COVID-19, Vaccination, and Female Fertility in the Czech Republic.

The fast-track process to approve vaccines against COVID-19 has raised questions about their safety, especially in relation to fertility. Over the last 2 years, studies have appeared monitoring female fertility, especially from assisted reproduction centers or in animal experiments. However, studies monitoring healthy populations are still limited.

Exposure to bisphenols and parabens during pregnancy and relations to steroid changes.

Background: The harmful effects of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) on human health are generally well-known, and exposure during fetal development may have lasting effects. Fetal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) has been recently relatively well-studied; however, less is known about alternatives such as bisphenol S (BPS), bisphenol F (BPF) and bisphenol AF (BPAF), which have started to appear in consumer products. Parabens are another widespread group of EDCs, with confirmed transplacental passage.

[Smoking during pregnancy - effects on mother and child, the treatment options for tobacco dependence].

The negative effect of smoking on fertility and also on pregnancy has been proved by many studies. Harmful substances in cigarette smoke penetrate to the fetus of a pregnant woman and cause serious complications. In the postnatal development of these children serious diseases are much more likely to occur.

A Comprehensive Evaluation of Steroid Metabolism in Women with Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy.

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a common liver disorder, mostly occurring in the third trimester. ICP is defined as an elevation of serum bile acids, typically accompanied by pruritus and elevated activities of liver aminotransferases. ICP is caused by impaired biliary lipid secretion, in which endogenous steroids may play a key role.

Fetal complications due to intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is the most common liver disorder of pregnancy. Diagnosis is based on the clinical picture, particularly the presence of pruritus with a deterioration of liver function tests, and typically elevated serum levels of total bile acids. ICP manifests in the second half of pregnancy, predominantly during the third trimester.

Steroid profiling in pregnancy: a focus on the human fetus.

In this review we focused on steroid metabolomics in human fetuses and newborns and its role in the physiology and pathophysiology of human pregnancy and subsequent stages of human life, and on the physiological relevance of steroids influencing the nervous systems with regards to their concentrations in the fetus. Steroid profiling provides valuable data for the diagnostics of diseases related to altered steroidogenesis in the fetal and maternal compartments and placenta. We outlined a potential use of steroid metabolomics for the prediction of reproductive disorders, misbalance of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and impaired insulin sensitivity in subsequent stages of human life.

Umbilication is a strong predictor of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the diagnostic value of the colposcopic feature of umbilication for detecting high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN 2/3).

Materials And Methods: Study included 430 randomly selected women who underwent conization for CIN 2 or CIN 3. The control group consisted of 102 patients with biopsy-confirmed CIN 1.

The role of steroids in the development of post-partum mental disorders.

Background: Unfavorable post-partum changes to mental well-being affect more than half of all women, and are a risk to the health of both mother and baby. Their effects place strains on health and social systems. Currently, no generally accepted theory exists of the causes and mechanisms of post-partum mental disorders.