Frontiers in endocrinology

Advanced maternal age (AMA; >35 year) is associated with a decline in both ovarian reserve and oocyte competence. At present, no remedies are available to counteract the aging-related fertility decay, however different therapeutic approache…

Aldosterone is the main mineralocorticoid hormone, responsible of the regulation of fluid and electrolyte balance and blood pressure. It acts also as a pro-inflammatory factor responsible of an increased cardiovascular risk, independent fro…

Objective: To study the actual controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) management in women with suboptimal response, comparing clinical outcomes to the gonadotropins consume, considering potential role of luteinizing hormone (LH) addition to f…

The POSEIDON group (Patient-Oriented Strategies Encompassing IndividualizeD Oocyte Number) has introduced "the ability to retrieve the number of oocytes needed to achieve at least one euploid embryo for transfer" as an intermediate marker o…

A major consequence of the world industrialized lifestyle is the increasing period of unnatural light in environments during the day and artificial lighting at night. This major change disrupts endogenous homeostasis with external circadian…

Introduction: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a leading cause of female subfertility worldwide, however due to the heterogeneity of the disorder, the criteria for diagnosis remains subject to conjecture. In the present study, we evalu…

Background: The ability of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) to predict ovarian response has been studied extensively in gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist and antagonist treatments, but no information is available regarding its value in pro…

Growth hormone (GH) is a peptide hormone secreted mainly by the anterior part of the pituitary gland and plays a critical role in cell growth, development, and metabolism throughout the body. GH can not only directly influence human oocytes…

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients have a better ovarian reserve and age-related improvement in endocrine disturbances than non-PCOS patients. The effects of age on in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment outcomes associat…

Background: Several preclinical and clinical studies have suggested that BRCA-mutation carriers may have decreased ovarian reserve. However, data in this area are limited and inconsistent, especially in young breast cancer patients. Objecti…

Background: Oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPx1) and catalase (CAT) are the major intracellular antioxidant enzymes that can detoxify hydrogen pero…

Objective: The POSEIDON criteria are used to stratify patients with low prognosis after assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment. Since its introduction, there has been no large study about the prognosis of the POSEIDON population. …

Objective: To investigate the characteristics and outcomes of low prognosis patients defined by POSEIDON criteria undergoing IVF treatment. Design: Retrospective cohort analysis. Setting: An IVF clinic in a public hospital. Patients: 18,455…

Background: Endometriosis is one of the most challenging diseases for doctors helping infertile women conceive, which has become a common method to help maternal endometriosis-associated infertility. Women with advanced endometriosis posses…

In recent years, endocrine disrupting chemicals have gained interest in human physiopathology and more and more studies aimed to explain how these chemicals compounds affect endocrine system. In human populations, the majority of the studie…

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of ovarian stimulation initiated in the late follicular phase using human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG) alone in ovulatory patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm inj…

Expression of the follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR), besides gonadal tissues, has recently been detected in several extragonadal normal and tumorous tissues, including different types of primary and metastatic cancer and tumor ve…

Background: Eutopic endometrium from women with endometriosis has functional changes in several aspects, which may largely account for the decrease in the quality of endometrial receptivity. It is of utmost importance to know whether freeze…

Introduction: Ovarian follicle growth is a key step in the success of assisted reproductive treatment, but limited data exists to directly relate follicle growth to recombinant FSH (rFSH) dose. In this study, we aim to evaluate FSH requirem…

Administration of growth hormone (GH) during ovarian stimulation has shown beneficial effects on in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes. It is generally believed that this improvement is due to the stimulating effect of GH on oocyte quality.…

Background: Female overweight/obesity has been reported to be associated with compromised pregnancy outcomes in fresh embryo transfer cycles. It is unclear whether the cumulative live birth rate (CLBR) is adversely affected after all viable…

Background: We conducted a retrospective study on a cohort of couples attending the Department of Andrology and Reproductive Physiopathology at Sandro Pertini Hospital in Rome for Intracytoplasmatic Sperm Injection (ICSI)-assisted reproduct…

Objective: To investigate whether circulating LH levels could be used as an indicator for the timing of antagonist addition in GnRH antagonist protocol. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: University-based hospital. Patients: A tot…

Background: Findings by epidemiologic studies on menopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and the risk of ovarian cancer are inconsistent. This study aimed to assess the association of menopausal HRT with the risk of ovarian cancer by h…