Publications by authors named "Jesper Smeenk"

Study Question: What are the reproductive outcomes of patients who cryopreserved oocytes or embryos in the context of fertility preservation in the Netherlands?

Summary Answer: This study shows that after a 10-year follow-up period, the utilization rate to attempt pregnancy using cryopreserved oocytes or embryos was 25.5% and the cumulative live birth rate after embryo transfer was 34.6% per patient.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigated the current medically assisted reproduction (MAR) data collection systems across EU Member States and explored how they could contribute to a unified registry for the EuMAR project.
  • Significant variations were found in data types, collection methods, and reporting requirements, indicating a need for standardized practices to improve MAR data collection across the EU.
  • The cross-sectional study surveyed and interviewed participants from 26 EU countries, revealing that half have national MAR registries with cycle-by-cycle data, while others rely on aggregated data or have no registry at all.
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Research Question: From a value-based healthcare (VBHC) perspective, does an assessment of clinical outcomes and intervention costs indicate that providing cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or mindfulness to women seeking fertility treatment add value compared with no such intervention?

Design: Proof-of-concept business case based on a VBHC perspective that considers clinical outcomes and costs. Potential effects on psychological and fertility outcomes were based on existing research. Cost outcomes were estimated with a costing model for the Dutch fertility treatment setting.

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Study Question: How does a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist versus a GnRH antagonist protocol affect ovarian response when using an individualized fixed daily dose of follitropin delta for ovarian stimulation?

Summary Answer: The BEYOND trial data demonstrate thatindividualized fixed-dose follitropin delta is effective when used in a GnRH agonist protocol, compared with a GnRH antagonist protocol, in women with anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) ≤35 pmol/l and no increased risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS).

What Is Known Already: The efficacy and safety of an individualized fixed daily dose of follitropin delta (based on body weight and AMH) have been established in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using a GnRH antagonist protocol. Preliminary study data indicate that individualized follitropin delta is also efficacious in a GnRH agonist protocol (RAINBOW trial, NCT03564509).

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Study Question: What are the data and trends on ART and IUI cycle numbers and their outcomes, and on fertility preservation (FP) interventions, reported in 2019 as compared to previous years?

Summary Answer: The 23rd ESHRE report highlights the rising ART treatment cycles and children born, alongside a decline in twin deliveries owing to decreasing multiple embryo transfers; fresh IVF or ICSI cycles exhibited higher delivery rates, whereas frozen embryo transfers (FET) showed higher pregnancy rates (PRs), and reported IUI cycles decreased while maintaining stable outcomes.

What Is Known Already: ART aggregated data generated by national registries, clinics, or professional societies have been gathered and analyzed by the European IVF-Monitoring (EIM) Consortium since 1997 and reported in a total of 22 manuscripts published in Human Reproduction and Human Reproduction Open.

Study Design, Size, Duration: Data on medically assisted reproduction (MAR) from European countries are collected by EIM for ESHRE each year.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of home-based monitoring versus hospital-controlled monitoring for frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) timing in women undergoing assisted reproductive techniques.
  • The trial involved 1,464 women, randomly assigned to either home-based or hospital-controlled monitoring, and aimed to determine if home monitoring could achieve similar pregnancy rates without needing hospital visits.
  • Results showed nearly identical ongoing pregnancy rates in both groups (20.8% for home-based and 20.9% for hospital-controlled), confirming that home monitoring is a viable alternative without compromising fertility outcomes.
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Study Question: Does assisted hatching increase the cumulative live birth rate in subfertile couples with repeated implantation failure?

Summary Answer: This study showed no evidence of effect for assisted hatching as an add-on in subfertile couples with repeated implantation failure.

What Is Known Already: The efficacy of assisted hatching, with regard to the live birth rate has not been convincingly demonstrated in randomized trials nor meta-analyses. It is suggested though that especially poor prognosis women, e.

