Pathways to fatherhood: evaluating the priorities of self-identified gay and bisexual men pursuing family building options.

Objective: To assess the priorities and decisions of gay and bisexual men pursuing fatherhood.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Internet-based survey.

B-cell lymphoma 6 expression is not associated with live birth in a normal responder in vitro fertilization population.

Objective: To determine whether increased endometrial B-cell lymphoma 6 (BCL6) expression is associated with live birth in a normal responder in vitro fertilization (IVF) population.

Design: Case-control study.

Setting: University-affiliated infertility center.

Embryology outcomes after oocyte vitrification with super-cooled slush nitrogen are similar to outcomes with conventional liquid nitrogen: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To determine whether the use of slush nitrogen (SN), a super-cooled form of nitrogen with a temperature from -207 to -210 °C, can improve oocyte survival after vitrification and warming compared with conventional liquid nitrogen (LN).

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Academic-affiliated private practice.

Consistency in rates of diagnosis of embryonic mosaicism, segmental abnormalities, and "no call" results among experienced embryologists performing preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy.

Objective: To determine whether differences exist in rates of subchromosomal abnormalities, mosaicism, and "no call" results among embryologists performing and loading trophectoderm biopsies for preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A).

Design: Retrospective cohort.

Setting: Large infertility center.

Impact of paternal age on embryology and pregnancy outcomes in the setting of a euploid single-embryo transfer with ejaculated sperm: retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of paternal age on embryology and pregnancy outcomes in the setting of a euploid single-embryo transfer.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Not applicable.

Individual culture leads to decreased blastocyst formation but does not affect pregnancy outcomes in the setting of a single, vitrified-warmed euploid blastocyst transfer.

Purpose: To evaluate embryology and pregnancy outcomes following individual and group embryo culture in the setting of contemporary laboratory practices and freeze-all cycles.

Methods: Patients underwent ovarian stimulation followed by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Embryos proceeded through individual culture and then underwent preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) via trophectoderm biopsy.

PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF BLASTOCYST GRADE AFTER FROZEN EUPLOID EMBRYO TRANSFER IN PATIENTS WITH RECURRENT PREGNANCY LOSS.

Objective: To determine if trophectoderm (TE) grade or inner cell mass (ICM) grade have predictive value after euploid frozen embryo transfer (euFET) among RPL patients.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Single fertility center, 2012-2018.

Noninvasive preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy exhibits high rates of deoxyribonucleic acid amplification failure and poor correlation with results obtained using trophectoderm biopsy.

Objective: To validate a commercially available noninvasive preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (niPGT-A) assay by investigating the following: prevalence of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) amplification failure with niPGT-A; factors affecting amplification failure with niPGT-A; and frequency of discordant results between niPGT-A and traditional preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy.

Design: Prospective cohort study SETTING: Academic-affiliated private practice PATIENT(S): One hundred sixty-six blastocysts and their surrounding culture media from couples undergoing in vitro fertilization between July 2019 and May 2020 were analyzed.

Intervention(s): Blastocyst-stage spent culture media samples underwent niPGT-A using a commercially available kit that used whole-genome amplification with a modified multiple annealing and looping-based amplification cycle protocol followed by next-generation sequencing.

Round spermatid injection into human oocytes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Many azoospermic men do not possess mature spermatozoa at the time of surgical sperm extraction. This study is a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating outcomes following round spermatid injection (ROSI), a technique which utilizes immature precursors of spermatozoa for fertilization. An electronic search was performed to identify relevant articles published through October 2018.

Shorter telomere length of white blood cells is associated with higher rates of aneuploidy among infertile women undergoing in vitro fertilization.

Objective: To evaluate whether the telomere length of white blood cells (WBC) and cumulus cells (CC) in an infertile population is associated with ovarian and embryonic performance.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Academic-affiliated private practice.

Young women with poor ovarian response exhibit epigenetic age acceleration based on evaluation of white blood cells using a DNA methylation-derived age prediction model.

Study Question: Is poor ovarian response associated with a change in predicted age based on a DNA methylation-derived age prediction model (the Horvath algorithm) in white blood cells (WBCs) or cumulus cells (CCs)?

Summary Answer: In young women, poor ovarian response is associated with epigenetic age acceleration within WBC samples but is not associated with age-related changes in CC.

What Is Known Already: The majority of human tissues follow predictable patterns of methylation which can be assessed throughout a person's lifetime. DNA methylation patterns may serve as informative biomarkers of aging within various tissues.

Male Infertility and the Future of In Vitro Fertilization.

The male contribution to infertility has traditionally been overlooked, or at best oversimplified. In recent years efforts have been made to optimize diagnostic and therapeutic techniques to maximize fertility outcomes. A renewed focus on the male partner has resulted in an increased understanding of both genetic and epigenetic changes within the male germline.

Round Spermatid Injection.

From a fertility perspective, men with azoospermia represent a challenging patient population. When no mature spermatozoa are obtained during a testicular sperm extraction, patients are often left with limited options, such as adoption or the use of donor sperm. However, it has been reported that round spermatids can be successfully injected into human oocytes and used as an alternative to mature spermatozoa.

A comparison of the relative efficiency of ICSI and extended culture with epididymal sperm versus testicular sperm in patients with obstructive azoospermia.

This is a retrospective cohort study comparing blastocyst transfer outcomes following intracytoplasmic sperm injection utilizing epididymal versus testicular sperm for men with obstructive azoospermia. All cases at a single center between 2012 and 2016 were included. Operative approach was selected at the surgeon's discretion and included microepididymal sperm aspiration or testicular sperm extraction.

Limitations and opportunities in male fertility databases.

Over the last several years, the male component of reproduction has begun to gain clinical momentum. The medical literature has traditionally focused on infertility from the female perspective, but recent publications have demonstrated that male infertility is an important marker of overall health for infertile men as well as their family members. In order to perform large-scale, quality research related to male infertility, comprehensive databases are necessary.

Male infertility: a biomarker of individual and familial cancer risk.

Associations between male infertility and cancer are gaining clinical attention. Relationships between infertility and cancer have traditionally been studied in women, but recent work has focused on the male component of reproduction. Infertile men are at an elevated risk to develop various malignancies later in life, primarily genitourinary malignancies such as testicular and prostate cancer.

The impact of ejaculatory abstinence on semen analysis parameters: a systematic review.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate recent publications and determine the impact of ejaculatory abstinence on semen analysis parameters as well as fertility outcomes.

Methods: This was a systematic review of 28 recent publications. The focus of this study was the impact of abstinence on semen parameters and fertility outcomes in papers published since the year 2000.

Reproductive considerations in the setting of chronic viral illness.

Special considerations must be taken when patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B, or hepatitis C desire to become pregnant. Patients with chronic viral illnesses desire to have children at rates similar to the general population, and options are available to decrease both vertical transmission and viral transmission between partners. Preconception counseling or consultation with fertility specialists is imperative in patients with HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C so that reproductive goals can be addressed and optimized.