Research question Is live birth of patients with excessive slow (no blastocyst on day 5) and fast mitotic rate (full blastocyst development on day 4) comparable to a matched control standard (blastocyst formation on day 5)? Design In this retrospective matched (age and AMH) case-control study rates of fertilization, blastulation, implantation, clinical pregnancy and live birth were compared in couples

Research Question : To examine the motivations, life circumstances, and parenthood aspirations of a cohort of women who underwent planned oocyte cryopreservation (POC) at a Canadian academic IVF centre. Design : This was a single-site, cross-sectional, anonymous quantitative study using a study-specific questionnaire administrated via SurveyMonkey®. Of the 224 women who completed at least one POC cycle

Research question Can luteolysis-targeted drugs, gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist (GnRH-ant), mifepristone, and letrozole, administered separately or in combination, prevent the progression of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) in a rat model? Design 36 female Wistar rats were randomly divided into 6 groups, including control group; OHSS group, ovarian hyperstimulation-induced OHSS;

Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) is a plasma glycoprotein that binds androgens and estrogens, and regulates their bioavailability to target tissues. To date, several human SBHG gene polymorphisms have been identified. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders. Hyperandrogenism has been considered as a hallmark feature of PCOS. Many studies have examined the association

Research question What is the relationship between uterine volume prior to frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) and reproductive outcomes among adenomyosis patients. Design Clinical characteristics and outcomes of adenomyosis patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) and FET in a tertiary academic hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Only first blastocyst transfer cycles were included. The

Research question Whether melatonin can provide non-invasive ovarian protection against damage caused by cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (cisplatin) and preserve fertility for female cancer patients? And what is the possible mechanism if it is the case? Design Athymic BALB/c-nu nude tumor-bearing female mice were employed to exclude the antagonistic effect towards cisplatin-based anticancer therapy and

Research Question: Are obstetric and perinatal complications associated with morphokinetic parameters of embryo development? Design This is a proof-of-concept pilot study. A retrospective analysis of embryo morphokinetic parameters of 85 live births following day-5 single blastocyst transfer was conducted. Kinetic variables included time interval (hours) from time of pronuclei fading (tPNf) to: time

The transfer of cryopreserved blastocysts is increasing in IVF centres. However, little is known about the long-term perinatal and obstetric outcomes of this procedure. In the attempt to further elucidate these issues, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing cryopreserved transfer with fresh blastocyst embryo transfer. The results show that the risk of both preterm (OR 0.89, 95%

Research Question We sought to determine why women facing poor prognoses for success in Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) choose to pursue treatments using their own eggs, despite receiving information that their chances for success are very low. Design A cross-sectional study based on an anonymous questionnaire distributed to female patients aged 43-45, undergoing ART using their own oocytes

Research question : Are there any intrinsic or extrinsic factors associated to embryo mosaicism incidence in IVF cycles? Design : This is a retrospective cohort study of PGT-A cycles performed at a university-affiliated IVF setting from October 2017 to October 2019. Trophectoderm biopsies were analyzed by Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). Mosaicism incidence, type of anomaly, and the chromosomes involved

Research Question: Whether or how triglyceride fatty acids (FAs) in the follicular fluid (FF) are associated with either FF phospholipid FAs or in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes? Design: In a prospective cross-sectional study, 70 women undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection were recruited. FF phospholipids and triglycerides were separated by thin-layer chromatography. FAs were measured using

This study aimed to investigate the association of adenomyosis with fertility, pregnancy and neonatal outcomes. An electronic search was conducted using Medline, Pubmed and Cochrane databases up to April 2020. Seventeen observational studies were included. Adenomyosis was significantly associated with a lower clinical pregnancy (OR 0.69; 95% CI 0.51, 0.94) and higher miscarriage rate (OR 2.17; 95%

Our understanding of what makes a family has changed dramatically in recent decades due to advances in reproductive technologies accompanied by changing social attitudes. But what has the impact been on children? This article presents a summary of research on parent–child relationships and the psychological adjustment of children in families created by assisted reproduction. The findings show that