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More than 20 years ago, the survey of activities in medically assisted reproduction (MAR) was initiated in Europe and resulted in cross-sectional annual reports, as issued by the European IVF Monitoring (EIM) consortium of ESHRE. Over time, these reports mirror the continuous development of the technologies and contribute to increased transparency and surveillance of reproductive care. Meanwhile, progressive changes of existing treatment modalities and the introduction of new technologies resulted in the need of a cumulative approach in the assessment of treatment outcomes, which warrants a prospective cycle-by-cycle data registry on MAR activities, including fertility preservation.

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Study Question: Does ovarian stimulation with the addition of tamoxifen or letrozole affect the number of cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) retrieved compared to standard ovarian stimulation in women with breast cancer who undergo fertility preservation?

Summary Answer: Alternative ovarian stimulation protocols with tamoxifen or letrozole did not affect the number of COCs retrieved at follicle aspiration in women with breast cancer.

What Is Known Already: Alternative ovarian stimulation protocols have been introduced for women with breast cancer who opt for fertility preservation by means of banking of oocytes or embryos. How these ovarian stimulation protocols compare to standard ovarian stimulation in terms of COC yield is unknown.

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Objective: Oocyte retrieval is a painful, but essential element of IVF/ICSI. Evidence for the best method of analgesia is lacking. In the Netherlands, the three most common analgesia protocols entail administration of oral analgesics, intravenous opioids, and intramuscular opioids.

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Background: Since the introduction of assisted reproductive technologies in 1978, over 2 million in vitro fertilization (IVF) babies have been born worldwide. Patients play a vital role in the success of this treatment. They are required to take fertility medication (hormone injections) to activate the ovaries to produce a sufficient number of oocytes.

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Background: Long-term effects of assisted reproductive technology (ART) on ovarian tumor risk are unknown.

Methods: This nationwide cohort study comprises 30 625 women who received ovarian stimulation for ART in 1983-2000 and 9988 subfertile women not treated with ART. Incident invasive and borderline ovarian tumors were ascertained through linkage with the Netherlands Cancer Registry and the Dutch Pathology Registry until July 2018.

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Background: Approximately 1 in 7 couples experience subfertility, many of whom have lifestyles that negatively affect fertility, such as poor nutrition, low physical activity, obesity, smoking, or alcohol consumption. Reducing lifestyle risk factors prior to pregnancy or assisted reproductive technology treatment contributes to the improvement of reproductive health, but cost-implications are unknown.

Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate reproductive, maternal pregnancy, and birth outcomes, as well as the costs of pre-conception lifestyle intervention programs in subfertile couples and obese women undergoing assisted reproductive technology.

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Research Question: What are the long-term costs and effects of oil- versus water-based contrast in infertile women undergoing hysterosalpingography (HSG)?

Design: This economic evaluation of a long-term follow-up of a multicentre randomized controlled trial involved 1119 infertile women randomized to HSG with oil- (n = 557) or water-based contrast (n = 562) in the Netherlands.

Results: In the oil-based contrast group, 39.8% of women needed no other treatment, 34.

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Background: In vitro maturation (IVM) is an artificial reproductive technology in which immature oocytes are harvested from the ovaries and subsequently will be matured in vitro. IVM does not require ovarian hyperstimulation (OH) and thus the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is avoided. In this study, we assessed the live birth rate per initiated IVM cycle in women eligible for in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ ICSI) and at risk for OHSS.

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Objective: To assess the live birth rate in women with WHO II anovulation and the proportion of women that need second or third line treatments if the initial therapy fails.

Study Design: In this multicenter cohort study we included couples with unfulfilled child wish who were referred to three fertility clinics in the Netherlands and selected women with a WHO II ovulation disorder as the only final infertility diagnosis (n = 468).

Results: The cumulative live birth rate of the total group was 82% (383/468).

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Background: In many countries, clomifene citrate is the treatment of first choice in women with normogonadotropic anovulation (ie, absent or irregular ovulation). If these women ovulate but do not conceive after several cycles with clomifene citrate, medication is usually switched to gonadotrophins, with or without intrauterine insemination. We aimed to assess whether switching to gonadotrophins is more effective than continuing clomifene citrate, and whether intrauterine insemination is more effective than intercourse.

