Uterine artery embolization and future fertility potential.

The growing body of evidence concerning the safety and efficacy of uterine artery embolization (UAE) has led to increasing confidence amongst gynecologists and interventional radiologists that UAE can be used safely to treat women with symptomatic fibroids. UAE is clearly preferable for certain subgroups of patients, for example those with increased risks of complications of general anesthesia, those with religious objection to blood transfusion and those wishing to avoid surgical risk. This review of the available literature demonstrates the paucity of information concerning safety and efficacy of UAE for those wishing to conceive.

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist in in vitro fertilization superovulation.

The use of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonists in in vitro fertilization superovulation remains controversial. The GnRH agonist 'long protocol' has been seen as the gold standard for many years. Comparisons and meta-analyses of the efficacy of GnRH antagonists and agonists have been largely inconclusive, with the dataset being contaminated with outdated reports of poorer efficacy with GnRH antagonists, which have stemmed from studies of their use as a second-line drug in older women and women who were poor responders.