Human reproduction (Oxford, England)

STUDY QUESTION: Is the ongoing pregnancy rate with a new aqueous formulation of subcutaneous progesterone (Prolutex(®)) non-inferior to vaginal progesterone (Endometrin(®)) when used for luteal phase support of in vitro fertilization? SUMM…

STUDY QUESTION: Does serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) vary significantly throughout both ovulatory and sporadic anovulatory menstrual cycles in healthy premenopausal women? SUMMARY ANSWER: Serum AMH levels vary statistically significantl…

STUDY QUESTION: Is paternal physical activity associated with semen quality parameters and with outcomes of infertility treatment? SUMMARY ANSWER: Among men presenting for infertility treatment, weightlifting and outdoor activities were as…

STUDY QUESTION: Does the type of luteal support affect pregnancy outcomes in recipients of vitrified blastocysts? SUMMARY ANSWER: Luteal support with vaginal progesterone gel or i.m. progesterone (IMP) results in comparable implantation an…

STUDY QUESTION: Can morphologic measurements (width, length and surface area) of the uterine septum predict healing-dependent abnormal anatomic results [ARs; residual septum (RS) and intrauterine adhesions in other locations (IUA-OLs)] afte…

STUDY QUESTION: Is there a difference in fertility between heterosexual women and lesbians undergoing sperm donation? SUMMARY ANSWER: Women undergoing treatment with donated sperm are equally fertile regardless of sexual orientation. WHAT…

STUDY QUESTION: Can amino acid profiling differentiate between human oocytes with differing competence to mature to metaphase II (MII) in vitro? SUMMARY ANSWER: Oocytes which remained arrested at the germinal vesicle (GV) stage after 24 h …

STUDY QUESTION: Do fertility drugs influence the subsequent risk of endometrial cancer in a manner that is independent of other risk predictors, such as parity? SUMMARY ANSWER: In this follow-up of a large cohort of women evaluated for inf…

STUDY QUESTION: Is pre-pregnancy hormonal contraception use associated with the development of pelvic girdle pain during pregnancy? SUMMARY ANSWER: In contrast to combined oral contraceptive pills, long lifetime exposure to progestin-only …

STUDY QUESTION: Why are female mice that lack a functional p27 protein infertile? SUMMARY ANSWER: The absence of a functional p27 leads to a dramatic increase in the number of multi-oocyte follicles (MOFs) in juvenile female mice; p27 woul…

STUDY QUESTION: Is a vaginal preparation of sildenafil citrate capable of alleviating acute menstrual pain in patients with primary dysmenorrhea (PD)? SUMMARY ANSWER: A vaginal preparation of sildenafil citrate is capable of alleviating ac…

BACKGROUND: Although close observation of serum estradiol (E2) levels remains a mainstay of assessing clinical response to controlled ovarian stimulation, the prognostic value of any change in E2 levels after administration of hCG remains u…

BACKGROUND: Changes in DNA methylation may play an important role in the deleterious reproductive effects reported in association with exposure to environmental pollutants. In this pilot study, we identify candidate methylation changes asso…

BACKGROUND: Our aim was to study ways to improve IVF success rates in women with suspected endometrial receptivity defects. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study examining the effect of letrozole (aromatase inhibitor) on integ…

BACKGROUND: The ovarian reserve (number and quality of oocytes) is correlated with reproductive potential as well as somatic health, and is likely to have multiple genetic and environmental determinants. Several reproductive hormones are cl…

BACKGROUND: Although histological dating of endometrial biopsies provides little help for prediction or diagnosis of infertility, analysis of individual endometrial proteins, proteomic profiling and transcriptome analysis have suggested sev…

The steroid hormone vitamin D is historically recognized for its relevance to bone health and calcium homeostasis. Recent years have witnessed a shift in focus to non-skeletal benefits of vitamin D; in this latter context, an accruing body …

BACKGROUND: The human endometrium efficiently repairs each month after menstruation. The mechanisms involved in this repair process remain undefined. Aberrations in endometrial repair may lead to the common disorder of heavy menstrual bleed…

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the predictive value of serum and follicular fluid (FF) concentrations of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) with respect to treatment outcome variables in an IVF cycle. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was perf…

STUDY QUESTION: In women undergoing IVF, are urinary bisphenol A (BPA) concentrations associated with ovarian response and early reproductive outcomes, including oocyte maturation and fertilization, Day 3 embryo quality and blastocyst forma…

BACKGROUND: Sporadic anovulation among regularly menstruating women is not well understood. It is hypothesized that cholesterol abnormalities may lead to hormone imbalances and incident anovulation. The objective was to evaluate the associa…

BACKGROUND: Prokineticin-1 (PROK1) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) are expressed in human endometrium and first-trimester decidua and have individually been proposed to have roles in implantation and placentation. We have recentl…

BACKGROUND: To investigate reproductive health service use by young women in the USA between 2002 and 2008. METHODS: Using data from two waves of The National Survey of Family Growth, we investigated reproductive health service utilization…

BACKGROUND: Whether ovarian follicular rupture involves contractile activity or not has been debated for decades. Recently, study in the rodents has indicated that an endogenously produced potent vasoconstrictive peptide, endothelin-2 (EDN2…