Moderate and increased physical activity is not detrimental to live birth rates among women with unexplained infertility and obesity.

Objective: To determine if moderate physical activity is associated with live birth rates in women with unexplained infertility and obesity.

Design: Secondary analysis of the Improving Reproductive Fitness through Pretreatment with Lifestyle Modification in Obese Women with Unexplained Infertility trial.

Setting: US fertility centers, 2015-2019.

Employee benefit or occupational hazard? How employer coverage of egg freezing impacts reproductive decisions of graduate students.

Objective: To better understand if employer-based financial coverage of non-medical oocyte cryopreservation impacts the way women make decisions about their reproduction, including the decision to pursue oocyte cryopreservation and the time frame in which they plan to begin family building.

Design: Prospective survey study.

Setting: Academic medical center.

MicroRNA 21a-5p overexpression impacts mediators of extracellular matrix formation in uterine leiomyoma.

Background: MicroRNAs (MiR) may promote fibroid development via altered expression of genes involved in cell proliferation and ECM formation, and evidence supports aberrant expression of MicroRNA (MiR) 21a-5p in fibroids. The purpose of this study was to investigate the functional significance of MiR 21a-5p overexpression in the pathobiology of leiomyomata (fibroids).

Methods: A basic science experimental design using immortalized fibroid and myometrial cell lines derived from patient-matched specimens was used.

Impact of transfer time on pregnancy outcomes in frozen-embryo transfer cycles.

Objective: To identify the impact of embryo transfer time (total seconds from the loading of the transfer catheter to the expulsion of the embryo(s) into the uterine cavity) on clinical pregnancy (CPR), implantation (IR), and live birth (LBR) rates.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Academic hospital practice.

The Role of Oncofertility Clinics in Facilitating Access to Reproductive Specialists.

Purpose: To determine the impact of the establishment of a dedicated oncofertility clinic on the frequency of patient referrals for fertility preservation (FP) consultation and the time from patient referral to consultation.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of all women aged 21 to 44 years with an active cancer diagnosis who were referred for FP consultation from 2011 to 2015.

Results: A total of 6895 female patients eligible for FP were seen at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center.

Total number of oocytes and zygotes are predictive of live birth pregnancy in fresh donor oocyte in vitro fertilization cycles.

Objective: To evaluate the association of oocyte donor-recipient characteristics, oocyte donor response, and live birth pregnancy rate following fresh donor oocyte IVF-ET.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Academic reproductive medicine practice.

Donor TSH level is associated with clinical pregnancy among oocyte donation cycles.

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to evaluate the association between donor TSH level (independent of recipient TSH level) and recipient pregnancy outcome among fresh donor oocyte IVF cycles.

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study investigating 232 consecutive fresh donor-recipient cycles (200 total oocyte donors) at an academic medical center. Main outcome measures include clinical pregnancy and live birth.

Ovarian stimulation and in-vitro fertilization outcomes of cancer patients undergoing fertility preservation compared to age matched controls: a 17-year experience.

Purpose: To compare the in-vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes of cancer patients who underwent oocyte retrieval and embryo/oocyte cryopreservation prior to gonadotoxic therapy to those of age and time-matched controls with tubal factor infertility.

Methods: All cancer patients who underwent embryo/oocyte cryopreservation at our institution from 1997 to 2014 were reviewed. Primary outcomes were total dose of gonadotropins used, number of oocytes retrieved, and number of 2pn embryos obtained.

MicroRNAs in the development and pathobiology of uterine leiomyomata: does evidence support future strategies for clinical intervention?

Background: Human leiomyomata (fibroids) are benign tumors of the uterus, represent the most common neoplasms of reproductive-aged women and have a prevalence of ∼70% in the general population. This disorder conveys a significant degree of morbidity and remains the leading indication for hysterectomy in the USA. Prior investigations of aberrant microRNA (miRNA) expression in various malignancies have provided invaluable insight into the role of this class of small non-coding RNAs in tumor growth.

Racial differences in fibroid prevalence and ultrasound findings in asymptomatic young women (18-30 years old): a pilot study.

Objective: 1) To determine the prevalence of fibroids in asymptomatic young black and white women (ages 18-30 y); 2) to determine other differences in uterine and adnexal anatomy; and 3) to obtain preliminary data for sample size calculations.

Design: Pilot cross-sectional study.

Setting: Academic medical center.

Infertility patients' knowledge of the effects of obesity on reproductive health outcomes.

Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the infertility patient knowledge of reproductive outcomes affected by obesity.

Study Design: This was a prospective survey study of 150 female infertility patients in an academic medical center. Subjects were administered the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine-Short Form and a questionnaire on the health risks of obesity, and investigators obtained height and weight measurements.

Knowledge of obesity and its impact on reproductive health outcomes among urban women.

This prospective survey study assessed the knowledge of reproductive outcomes that are affected by obesity among women in an urban community. A total of 207 women attending a community fair on the south side of Chicago participated in the study. A survey assessing knowledge of BMI and of the effects of obesity on general, cardiometabolic and reproductive health outcomes was administered.

The estimated annual cost of uterine leiomyomata in the United States.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to estimate the total annual societal cost of uterine fibroid tumors in the United States, based on direct and indirect costs that include associated obstetric complications.

Study Design: A systematic review of the literature was conducted to estimate the number of women who seek treatment for symptomatic fibroid tumors annually, the costs of medical and surgical treatment, the amount of work time lost, and obstetric complications that are attributable to fibroid tumors. Total annual costs were converted to 2010 US dollars.

Are there subtle genome-wide epigenetic alterations in normal offspring conceived by assisted reproductive technologies?

Objective: To review recent data regarding subtle, but widespread, epigenetic alterations in phenotypically normal offspring conceived by assisted reproductive technologies (ART) compared with offspring conceived in vivo.

Design: A PubMed computer search was performed to identify relevant articles.

Setting: Research institution.

Metabolic syndrome and oocyte quality.

Metabolic syndrome affects one in four women in the USA, and the incidence is rising every year. Metabolic syndrome is strongly associated with development of coronary artery disease and diabetes. Women of reproductive age are not spared from the complications of metabolic syndrome, which overlaps with obesity and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), both of which are linked to infertility and poor reproductive outcome.

Utility of an automated notification system for recruitment of research subjects.

Background: Experience with a novel method of notifying investigators about research subjects in a university-based emergency department (ED) is reported.

Methods: An automated paging system was linked to the electronic medical record to identify inclusion criteria and notify investigators at the time of ED triage. The rate of study enrolment 2 months before and after implementation of the automated system was compared and the time from triage completion to investigator notification was assessed.

Analysis of head injury admission trends in an urban American pediatric trauma center.

Background: Head injury is the leading cause of death in children. Child safety legislation and risk-specific intervention programs have flourished to mitigate the incidence of injury to children. This analysis documents the trend in head injury to children in a specific institution.