Research question Whether SARS-CoV-2 infection has effects on ovarian reserve, sex hormone and menstruation of women of child-bearing age. Design This is a retrospective, cross-sectional study. Clinical and laboratory data from 237 women of child-bearing age diagnosed with COVID-19 were retrospectively reviewed. Menstrual data from 177 patients were analyzed. Blood samples from the early follicular

Research question How do cost and effects of in vitro maturation (IVM) compare to in vitro fertilization (IVF) in women with a high antral follicle count? Design This cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) was based on data of a previous retrospective cohort study at IVFMD, My Duc Hospital, HCMC, Vietnam. Between July 2015 to December 2017, 608 women underwent IVM and 311 women IVF. In both treatments oocytes

Research Question Does the site of semen collection have any influence on the IVF/ICSI cycle outcome? Design A retrospective study was carried out at the Department of Human Reproduction, Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana. All stimulated and spontaneous IVF/ICSI cycles (with at least one oocyte retrieved) performed in 2019 with fresh ejaculated semen samples

Research Question Do women with PCOS have higher testosterone levels during pregnancy and what role has high testosterone for the development of obstetric complications? Design Retrospective cohort study from Uppsala University Hospital, Sweden. The study population consisted of women with PCOS (n = 159) and a comparison group of body mass index (BMI)-matched non-PCOS women (n = 320). Plasma testosterone

Research question : To date, most studies investigated the minimum number of sperms available for intra-uterine insemination (IUI). Conversely, no data on the maximum number of motile spermatozoa inseminated (NMSI) have been published. This study aimed to determine if an upper cut-off for the NMSI during IUI exists above which the live birth rate (LBR) is negatively affected. Design Retrospective analysis

Research question: Spontaneous pregnancy loss affects 10%–15% of couples, with 1-2% suffering recurrent pregnancy loss and 50% of miscarriages remaining unexplained. Male genomic integrity is essential for healthy offspring, meaning sperm DNA quality may be important in maintaining a pregnancy. Does sperm DNA fragmentation measured by alkaline Comet assay act as a biomarker for Early Pregnancy Loss

Research question How effective is medical hormonal treatment in preventing endometriosis recurrence and in improving women's clinical symptoms and quality of life? Design In this observational cross-sectional study we evaluated the effects of hormonal medical treatment (progestins, GnRH analogs or continuous oral contraceptives) on endometriosis recurrence, current clinical symptoms and quality of

Studies suggested that the presence of endometriosis may lead to impaired ovarian reserve, while results evaluating the changes of antral follicle count (AFC) in endometriosis remain controversial. A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library and the reference of the included articles returned fifteen studies, of which nine compared AFC between patients with and without

Research question What are the long-term costs and effects of oil- versus water-based contrast in infertile women undergoing hysterosalpingography (HSG)?. Design An economic evaluation of a long-term follow-up of a multicentre randomized controlled trial among 1,119 infertile women randomized to HSG with oil-based contrast (n=557) or water-based contrast (n=562) in the Netherlands. Results In the oil-based

Reopening fertility care services across the world in the midst of a pandemic brings with it numerous concerns that need immediate addressal, such as the impact of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on the male and female reproductive cells and the plausible risk of cross-contamination and transmission. There exists little literature on confirmatory reports of the association

Research Question Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress caused by the accumulation of the misfolded/unfolded proteins in the ER and induces the unfolded protein response (UPR). Peritoneal fluid (PF) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. In this study, the role of ER stress-associated UPR in endometriosis and the contribution of PF were investigated. Design Normal, eutopic and ectopic

Research Question Previous studies have demonstrated that ACE inhibition results in a significant reduction in plasma levels of PAI-1. What are the effects of lisinopril treatment on PAI-1 levels and morphology and function of ovaries in the letrozole-induced rat PCOS model? Design In this prospective randomized controlled animal study, female Wistar albino rats were assigned as controls (Group I;

