Telomere length in relation to fecundability and use of assisted reproductive technologies: the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study.

Background: Telomere length (TL) has been reported to be associated with conditions such as endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome, with some studies finding associations with shorter TL and others with longer TL. In men, studies mostly report associations between shorter TL and sperm quality. To our knowledge, no studies have thus far investigated associations between TL and fecundability or the use of assisted reproductive technologies (ART).

Environmental exposures and fecundability: The Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort study.

Previous studies have linked certain environmental exposures to reduced fecundability, influencing exposure recommendations. We continue to encounter numerous environmental exposures in our everyday lives, and further evidence is needed regarding their effects on fecundability. We evaluated associations between various self-reported environmental exposures and fecundability, measured as time to pregnancy, in 64,942 women and 53,219 men participating in the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort study (MoBa).

Limiting access to assisted reproductive technologies for males of advanced age-Pros and cons from a Nordic perspective.

It is not controversial to state that parental age is increasing in several countries. But how to deal with this increase might be. Some Nordic countries have set an upper age limit for females seeking assisted reproduction in their national legislation, but none have done so for males.

Telomere length in relation to fecundability and use of assisted reproductive technologies: the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study.

In women, shorter telomeres have been reported to be associated with conditions such as endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome, whereas other studies have reported the opposite. In men, studies mostly report associations between shorter telomeres and sperm quality. To our knowledge, no studies have thus far investigated the associations between TL and fecundability or the use of ART.

Endometrial preparation protocols prior to frozen embryo transfer - convenience or safety?

The number of frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles is increasing rapidly worldwide. Different endometrial preparations for FET result in comparable live birth rates. However, several recent publications have reported higher maternal risks for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), pre-eclampsia and postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) in programmed cycles (PC-FET) compared with natural cycles and modified natural cycles with an intact corpus luteum.

A study of the experience of Norwegian IVF physicians in evaluating the parenting capacity of patients.

Research Question: How do Norwegian fertility doctors assess the parenting capacity of applicants, and how do they experience and evaluate the assessment practice?

Design: Qualitative interview study with 14 Norwegian fertility doctors. Interviews were analysed with systematic text condensation, a qualitative analysis framework.

Results: Norwegian fertility doctors deem parenting capacity assessments of applicants to be straightforward and simple in most cases.

Reproductive outcomes in women and men conceived by assisted reproductive technologies in Norway: prospective registry based study.

Objectives: To determine whether the perinatal outcomes of women or men who were conceived by assisted reproductive technologies are different compared with their peers who were naturally conceived.

Design: Prospective registry based study.

Setting: Medical Birth Registry of Norway.

IVF and human evolution.

Humans are shaped by evolution through natural selection, as are all species. While evolution is central to all biological processes, the key stage for competition and selection is reproduction, which encompasses various events from courtship and mating to fertilization and pregnancy. In humans, IVF is used to aid the intrinsically inefficient reproduction by coitus, and in several countries, the proportion of children born after IVF is increasing.

The demographics of assisted reproductive technology births in a Nordic country.

Study Question: What are the socio-demographic characteristics of families in Norway who have children after assisted reproductive technology (ART), and have these characteristics changed over time?

Summary Answer: Parents who conceive through ART in Norway tend to be advantaged families, and their socio-demographic profile has not changed considerably over the period 1985-2014.

What Is Known Already: A small number of studies show that couples who conceive through ART tend to be socio-economically advantaged.

Study Design, Size, Duration: Norwegian Population Register, the Medical Birth Register and the national data bases were linked to study all live births in Norway between 1985 and 2014.

Next-generation sequencing of the monogenic obesity genes LEP, LEPR, MC4R, PCSK1 and POMC in a Norwegian cohort of patients with morbid obesity and normal weight controls.

Background: Rare sequence variants in at least five genes are known to cause monogenic obesity. In this study we aimed to investigate the prevalence of, and characterize, rare coding and splice site variants in LEP, LEPR, MC4R, PCSK1 and POMC in patients with morbid obesity and normal weight controls.

Method: Targeted next-generation sequencing of all exons in LEP, LEPR, MC4R, PCSK1 and POMC was performed in 485 patients with morbid obesity and 327 normal weight population-based controls from Norway.

Can IVF influence human evolution?

IVF, a procedure in which pharmacological and technological manipulation is used to promote pregnancy, offers help to infertile couples by circumventing selection at the most fundamental level. Fertility is clearly one of the key fitness-promoting drivers in all forms of sexually reproducing life, and fertilization and pregnancy are fundamental evolutionary processes that involve a range of pre- and post-zygotic screening mechanisms. Here, we discuss the various selection and screening factors involved in fertilization and pregnancy and assess IVF practices in light of these factors.

Body Mass Index Is Associated with Impaired Semen Characteristics and Reduced Levels of Anti-Müllerian Hormone across a Wide Weight Range.

There is still controversy as to how body mass index (BMI) affects male reproduction. We investigated how BMI is associated with semen quality and reproductive hormones in 166 men, including 38 severely obese men. Standard semen analysis and sperm DNA integrity analysis were performed, and blood samples were analysed for reproductive hormones.

Increased risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome following controlled ovarian hyperstimulation in patients with vascular endothelial growth factor +405 cc genotype.

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is a serious complication following controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) for in vitro fertilization. OHSS has a range of clinical features from mild abdominal distention to severe thromboembolic events. Several clinical manifestations of OHSS such as ascites and hemoconcentration can be attributed to increased vascular permeability.

[Results after assisted reproduction at a public fertility clinic].

Background: Assisted reproduction is traditionally regarded as effective when it results in a high pregnancy rate per started treatment cycle. For the patients, it is more interesting to know how high the probability is of giving birth during a full course of assisted reproduction treatment.

Material And Method: Retrospective series of 546 patients followed for three years of assisted reproduction at a public fertility clinic.

A single nucleotide polymorphism in BMP15 is associated with high response to ovarian stimulation.

There is substantial variability in ovarian response to exogenous gonadotrophins in women undergoing ovarian stimulation for IVF. Genetic variation in signalling pathways of the ovary may influence ovarian stimulation outcome. One previous study showed an association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the gene for bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15) and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS).

Improved diagnostic accuracy of testicular biopsies for infertility through simplified criteria and a dedicated pathologist.

Objective: To examine whether simplified histopathologic criteria and a dedicated pathologist could influence the diagnostic accuracy of testicular biopsy.

Study Design: Original reports from general pathologists on 99 consecutive testicular biopsies were retrospectively classified according to reported presence or absence of mature spermatids. A dedicated pathologist rediagnosed the material blindly according to the same criterion.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the anti-Müllerian hormone signalling pathway do not determine high or low response to ovarian stimulation.

There is substantial variability in ovarian response to exogenous gonadotrophins in women undergoing ovarian stimulation for IVF. Genetic variation in signalling pathways of the ovary could influence ovarian stimulation outcome. Studies have shown a correlation between the serum concentration of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and ovarian stimulation outcome.

[Sperm retrieval for assisted fertilization in azoospermia].

Background: Couples where the man presents azoospermia, could not be helped to become genetic parents by assisted reproduction in Norway until recently. A temporary permission to perform techniques that can help these couples was granted with a change in the Norwegian laws on biotechnology in 2004. Our experience with intra cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) using sperm retrieved by testicular sperm extraction (TESE) is presented.