website about gynaecology and/or obstetrics and you try the search engine Google, you will get 1,060,000 hits for gynaecology and 1,260,000 for obstetrics. Both give as the first link www.obgyn.net, ‘the Universe of Women’s Health’.

When a graafian follicle ruptures to release an oocyte, it is transformed into a corpus luteum. The corpus luteum is lined by a layer of granulose cells which rapidly become vascularized; some of these thin-walled vessels can rupture. This causes bleeding into the corpus luteum, resulting in the formation of a hemorrhagic cyst of the ovary.

In 1935 Drs Stein and Leventhal described 7 women with irregular periods (oligomenorrhea), increased body hair (hirsutism) and obesity, who at the time of surgery were found to have enlarged ovaries with a smooth "pearly white" appearance.

The purpose of this study is to determine if low-dose aspirin improved ovarian stimulation, endometrial response, or IVF pregnancy rates in our program.

Dutch researchers find first evidence that female human embryos adjust the balance of X chromosomes before implantation in the womb. Results have implications for in vitro fertilisation and embryonic stem cell research

Ultra-fast freezing of ovarian tissue from women who have lost their fertility as a result of cancer treatment can lead to it being used in transplants with the same success rate as fresh tissue, a researcher told the 25th annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.

For the first time, researchers have been able to identify genetic predictors of the potential success or failure of IVF treatment in blood. Dr. Cathy Allen, from the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, Ireland, told the 25th annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology today (Wednesday 1 July) that her research would help understand why IVF works for some patients but not for others.

Ms Vanneste and her team studied each cell from 23 three or four day-old IVF embryos from young (less than 35 years old), fertile couples who had asked for preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). PGD is carried out where one or both parents have a known genetic abnormality, in this case an X-linked disorder or the microdeletions (loss of a tiny piece of a chromosome) that can cause such disorders as the cancer predisposition syndrome neurofibromatosis type 1.

Twin deliveries after assisted reproductive technology (ART) have fallen below 20% for the first time in Europe according to the tenth report summarising data on ART in Europe, which was presented at the 25th annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Amsterdam today (Wednesday).

Survivors of childhood cancer run particular risks when pregnant and should be closely monitored, the 25th annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology heard today (Wednesday 1 July). Dr. Sharon Lie Fong, of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Erasmus MC University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, said that, although such women may have conceived spontaneously and considered themselves to be perfectly healthy, their deliveries should always take place in a hospital.

Making decisions is often one of the most difficult tasks you will face as an infertile couple. Should we stop treatment ? Should we consider adoption ? Should we switch doctors ? Should we move on to IVF ? How many embryos should we transfer ? Should we ask for an assisted hatch or a blastocyst transfer ?

The right to have a baby is something most of us take for granted , and we often lose sight of the fact that 1 in 10 married couples will not be able to have the child they want. Infertility is a very common problem , and if you stop to think about it, you will realize that you know at least one person who is infertile amongst your own group of friends or relatives. However, it remains one of those taboo topics which no one wants to talk about, even though it interferes with one of the most fundamental and highly valued human activities - building a family.

IVF and related assisted reproductive technologies (ART) offer great hope to infertile couples the world over. Because these techniques are so expensive, however, they are out of the reach of the vast majority of couples, and especially those in the developing world. This is because IVF programmes are too technology-intensive at present - anything which is complicated is bound to be expensive.

Some couples worry that a test tube baby is "weak" or abnormal (and others still believe that the child is grown in a test tube for 9 months and then handed over to the parents!). Fortunately, with increasing awareness, many couples now know that there is nothing "artificial" about a test tube baby.

Given the fact that IVF is still more of an art than a science; that “luck” still plays a very important role; and that we still cannot predict who will get pregnant when, you are likely to be completely confused by conflicting information and contradictory opinions . Whom can you trust? How can you decide? And the fact that you and your spouse may have completely different priorities and opinion can make a bad situation even worse!