Human Reproduction Update

The involvement of autoimmune mechanisms in premature ovarian failure has been put forward by numerous investigators. In various other ovarian pathologies, such as idiopathic infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome, or endometriosis, similar…

Missing information about reproductive processes is an important barrier to conception and live birth among infertile couples. In vitro and genetic techniques have been informative, but not enough is known about potential defects in fertili…

Macrophages are multifunctional cells that play key roles in the immune response and are abundant throughout female reproductive tissues. Macrophages are identified in tissues by their expression of cell surface receptors and can execute di…

Few reports provide pregnancy or birth rates for large groups of infertile couples having a comprehensive range of treatments. This model utilizes published evidence about diagnosis, treatment, the duration of treatment and the proportion o…

The non-pregnant uterus shows wave-like activity throughout the menstrual cycle. This uterine activity was first detected using intra-uterine pressure recordings. The use of ultrasound has made it possible to study the movements of the uter…

Menstrual disorders in adolescence may present diagnostic and management challenges for the gynaecologist. This review will describe the common and uncommon menstrual disorders that may arise in early reproductive life, together with guidan…

We performed a MEDLINE and EMBASE search to identify all studies published in the last decade in the English language literature on the use of progestogens for the treatment of endometriosis. Our aim was to clarify the biological rationale …

This review discusses uterine adenomyosis as a (co-)factor in female subfertility. The clinical presentation of adenomyosis uteri is reviewed as well as recent developments in non-invasive imaging modalities for the condition. Different tre…

The aim of this review was to assess critically the importance of the frequency, quantity and quality of retrograde menstruation and its relationship to peritoneal inflammation. The basis was the current evidence in women and in baboons sup…

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is a rare iatrogenic complication of ovarian stimulation occurring during the luteal phase or during early pregnancy. Fortunately, the reported prevalence of the severe form of OHSS is small, ranging…

The efficiency of medical therapy as a unique treatment for endometrioma has not been demonstrated. Operative laparoscopic management is the 'gold standard' for surgical treatment, and there are no indications to prescribe medical treatment…

This review discusses the efficacy of a combined, medical (GnRH agonist) and surgical, therapy in endometriosis-associated infertility. Because of the limited information currently available on the activity of lesions in minimal and mild en…

In spite of a great deal of effort over many decades, the mechanisms that lead to infertility in women with endometriosis remain unknown. Moreover, controversial results in the literature add even more difficulties in the understanding of t…

This paper (i) reviews the current clinical and molecular genetic data which strongly suggest that endometriosis has a genetic basis; (ii) outlines the general principles of affected-sib pair analysis; and (iii) describes the Oxford Endomet…

Endometriosis is generally regarded as a benign disease but it does exhibit some characteristics reminiscent of malignancy. This raises the possibility that, like malignant diseases, the development of endometriosis may involve the acquisit…

IVF was ®rst introduced for the treatment of severe female tubal infertility but was rapidly utilized for treatment of cervical factor infertility, polycystic ovarian disease, endometriosis, immunological infertility, unexplained infertilit…

Polychlorinated dioxins, furans and polychlorinated benzene constitute a family of toxic persistent environmental pollutants. In Europe, environmental concentrations increased slowly throughout this century until the late 1980s. Dioxins hav…

Over the last decades, many tonnes of man-made chemicals have been produced and released into the environment. Many of these chemical substances have the ability to modulate the action of hormones and are called endocrine disrupters. Cell r…

The use of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) as a therapeutic tool in patients with endometriosis has provided information about the disease and, in particular, aspects of the reproductive process in humans, particularly folliculogenesis, fertil…

Endometriosis is a common disease defined as the growth of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity that often results in a vast array of gynaecological problems including dyspareunia, dysmenorrhoea, pelvic pain and infertility. Despit…

The lipoxygenase products (leukotrienes) have been demonstrated in many mammalian tissues including humans. They are widely distributed in the lungs, gut, uterus, kidneys, skin, heart and the liver. Their roles as mediators of inflammation …

Although treatment of one unusually aggressive case of postmenopausal endometriosis with an aromatase inhibitor has been strikingly successful, large clinical trials are required to establish whether aromatase inhibitors will have a signifi…

Significant association between endometriosis, including minor endometriosis, and infertility (or strictly subfertility) is shown by prevalence studies, but a causal relationship has not been established. This review focuses on evidence for…

In those clinical situations in which an immediate and profound suppression of gonadotrophins is desired, LHRH agonists have the disadvantage of producing an initial stimulatory effect on hormone secretion. Therefore, the use of GnRH antago…