Reproductive biology and endocrinology : RB&E

BACKGROUND: Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) represent the two most frequently utilized laboratory tests in determining ovarian reserve (OR). This study determined the clinical significance of their concor…

BACKGROUND: The success of in vitro fertilization techniques is defined by multiple factors including embryo culture conditions, related to the composition of the culture medium. In view of the lack of solid scientific data and in view of t…

BACKGROUND: The production of sex steroids by follicular cells is proposed to be influenced by the maturity of the incumbent oocyte. Thus steroid levels may reflect suitability of an oocyte for IVF. We examined follicular fluids and granulo…

BACKGROUND: Initial publications examining the hereditary aspects of endometriosis appeared in the early seventies and demonstrated an up to seven-fold risk for endometriosis in first-degree relatives of endometriosis patients. The aim was …

BACKGROUND: Homeobox (HOX) genes encode transcription factors, which regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, adhesion, and migration. The deregulation of HOX genes is frequently associated with human reproductive system disorders. How…

BackgroundIn natural cycles, women conceive when intercourse takes place during a six-day period ending on the day of ovulation. The current practice in intrauterine insemination (IUI) cycles is to perform the IUI 24-36 hours after the hCG …

BACKGROUND: Infertility is defined as inability of a couple to conceive naturally after one year of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. It remains a major clinical and social problem, affecting perhaps one couple in six. Evaluation usua…

BACKGROUND: The stem cell marker Octamer-4 (OCT-4) is expressed in human endometrium. Menstrual cycle-dependency of OCT-4 expression has not been investigated to date. METHODS: In a prospective, single center cohort study of 98 women under…

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to measure serum and follicular fluid 25-OH vitamin D and glucose levels in women who underwent IVF-ET treatment and to further investigate whether the circulating 25-OH vitamin D and glucose lev…

BACKGROUND: Human menopausal gonadotrophins and recombinant human follicle stimulating hormone are the two main gonadotrophin products utilized for controlled ovarian stimulation in assisted reproductive technologies. In this meta-analysis,…

BACKGROUND: Endometrial cavity fluid (ECF) is a fluid accumulation within the endometrial cavity. The significance of ECF remains unclear during the program of in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET). The aim of the present study wa…

BACKGROUND: Premenstrual dysphoric disorder has multiple determinants in the biological, psychological and socio-cultural domains. The aim of the study was to evaluate the risk factors for premenstrual dysphoric disorder in Polish women, co…

BACKGROUND: The presence of regulatory T (Treg) cells in human endometrium is crucial for maintaining immunological homeostasis within the uterus. For this study we decided to evaluate the subpopulations of Treg cells in conditions where a …

BACKGROUND: Impact of fetal gender on prematurity has been primarily investigated in singleton pregnancies. In an attempt to understand better how fetal gender may affect gestational length in twin gestations after in vitro fertilization, s…

BACKGROUND: According to mRNA microarray, proteomics and other studies, biological abnormalities of eutopic endometrium (EM) are involved in the pathogenesis of endometriosis, but the relationship between mRNA and protein expression in EM i…

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is an enigmatic disease. Gene expression profiling of endometriosis has been used in several studies, but few studies went further to classify subtypes of endometriosis based on expression patterns and to identify …

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress and impaired antioxidant system have been proposed as a potential factors involved in the pathophysiology of diverse disease states, including carcinogenesis. In this study, we explored the lipid peroxidation le…

BACKGROUND: Anti-thyroid antibodies (ATA), even if not associated with thyroid dysfunction, are suspected to cause poorer outcome of in vitro fertilization (IVF). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed: (a) the prevalence of ATA in euthyroid…

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether endometrial or ovarian parameters as measured using 3D power Doppler ultrasound would predict the outcome in frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles. METHODS: Thirty women with no known gynecological pathology un…

BACKGROUND: Women have been able to delay childbearing since effective contraception became available in the 1960s. However, fertility decreases with increasing maternal age. A slow but steady decrease in fertility is observed in women aged…

BACKGROUND: Assisted reproduction (ART) contributes to world-wide increases of twin pregnancies, in turn raising prematurity risks. Whether characteristics of ART cycles, resulting in twin gestations, can predict prematurity risks was the s…

A simple, safe and cost-effective treatment protocol in ovarian stimulation is of great importance in IVF practice, especially in the case of previous unsuccessful attempts. hCG has been used as a substitute of LH because of the degree of h…

BACKGROUND: Some studies have suggested that the suppression of endogenous LH secretion does not seem to affect the majority of patients who are undergoing assisted reproduction and stimulation with recombinant FSH (r-FSH). Other studies ha…

BACKGROUND: Claudin-4 (CLDN4) is one of several proteins that act as molecular mediators of embryo implantation. Recently, we examined immunolabeling of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) in the endometrial tissue of 52 IVF patients, and foun…

BACKGROUND: In-vitro fertilization (IVF) with blastocyst as opposed to cleavage stage embryos has been advocated to improve success rates. Limited information exists on which to predict which patients undergoing blastocyst embryo transfer (…