Changes in Sperm Parameters with Time in Men with Normal and Abnormal Baseline Semen Analysis.

The association between paternal age and sperm quality in the population level has been previously studied. Only limited data exists regarding the intra-personal variations in semen parameters among fertile and infertile men over time. We aimed to assess trends over time in semen parameters among men with normal and abnormal baseline sperm parameters and investigate potential risk factors for sperm quality deterioration.

An artificial intelligence algorithm for automated blastocyst morphometric parameters demonstrates a positive association with implantation potential.

Blastocyst selection is primarily based on morphological scoring systems and morphokinetic data. These methods involve subjective grading and time-consuming techniques. Artificial intelligence allows for objective and quick blastocyst selection.

Prior exposure to chemotherapy does not reduce the in vitro maturation potential of oocytes obtained from ovarian cortex in cancer patients.

Study Question: Does chemotherapy exposure affect IVM potential of immature oocytes retrieved from the ovarian cortex following ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTC) for fertility preservation?

Summary Answer: The IVM potential of oocyte retrieved from ovarian cortex following OTC is not affected by prior exposure to chemotherapy but primarily dependent on patient's age, while successful retrieval of immature oocytes from the ovarian tissue is negatively affected by chemotherapy and its timing.

What Is Known Already: The potential and feasibility of IVM in premenarche patients was previously demonstrated, in smaller studies. The scarce data that exist on the IVM potential of oocytes retrieved during OTC following chemotherapy support the feasibility of this process, however, this was not previously shown in the premenarche cancer patients population or in larger cohorts.

Delineating the heterogeneity of embryo preimplantation development using automated and accurate morphokinetic annotation.

Purpose: Our objective was to design an automated deep learning model that extracts the morphokinetic events of embryos that were recorded by time-lapse incubators. Using automated annotation, we set out to characterize the temporal heterogeneity of preimplantation development across a large number of embryos.

Methods: To perform a retrospective study, we used a dataset of video files of 67,707 embryos from four IVF clinics.

Is there a relationship between morphokinetic parameters and neonatal sex in fresh embryo transfers?

To investigate whether morphokinetic parameters differ between male and female embryos in IVF embryos resulting in live births, a retrospective cohort study was undertaken. Files of all live births resulting from a single embryo transfer (SET) cultured in time-lapse incubators between 2013 and 2019 in two tertiary care centres were reviewed. The study group consisted of 187 SETs resulted in 187 live births, of which 100 were females (53.

Embryo classification beyond pregnancy: early prediction of first trimester miscarriage using machine learning.

Purpose: First trimester miscarriage is a major concern in IVF-ET treatments, accounting for one out of nine clinical pregnancies and for up to one out of three recognized pregnancies. To develop a machine learning classifier for predicting the risk of cleavage-stage embryos to undergo first trimester miscarriage based on time-lapse images of preimplantation development.

Methods: Retrospective study of a 4-year multi-center cohort of 391 women undergoing intra-cytoplasmatic sperm injection (ICSI) and fresh single or double embryo transfers.

BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine does not affect fertility as explored in a pilot study of women undergoing IVF treatment.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic spreads worldwide, causing devastating consequences. BioNTech (BioNTech SE, Mainz, Germany) and Pfizer's (Pfizer Inc., Brooklyn, NY, USA) BNT162b2 vaccine was one of the first vaccines to receive emergency-use authorization.

Mild COVID-19 Was Not Associated with Impaired IVF Outcomes or Early Pregnancy Loss in IVF Patients.

Data collection regarding the effects of COVID-19 on reproduction is ongoing. This study examined the effect of COVID-19 on IVF cycle parameters and early pregnancy outcomes. It included two arms: the first compared non-exposed cycles to post-SARS-CoV-2 IVF cycles.

Self-reported elevated pain levels: A coping strategy used by women undergoing medical abortion procedures.

Purpose: Epidural analgesia alleviates pain during normal labour but women who undergo medical abortion procedures using epidural analgesia continue to express high pain levels. To understand this we assessed if patients undergoing medical abortions, treated with epidural analgesia, use their pain for psychological benefits.

Methods: This study comprised 105 patients over 13 weeks of gestational age diagnosed with foetal abnormalities after selecting a medical abortion procedure using epidural analgesia.

Sperm quality is not affected by the BNT162b2 mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine: results of a 6-14 months follow-up.

Purpose: We aimed to investigate the possible effect of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination on sperm quality by evaluating semen analyses of men prior to vaccination and 6-14 months after vaccination.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study, conducted in a university-affiliated in vitro fertilization center between October 2021 and March 2022, including men not previously infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus who received at least 2 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2) SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. Semen analyses of samples given pre-vaccination and 6-14 months post-vaccination were analyzed for the parameters of volume, concentration, motility, morphology, and total motile count (TMC) and compared.

Pfizer SARS-CoV-2 BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination (BNT162b2) has no adverse effect on elective oocyte cryopreservation outcomes.

Research Question: Do elective oocyte cryopreservation outcomes in women 1-13 months after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination alter compared with unvaccinated women and do different time intervals between vaccination and ovarian stimulation impact these outcomes?

Design: This retrospective cohort study, conducted in a university-affiliated IVF centre, included 232 elective oocyte cryopreservation cycles of vaccinated and unvaccinated patients, without previous infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, between December 2020 and January 2022. Two control groups - pre-pandemic (January 2019 to February 2020) and intra-pandemic (December 2020 to January 2022) unvaccinated groups - were compared with the vaccinated group, further divided into four subgroups (under 3, 3-6, 6-9 and 9-13 months). The primary outcome was the elective oocyte cryopreservation cycle outcomes - number of retrieved and number of mature oocytes.

