Research Question: How do fertility clinics in Belgium manage risks for genetic conditions in donor sperm treatment?
Design: An electronic questionnaire was distributed to all fertility clinics in Belgium in June 2023, focusing on treatments with anonymous sperm donors from 2018 to 2022. Responses from 15 clinics were analysed anonymously using IBM SPSS statistics.
Results: All clinics assessed donor risks, including a personal and family history, conventional karyotyping and (for 83.
Study Question: Which clinical and embryological factors should be considered to apply double embryo transfer (DET) instead of elective single embryo transfer (eSET)?
Summary Answer: No clinical or embryological factor per se justifies a recommendation of DET instead of eSET in IVF/ICSI.
What Is Known Already: DET is correlated with a higher rate of multiple pregnancy, leading to a subsequent increase in complications for both mother and babies. These complications include preterm birth, low birthweight, and other perinatal adverse outcomes.
This commentary examines the impact of light conditions in the assisted reproductive technology (ART) laboratory, specifically considering gametes and embryo culture. While these processes traditionally occur in the absence of light within the female reproductive tract, laboratory conditions often involve exposure to varying wavelengths, intensities and light sources. Although literature reports describe potential detrimental effects of certain wavelengths of light on biological material, these findings are often based on experiments that might not reflect actual laboratory conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicroRNAs (miRNAs), which can be carried inside extracellular vesicles (EVs), play a crucial role in regulating embryo development up to the blastocyst stage. Yet, the molecular mechanisms underlying blastocyst development and quality are largely unknown. Recently, our group identified 69 differentially expressed miRNAs in extracellular vesicles (EVs) isolated from culture medium conditioned by bovine embryos that either developed to the blastocyst stage or did not (non-blastocysts).
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