Peripubertal vitamin D(3) deficiency delays puberty and disrupts the estrous cycle in adult female mice.

The mechanism(s) by which vitamin D(3) regulates female reproduction is minimally understood. We tested the hypothesis that peripubertal vitamin D(3) deficiency disrupts hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian physiology. To test this hypothesis, we used wild-type mice and Cyp27b1 (the rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3)) null mice to study the effect of vitamin D(3) deficiency on puberty and reproductive physiology.

Full-sibling embryos created by anonymous gamete donation in unrelated recipients.

Objective: To report the rare occurrence of full-sibling embryos in unrelated women using independently chosen donor sperm and donor oocytes in two different cycles unintentionally created at our IVF program, and to discuss the concept of disclosure to the patients.

Design: Case report.

Setting: Academic IVF program.

The neuroendocrine physiology of female reproductive aging: An update.

The transition into menopause is a complex process that affects fertility and increases the risk for a number of health problems in aging women that include, but are not limited to osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes mellitus and cognitive dysfunction. Improved nutrition and enhanced access to medical care have increased the average lifespan for women in developed countries, and many will spend more than one-third of their life in a post-menopausal state. Epidemiological studies indicate that a delayed natural menopause confers longevity and decelerates the appearance of much age-related morbidity, suggesting that developing treatments to delay menopause would significantly improve quality of life for women.

A multidisciplinary approach to fertility-sparing therapy for a rare vulvar tumor.

Objective: Case report of a young woman with a rare vulvar malignancy who received treatment with a personalized multidisciplinary approach to balance management of her malignancy without compromising survival with her desire for future pregnancy.

Design: Case report.

Setting: University hospital.

Increasing adiposity in normal ovulatory women affects adipocytokine expression in subcutaneous and visceral abdominal fat.

Objective: To determine which adipocytokines are differentially expressed as a function of body mass index (BMI), to compare expression of adipocytokines in abdominal subcutaneous and omental fat, and to correlate these findings with serum levels, BMI, and parameters of insulin resistance.

Methods: Serum and subcutaneous (sc) and omental (om) tissue were obtained from lean and obese ovulatory women undergoing gynecologic surgery. We determined adipocytokine expression in sc versus om abdominal fat and related this to increasing BMI.

Evidence for a Müllerian-inhibiting substance autocrine/paracrine system in adult human endometrium.

Objective: To determine if adult human endometrium possesses an intact müllerian-inhibiting substance (MIS) signal transduction system and, if so, whether MIS can modulate endometrial cell viability.

Design: Adult human endometrial tissue was subjected to reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis and immunohistochemistry. In addition, cultured human endometrial stromal cells were treated with recombinant MIS or transiently transfected with MIS and/or MIS type II receptor (MISRII) expression plasmids to assess for effects upon endometrial cell viability and apoptosis.

Triplet pregnancy after ovulation induction with an aromatase inhibitor.

Objective: To describe the first reported case of a triplet pregnancy subsequent to the use of an aromatase inhibitor for ovulation induction.

Design: Case report.

Setting: Academic medical center.

Cryopreservation of supernumerary high quality embryos predicts favorable outcomes for patients undergoing repeated cycles of in vitro fertilization.

Objective: To determine whether the decline in pregnancy and implantation rates in repeated fresh IVF cycles is associated with the availability of embryo cryopreservation.

Design: Retrospective study.

Setting: Assisted reproductive unit at an academic institution.