Human blastocyst spontaneous collapse is associated with worse morphological quality and higher degeneration and aneuploidy rates: a comprehensive analysis standardized through artificial intelligence.

Study Question: What are the factors associated with human blastocyst spontaneous collapse and the consequences of this event?

Summary Answer: Approximately 50% of blastocysts collapsed, especially when non-viable, morphologically poor and/or aneuploid.

What Is Known Already: Time-lapse microscopy (TLM) is a powerful tool to observe preimplantation development dynamics. Lately, artificial intelligence (AI) has been harnessed to automate and standardize such observations.

Docking Analysis for Blocking JUNO-IZUMO1 Interaction Identifies Two Small Molecules that Block Fertilization.

Combined hormone drugs are the basis for orally administered contraception. However, they are associated with severe side effects that are even more impactful for women in developing countries, where resources are limited. The risk of side effects may be reduced by non-hormonal small molecules which specifically target proteins involved in fertilization.

How slow is too slow? A comprehensive portrait of Day 7 blastocysts and their clinical value standardized through artificial intelligence.

Study Question: What is the clinical value of Day 7 blastocysts?

Summary Answer: Ending embryo culture at 144 hours post-insemination (h.p.i.

The BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 vaccine does not impair sperm parameters.

Research Question: Does the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine affect sperm parameters of patients with a normal or an abnormal semen analysis?

Design: Data were collected from male patients undergoing IVF treatment after completing vaccination between February 2021 and June 2021 (post-vaccine). For comparison, records of the same patients were reviewed before the vaccination (pre-vaccine) back to January 2017. Patients with azoospermia were excluded.

Obstetric outcomes of young women following in-vitro fertilization: a case-control study.

Background: Women undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments are at increased risk for maternal and neonatal complications compared to women who conceive spontaneously. Though spontaneous pregnancies of young women and adolescents have an increased risk for adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes, pregnancy outcomes of this age group, following IVF treatment have been scarcely reported. The aim of this study was to report maternal and neonatal outcomes of young women who conceived following IVF compared to women in the same age group with spontaneous conception.

Dydrogesterone supplementation in addition to routine micronized progesterone administration for luteal support in cycles triggered with lone GnRH agonist results in an acceptable pregnancy rate and avoids the need to freeze embryos.

Background: Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is reduced when using antagonist cycle with gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist trigger before ovum pick up. This trigger induces short luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) peaks, resulting in an inadequate luteal phase and a reduced implantation rate. We assessed whether the luteal phase can be rescued by supplementing with oral dydrogesterone (duphaston) in antagonist cycles after a lone GnRH agonist trigger.

Do vitrified frozen-thawed embryos generated from successful fresh cycles have higher potential for favorable outcome?

Background: Many variables, including woman's age, embryo quality and endometrial receptivity, influence the success rate of either fresh embryo transfer (ET) or frozen-thawed ET (FT-ET) cycles. This study aims to examine whether the results of a fresh in-vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle correlate with its frozen-thawed embryos transfer outcomes.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study conducted in a tertiary medical center single IVF unit between 2014-2017.

High ovarian response to ovarian stimulation: effect on morphokinetic milestones and cycle outcomes.

Purpose: To assess the effect of high ovarian response on oocyte quality and ovarian stimulation cycle outcomes.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study conducted at three IVF units. The high ovarian response (HOR) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) with HOR (PCOS HOR) groups included 151 and 13 women who underwent controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) resulting in more than 15 retrieved oocytes, for a total of 1863 and 116 cultured embryos, respectively.

Endometrial thickness following early miscarriage in IVF patients - is there a preferred management approach?

Background: Endometrial thickness (ET) has previously been shown to positively correlate with implantation and clinical pregnancy rates. Pregnancies achieved using in-vitro fertilization (IVF) technique are prone to higher rates of early miscarriage. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of expectant management, medical treatment (Misoprostol) and dilation and curettage (D&C) for early miscarriage following IVF cycles on the subsequent cycle outcomes - endometrial thickness and reproductive outcomes.

Communication with fertility patients during the COVID-19 pandemic- let's talk about it.

Objective: To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the activity of a tertiary fertility service and compare telemedicine and face-to-face meetings during this time.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted in a university affiliated tertiary medical center. Included were patients scheduled for an appointment in the in-vitro fertilization (IVF) unit between March 18th and April 15th.

Does quantity equal quality?-A morphokinetic assessment of embryos obtained from young women with decreased ovarian response to controlled ovarian stimulation.

Purpose: To assess oocyte quality in young patients with decreased ovarian response to controlled ovarian stimulation using time-lapse analysis.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study conducted at five medical centers between 2013 and 2017. The "decreased ovarian response" (DOR) group consisted of 241 women who underwent controlled ovarian stimulation with ≤ 5 retrieved oocytes and 519 cultured embryos.

Does sperm origin-Ejaculated or testicular-Affect embryo morphokinetic parameters?

Background: It is unclear whether sperm origin, either ejaculated or testicular, in couples diagnosed with male factor infertility, affects the timing of the embryo's developmental events evaluated by time-lapse monitoring and implantation rates.

Objective: To examine the effect of sperm origin on embryo morphokinetics in couples diagnosed with male factor infertility.

Materials And Methods: This study included a retrospective analysis of morphokinetic parameters performed by time-lapse monitoring between 2013 and 2017.

Parameters associated with sperm quality prior to chemotherapy in lymphoma patients.

Sperm quality in lymphoma patients may be reduced even prior to initiation of chemotherapy. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between lymphoma prognostic factors and sperm quality prior to chemotherapy. A retrospective cohort study was conducted in a Hadassah Medical Center sperm bank and the Hematology department.