Research Question What are the effects of using a fertility education chatbot (i.e., automatic conversation program) on knowledge, intentions to improve preconception behaviour, and anxiety? Design A three-armed, randomized, controlled trial was conducted using an online social research panel. Participants included 927 women aged 20–34 years who were randomly allocated to one of three groups: a fertility

Research question Are large ovarian endometriomas are associated with high preoperative Anti – Mullerian Hormone levels? Design Data from332 women with AMH assessment before surgery for endometriosis were prospectively recorded in a large database. Univariate analysis compared AMH level depending on patients’ baseline characteristics. A multivariate model was used to identify variables with independent

Research question To characterise mobile fertility tracking applications to determine the use of such apps for women trying to conceive by identifying the fertile window. Design An exploratory cross-sectional audit study was conducted of fertility tracking applications. 90 out of a possible total 200 apps were included for full review. The main outcome measures were the underlying app method for predicting

Research Question Is there a follicular fluid (FF)-specific metabolic profile in deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) according to the presence of an associated ovarian endometrioma (OMA) that could lead to the identification of biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of the disease? Design A prospective cohort study. Proton-nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) experiments were carried out on 50 FF

Research question : What are the risk factors affecting the incidences of moderate-to-severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) and severe hemoperitoneum in assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment cycles. Design : A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 1,435,108 oocyte retrieval cycles among Japanese ART registry data between 2007 and 2015. The recruited cycles included 11,378

This commentary highlights the publishing revolution achieved by Robert Edwards in founding this journal. It corrects some inaccuracies in the account given by Roger Gosden in his recently published book Let There Be Life: An Intimate Portrait of Robert Edwards and His IVF Revolution.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased mortality in many countries, with the number of infected cases increasing exponentially worldwide. One of the main determining factors of the poor prognosis in these patients is the development of coagulopathy. Moreover, it is well known that assisted reproductive technology procedures confer a risk of thromboembolic complications. This commentary analyses

Research question The study set out to identify corrective measures aimed at reducing the risk of aerosol-mediated viral infection within an IVF laboratory. Design A failure modes and effect analysis (FMEA) was conducted by a multidisciplinary IVF team. A schematic representation of new protocols and procedures adopted during COVID-19 emergency has been defined, including directives about the behaviour

Research question Discontinuation of IVF cycles has been part of the radical transformation of healthcare provision to enable reallocation of staff and resources to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. This study sought to estimate the impact of cessation of treatment on individual prognosis and US population live birth rates. Design Data from 271,438 ovarian stimulation UK IVF cycles was used to model

The interest in and understanding of the human microbiome has grown remarkably over recent years. Advances in molecular techniques have allowed researchers to identify and study the microbiota and also use this information to develop therapeutic solutions for a spectrum of conditions. Alongside the growing interest in the microbiome, societal changes have resulted in many couples looking to start families

Research question Does the fertility enhancing effect of tubal flushing during hysterosalpingography (HSG) with oil-based contrast change over time? Design Secondary analysis of the H2Oil (long-term follow-up) study, a multicentre randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of oil- and water-based contrast during HSG. The main outcome was ongoing pregnancy. We fitted Cox proportional hazards

Research Question To investigate the association between Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) and pregnancy, delivery, and neonatal outcomes, using a population database cohort. Design We conducted a retrospective study utilizing the Health Care Cost and Utilization Project-Nationwide Inpatient Sample database from 2004-2014. ICD-9 code 255.2 was used to extract the cases of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia

Research question Which are the early compartment-specific transcriptional responses of the trophoblast and the endometrial epithelium throughout early attachment during implantation? Design An endometrial epithelium proxy (cell line Ishikawa) was co-cultured with spheroids of a green fluorescent protein (GFP) expressing trophoblast cell line (JEG-3). After 0, 8, and 24 hours of co-culture, the compartments

Research question The benefit of Luteinizing Hormone supplementation (LHS) to FSH alone during Controlled Ovarian Stimulation (COS) remains controversial. Meta-analyses provided some evidence that the LHS benefit is limited to Poor Ovarian Responders (POR). Our objective is the assessment of the effectiveness of LHS on Cumulative Live Birth rate (CLBR) for POR based on a large controlled study in a

