Association of Gut Microbiota With Fatigue in Black Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

Background: Fatigue is a highly prevalent symptom for individuals with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS); however, characterization of fatigue and investigation into the gut microbiome-a pathway that may contribute to fatigue-remains inadequately explored in Black women with PCOS.

Objectives: The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine fatigue and its relationship to the gut microbiome in adult Black women with PCOS.

Methods: Adult Black women with a diagnosis of PCOS were recruited for this cross-sectional study.

Reproductive Health Assessment and Reports of Fertility Counseling in Pediatric and Adolescent Patients with Sickle Cell Disease After Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.

Conditioning regimens for hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) place patients at risk for reproductive health issues. The purpose of this study was to assess reproductive health and reports of fertility counseling in patients with SCD who received a transplant. This was a secondary analysis of gonadal hormone production, future infertility risk assessment, and parent-proxy/patient reports of fertility counseling in SCD transplant recipients who are currently pubertal and were enrolled in the Atlanta sites of the Sickle Cell Transplant Evaluation of Long-term and Late Effects Registry (STELLAR) between May 2017 and October 2023.

The impact of sickle cell disease and its treatment on ovarian reserve in reproductive-aged Black women.

We compared serum anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) levels in women with sickle cell disease (SCD) (n = 152) to those of Black comparison women (n = 128) between the ages of 20 and 45 years and evaluated the impact of hydroxyurea (HU) and iron overload on ovarian reserve in those with SCD. SCD treatment was abstracted from medical records. Linear regression models were fit to examine the relationship between log(AMH) and SCD, adjusting for age.

DNA methylation as a window into female reproductive aging.

People with ovaries experience reproductive aging as their reproductive function and system declines. This has significant implications for both fertility and long-term health, with people experiencing an increased risk of cardiometabolic disorders after menopause. Reproductive aging can be assessed through markers of ovarian reserve, response to fertility treatment or molecular biomarkers, including DNA methylation.

The use of fertility treatments among reproductive-aged women after cancer.

Objective: To examine whether female cancer survivors are more likely to pursue care for infertility after cancer than women without cancer.

Design: Population-based cohort study involving detailed interviews regarding reproductive history.

Setting: Not applicable.

In-utero exposure to polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and menstrual cycle function in adulthood.

Background: There is evidence that in-utero exposure to PBBs, and similar chemicals, are associated with several adverse reproductive health outcomes including altered pubertal timing. However, less is known about the effects of in-utero exposure to PBBs on menstrual cycle function and reproductive hormone levels in adulthood.

Methods: For this menstrual cycle study, we recruited reproductive-aged women in the Michigan PBB Registry who were not pregnant, lactating, or taking hormonal medications (2004-2014).

Examining decisional needs and contextual factors influencing fertility status assessment among young female survivors of childhood cancer: A sequential mixed methods study protocol.

Introduction: Female cancer survivors who received gonadotoxic cancer treatment are at risk for profound diminished ovarian reserve and/or primary ovarian insufficiency with resulting infertility, which can be associated with distress and decreased quality of life.. Despite prioritizing future parenthood, many survivors are unsure of the impact of their treatment on their future fertility, and little is known about the perceived reproductive health needs and factors associated with receipt of a fertility status assessment (FSA).

The Risk of Infertility After Surgery for Benign Ovarian Cysts.

There is a growing body of evidence that ovarian cystectomy may negatively impact ovarian reserve. However, it is unclear whether ovarian cyst surgery puts women at risk of future infertility. This study investigates whether surgery for benign ovarian cysts is associated with long-term infertility risk.

Racial and ethnic disparities in assisted reproductive technology: a systematic review.

There is emergent scientific literature examining the disparities in reproductive care of women in the United States. Reproduction is a basic human right and there are unique challenges that racial and ethnic minorities face in accessing fertility care and assisted reproductive technology. The identification of these disparities can aid in identifying areas for interventions to improve and resolve, the inequities that exist in providing care for minority populations.

Markers of ovarian reserve are associated with reproductive age acceleration in granulosa cells from IVF patients.

Study Question: Is reproductive aging in granulosa cells associated with markers of ovarian reserve?

Summary Answer: Age acceleration was associated with anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) levels, antral follicle count (AFC), oocyte yield and maturity, and the number of successfully fertilized embryos.

What Is Known Already: The rate of reproductive aging varies among women of the same age. DNA methylation can be used to predict epigenetic age in a variety of tissues.

Factors Associated with Unplanned Pregnancy Among Cancer Survivors.

Approximately half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended. However, women who are diagnosed with cancer in their reproductive years may be a unique population. This study examines the prevalence of and identifies factors associated with unplanned pregnancy among cancer survivors.

Assessment of a novel genetic counselling intervention to inform assisted reproductive technology treatments and other family-building options in adults with cystic fibrosis.

Many patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) are living well into their adult years and contemplating parenthood. Previous studies have shown that there is an opportunity to improve understanding of inheritance and genetics among individuals with CF. This study explored whether a genetic counselling intervention would be associated with a change in knowledge and/or beliefs about genetics and family-building options.

Identifying susceptibility genes for primary ovarian insufficiency on the high-risk genetic background of a fragile X premutation.