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Study Question: Does a reduced FSH dose in women with a predicted hyper response, apparent from a high antral follicle count (AFC), who are scheduled for IVF/ICSI lead to a different outcome with respect to cumulative live birth rate and safety?

Summary Answer: Although in women with a predicted hyper response (AFC > 15) undergoing IVF/ICSI a reduced FSH dose (100 IU per day) results in similar cumulative live birth rates and a lower occurrence of any grade of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) as compared to a standard dose (150 IU/day), a higher first cycle cancellation rate and similar severe OHSS rate were observed.

What Is Known Already: Excessive ovarian response to controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) for IVF/ICSI may result in increased rates of cycle cancellation, the occurrence of OHSS and suboptimal live birth rates. In women scheduled for IVF/ICSI, an ovarian reserve test (ORT) can be used to predict response to COS.

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Background: Pregnancy rates among infertile women have been reported to increase after hysterosalpingography, but it is unclear whether the type of contrast medium used (oil-based or water-soluble contrast) influences this potential therapeutic effect.

Methods: We performed a multicenter, randomized trial in 27 hospitals in the Netherlands in which infertile women who were undergoing hysterosalpingography were randomly assigned to undergo this procedure with the use of oil-based or water-based contrast. Subsequently, couples received expectant management or the women underwent intrauterine insemination.

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Background And Objective: Subfertility represents a multidimensional problem associated with significant distress and impaired social well-being. In the Netherlands, an estimated 50,000 couples visit their general practitioner and 30,000 couples seek medical specialist care for subfertility. We conducted an economic evaluation comparing recombinant human follicle-stimulating hormone (follitropin alfa, r-hFSH, Gonal-F) with two classes of urinary gonadotrophins-highly purified human menopausal gonadotrophin (hp-HMG, Menopur) and urinary follicle-stimulating hormone (uFSH, Fostimon)-for ovarian stimulation in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment in the Netherlands.

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Objective: To compare dropout rates in couples undergoing conventional in vitro fertilization with single embryo transfer (IVF-SET), in vitro fertilization in a modified natural cycle (IVF-MNC) or intrauterine insemination with ovarian stimulation (IUI-OS).

Study Design: Secondary analysis of a multicentre randomized controlled trial between January 2009 and February 2012. 602 couples with unexplained or mild male subfertility, allocated to IVF-SET (N=201), IVF-MNC (N=194) and IUI-OS (N=207).

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Importance: Previous studies of breast cancer risk after in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment were inconclusive due to limited follow-up.

Objective: To assess long-term risk of breast cancer after ovarian stimulation for IVF.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Historical cohort (OMEGA study) with complete follow-up through December 2013 for 96% of the cohort.

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Study Question: Do patients present different adjustment trajectories during and after IVF treatment?

Summary Answer: Most women show resilient trajectories during and after IVF treatment but 37% show temporary or chronic maladjustment during IVF and 10% are maladjusted 11-17 years after treatment.

What Is Known Already: Research on patient psychosocial adjustment during treatment has contributed to identifying the most distressful stages of IVF treatment and profiling patients at risk for emotional maladjustment at these specific stages. This knowledge is currently driving the deliverance of psychosocial care at fertility clinics by tailoring it to patients' risk profiles and specific treatment stages.

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Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of MMP-14 and MMP-2 during human ovarian follicular development using immunohistochemistry, and the activity of MMP-2 in follicular fluid using zymography.

Methods: Ovarian tissue collected from the archives of the Department of Pathology was examined and medical records and histopathology were reviewed. Follicular fluids were collected at the IVF-department and analyzed using zymography.

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Background: Clomiphene citrate (CC) is first line treatment in women with World Health Organization (WHO) type II anovulation and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Whereas 60% to 85% of these women will ovulate on CC, only about one half will have conceived after six cycles. If women do not conceive, treatment can be continued with gonadotropins or intra-uterine insemination (IUI).

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