Research Question How do same-sex male couples (SSMC) and single men (SM) perceive their experience of using assisted reproductive technologies (ART) in Canada; what factors contribute to their experience and the decisions made throughout the ART process? Design This cross-sectional study used an anonymous online survey to gather exploratory data (from August 2018 to August 2019) regarding participant

Study Question Is the implantation impaired in patients with endometriosis in In Vitro Fertilization/Intracytoplasmatic Sperm Injection (IVF/ICSI) cycles? Design A retrospective matched cohort study was executed on IVF/ICSI cycles with fresh single embryo transfer (SET) at the department of Assisted Reproductive Medicine at Ghent University Hospital, Belgium, between July 2015 - August 2017 (n=1053)

Research Question What ethical implications, issues and concerns play a role in performing follow-up studies of children born after assisted reproductive technologies (ART)? Design A literature study was performed and relevant experiences of the academic medical centers of Brussels (Free University), Belgium and Maastricht, the Netherlands were used to identify and analyze the most pertinent ethical

The risks of embryo/gamete mix-up are a threat to the integrity of the IVF process with significant implications for affected families. The use of preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) through single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array or next generation sequencing (NGS) technology can help to identify, characterize and ultimately help, in some cases, to find the root cause and to mitigate the extent

Research question What do Danish and Israeli students of both sexes know about age in relation to fertility and gamete preservation, and what are their concerns and intentions for the future in this regard? Design A cross-sectional comparative study of male and female Danish and Israeli students was conducted between November 2018 and April 2019. A total of 1010 students, 508 from Denmark and 502 from

Research Question To determine the relationship between vitamin D (VitD) status and embryological, clinical pregnancy (CP) and live birth (LB) outcomes in women undergoing IVF. Design Cross sectional, observation study conducted at a university-affiliated private IVF clinic. A total of 287 women underwent 287 IVF cycles and received a fresh embryo transfer. Patients had their serum 25-hydroxyvitamin

Research Question What is the prevalence of disrupted markers of endometrial function among women experiencing recurrent implantation failure (RIF), and does the prevalence differ from a control cohort? Design Prospective controlled cohort study. In total 86 women with a history of RIF and 37 women starting their first fertility treatment were recruited for this study. Endometrial and blood profiling

Research question Does supplementation with Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) enhance sperm parameters and/or the status of sperm lipid peroxidation and DNA fragmentation in microsurgically-repaired varicocele individuals? Design Individuals with varicocele undergone varicocelectomy were divided into two groups receiving 600mg of ALA or the identical placebo for 80 days. Semen analyses of the participants retrieved

Recurrent implantation failure (RIF) after in vitro fertilization (IVF) is a challenging topic for clinicians and can be a devastating reality for some patients with infertility. The purpose of this guideline from the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society (CFAS) is to provide the most relevant evidence to date for the assessment and management of RIF. This guideline was developed using the GRADE

Research Question Does the time interval between the last GnRH antagonist dose and the GnRH agonist trigger affect the efficacy of the trigger in IVF treatments? Design A retrospective cohort study of fifty-three normogonadotropic patients undergoing GnRH-antagonist-based IVF cycles, in a single academic center, between June 2019 and February 2020, in whom a GnRH agonist was used for final ovulation

Research Question What are perinatal outcomes and especially the risk of small for gestational age (SGA) in babies born after frozen versus fresh-embryo transfer in mothers affected with endometriosis undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART)? Design This was a cohort study conducted between November 2012 and October 2017. Infertile women with endometriosis undergoing ART and achieving singleton

Research question What is the cumulative live birth rate following donor intrauterine insemination (IUI-D) treatment in a large, retrospective, single-centre cohort of single women, same-sex couples and heterosexual patients? Design Outcomes from 8.922 treatments carried out in 3.333 consecutive women (45% single, 43% from same-sex couples and 12% from heterosexual couples) in a 13-year, retrospective