Objective: To identify modifying genes that explains the risk of fragile X-associated primary ovarian insufficiency (FXPOI).

Design: Gene-based, case/control association study, followed by a functional screen of highly ranked genes using a Drosophila model.

Setting: Participants were recruited from academic and clinical settings.

When using donor oocytes, does embryo stage matter? An analysis of blastocyst versus cleavage stage embryo transfers using a cryopreserved donor oocyte bank.

Purpose: Oocyte donor in vitro fertilization (IVF) represents an ideal model to study the effects of embryo stage on reproductive success, as embryos come from young women with high-quality oocytes. Our study aimed to determine if embryo transfer stage affected outcomes in oocyte donor IVF, including the common scenario where only a limited number of quality embryos are available after culture.

Methods: This retrospective cohort analyzed anonymous vitrified donor oocyte cycles at a single clinic between 2008 and 2015.

Ovarian stimulation for fertility preservation in women with cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis comparing random and conventional starts.

Objective: In female cancer patients anticipating chemotherapy or radiation, oocyte retrieval for fertility should be performed as efficiently as possible to avoid postponing cancer treatments. Our objective was to compare clinical outcomes among female cancer patients who underwent a conventional early follicular phase-start ovarian stimulation cycle and those who underwent a random-start ovarian stimulation cycle.

Evidence Review: A systematic review of the literature was performed in accordance with PRISMA guidelines.

Anti-Müllerian hormone in African-American women with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective: Women with SLE may experience ovarian insufficiency or dysfunction due to treatment or disease effects. Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), a marker of ovarian reserve, has been examined in small populations of women with SLE with conflicting results. To date, these studies have included very few African-American women, the racial/ethnic group at greatest risk of SLE.

The effect of donor and recipient race on outcomes of assisted reproduction.

Background: A growing literature suggests that minority races, particularly Black women, have a lower probability of live birth and higher risk of perinatal complications after autologous assisted reproductive technology. However, questions still remain as to whether these racial disparities have arisen because of associations between race and oocyte/embryo quality, the uterine environment, or a combination of the two. Oocyte donation assisted reproductive technology represents a unique approach to examine this question.

Effect of oocyte donor stimulation on recipient outcomes: data from a US national donor oocyte bank.

Study Question: How does ovarian stimulation in an oocyte donor affect the IVF cycle and obstetric outcomes in recipients?

Summary Answer: Higher donor oocyte yields may affect the proportion of usable embryos but do not affect live birth delivery rate or obstetric outcomes in oocyte recipients.

What Is Known Already: In autologous oocyte fresh IVF cycles, the highest live birth delivery rates occur when ~15-25 oocytes are retrieved, with a decline thereafter, perhaps due to the hormone milieu, with super-physiologic estrogen levels. There are scant data in donor oocyte cycles, wherein the oocyte environment is separated from the uterine environment.

Hormonal Profiles of Menstrual Bleeding Patterns During the Luteal-Follicular Transition.

Context: Menstrual cycle function is determined by a complex endocrine axis that controls the ovaries and endometrium. While the late luteal phase is characterized by declining progesterone and estrogen, how these hormonal profiles relate to menstrual bleeding patterns is not well understood.

Objective: Characterize associations between luteal phase hormonal profiles and subsequent menstrual bleeding patterns, specifically spotting before bleeding.

Examining Reproductive Health Outcomes in Females Exposed to Polychlorinated Biphenyl and Polybrominated Biphenyl.

In 1973, accidental contamination of Michigan livestock with polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) led to the establishment of a registry of exposed individuals that have been followed for > 40 years. Besides being exposed to PBBs, this cohort has also been exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a structurally similar class of environmental pollutants, at levels similar to average US exposure. In this study, we examined the association between current serum PCB and PBB levels and various female reproductive health outcomes to build upon previous work and inconsistencies.

Endometriosis, endocrine disrupters, and epigenetics: an investigation into the complex interplay in women with polybrominated biphenyl exposure and endometriosis.

Purpose: Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) have been shown to affect multiple biologic processes especially steroid-hormone processes. We sought to determine differences in DNA methylation exists between women with and without endometriosis following exposure to polybrominated biphenyl (PBB).

Methods: Cross-sectional study of 305 females in the Michigan PBB Registry.

Thyroid hormone levels associate with exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls and polybrominated biphenyls in adults exposed as children.

Background: Michigan residents were directly exposed to endocrine-disrupting compounds, polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB). A growing body of evidence suggests that exposure to certain endocrine-disrupting compounds may affect thyroid function, especially in people exposed as children, but there are conflicting observations. In this study, we extend previous work by examining age of exposure's effect on the relationship between PBB exposure and thyroid function in a large group of individuals exposed to PBB.

Infertility Among African American Women With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Compared to Healthy Women: A Pilot Study.

Objective: Some treatments for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) can cause infertility, but the effect of SLE itself on fertility, particularly in African American women, is less clear. We undertook this study to examine infertility experiences in African American women with SLE compared to healthy women.

Methods: We enrolled women ages 22-40 years living in the Atlanta metropolitan area who were diagnosed with SLE after age 17 years.