A randomized, prospective study comparing laser-assisted hatching and assisted hatching using acidified medium.

Objective: To compare the clinical outcomes of patients whose transferred embryos underwent either laser-assisted hatching or hatching with acidified medium.

Design: Randomized, prospective, double-blinded study.

Setting: University-based IVF center.

Risk of surgery after use of potassium chloride for treatment of tubal heterotopic pregnancy.

Background: Spontaneous heterotopic pregnancies are rare, but with assisted reproductive techniques the incidence may approach 1:100. With the widespread use of transvaginal ultrasonography, physicians have attempted treatment of heterotopic pregnancies with minimally invasive procedures such as transvaginal guided potassium chloride (KCl) injection. However, there are few data on the success of this treatment.

Selective modulation of sex steroids.

Recent evidence suggest that Sex Steroid Therapy involving estrogen while beneficial, may have adverse effects as well. Both of the known estrogen receptors, estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-alpha) and estrogen receptor-beta (ER-beta) have been found in reproductive tissues as well as bone, liver, and brain. These receptors are important targets for endogenous estrogen, estrogen replacement therapy and pharmacological estrogen agonists allowing specific modulation of sex steroids.