Frozen-thawed embryo transfer and live birth: Long-term follow-up after one oocyte retrieval.

Frozen-thawed embryos accounted for 39% (249 of 639) of live births from 931 consecutive first oocyte retrievals after median follow-up of 6.5 years with consistent use of pronuclear-stage freezing and cleavage-stage transfer. Survival after thaw was 95% (2,129 of 2,247).

Diagnosis of polycystic ovaries by three-dimensional transvaginal ultrasound.

Objective: To study diagnostic thresholds for polycystic ovary (PCO).

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Academic hospital.

Cryosystem assessment by glucose uptake of murine blastocysts.

Glucose uptake was used as a measure of metabolic activity and implantation potential to compare vitrification and slow freezing in a prospective randomized trial using murine blastocysts. Frozen 2-cell embryos (n = 132) thawed and cultured for 48 h to the blastocyst stage were randomly divided into four groups: (i) control - not refrozen; (ii) slow freezing using a programmed rate (PR); (iii) vitrification by super-cooled (VSC) liquid nitrogen; and (iv) vitrification in liquid nitrogen (VLN). Upon re-thawing, embryos were cultured individually for 24 h to determine glucose uptake non-invasively.

Polycystic ovaries and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome: a systematic review*.

Objectives: To assess and quantify the relationship between polycystic ovaries (PCOs) and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS).

Data Sources: Published studies, any language, identified through MEDLINE, EMBASE, BIOSIS, Web of Science, and bibliographies. Studies were selected if exposure (ultrasound findings of PCO before treatment) and outcome (OHSS) could be abstracted to two-by-two tables.

Vitrification versus programmable rate freezing of late stage murine embryos: a randomized comparison prior to application in clinical IVF.

A prospective randomized trial was performed to compare post-thaw development of murine blastocysts following programmable rate freezing and two methods of vitrification. Frozen 2-cell murine embryos (n = 429) thawed and cultured for 48 h, were randomly allocated by stage of development into four groups: control (not refrozen), programmable rate freezing (PR) in 0.25 ml straws, vitrification in flexible micropipettes by immersion in super-cooled (VSC) liquid nitrogen (LN2), and vitrification in flexible micropipettes by immersion in LN2 (VLN).

Lidocaine vaginal gel versus lidocaine paracervical block for analgesia during oocyte retrieval.

Background: Evidence from randomized trials suggests that pain relief during oocyte retrieval is superior when adjunctive paracervical block is used in addition to sedation alone. Vaginal application of lidocaine gel is a non-invasive alternative to lidocaine paracervical block. The goal of the present trial was to compare analgesia with lidocaine vaginal gel versus lidocaine paracervical block.

Cumulative first live birth after elective cryopreservation of all embryos due to ovarian hyperresponsiveness.

Objective: To estimate cumulative chance for first live birth after elective pronuclear stage cryopreservation of all embryos due to ovarian hyperresponsiveness.

Design: Retrospective analysis with longitudinal follow-up.

Setting: Academic hospital.

Body mass index and uterine receptivity in the oocyte donation model.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship of body mass index (BMI) to uterine receptivity under conditions of programmed hormonal support and standardized embryo quality.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.A tertiary referral center.

Embryo donation: attitudes toward donation procedures and factors predicting willingness to donate.

Background: The aim of the study was to assess infertile couples' attitudes toward the procedures of embryo donation (ED) and to identify factors predicting interest in donation.

Methods: Fifty-one couples who had received IVF treatment and had subsequently had embryos cryopreserved for >3 years were located and sent written information about the procedures for ED and possible implications of donation. A total of 49 couples agreed to participate in the study with 36 women and 31 men subsequently returning questionnaires describing their reasons for not claiming unused embryos and attitudes towards ED.

SOGC clinical practice guidelines. Hirsutism: evaluation and treatment.

Objectives: To review the etiology, evaluation, and treatment of hirsutism.

Evaluation: A thorough history and physical examination plus selected laboratory evaluations will confirm the diagnosis and direct treatment.

Treatment: Pharmacologic interventions can suppress ovarian or adrenal androgen production and block androgen receptors in the hair follicle.

Success of intrauterine insemination in women aged 40-42 years.

Objective: To determine how advancing female age decreases successful outcomes of intrauterine insemination (IUI) alone or combined with ovarian stimulation.

Design: Retrospective review.

Setting: Academic fertility center.

Successful elective single blastocyst transfer in a patient with prior repetitive high-order multiple gestations.

Multiple gestations remain one of the leading causes of morbidity related to infertility therapy. In the realm of assisted reproductive technologies, multiple gestations can be significantly limited by the reduction in the number of embryos transferred. Significant concern remains that a reduction in the number of embryos transferred may appreciably lower overall chances for pregnancy.