Evaluating the necessity for universal screening of prospective oocyte donors using enhanced genetic and psychological testing.

Background: To minimize the potential for harmful inheritable conditions, donors are rigorously screened according to standard guidelines, yet such guidelines may not be sufficient to exclude egg donors with certain known inheritable conditions. We compared universal screening of oocyte donors with Tay-Sachs, Fragile X, karyotype and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) versus standard American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) guidelines that do not include such testing.

Methods: In this 12 year retrospective cohort study, results of enhanced universal screening of all anonymous oocyte donor candidates from 1997 to 2008 at a university hospital oocyte donation program were reviewed.

Chronic isolated fallopian tube torsion.

Objective: To describe a case of chronic isolated fallopian tubal torsion in a woman without identifiable risk factors and discuss the difficulty of diagnosis.

Design: Case report.

Setting: University-based reproductive endocrinology and infertility center.

Programmatic implementation of blastocyst transfer in a university-based in vitro fertilization clinic: maximizing pregnancy rates and minimizing triplet rates.

To assess whether the use of extended embryo culture can reduce the incidence of high-order multiple gestations, a retrospective analysis of 7,418 fresh ETs performed in a university-based IVF clinic from 1997-2003 was conducted, comparing program results before and after institution of a protocol to select patients for extended culture of in vitro fertilized embryos. The incidence of triplet pregnancies was significantly reduced in patients at highest risk for high-order multiple gestations, i.e.

An analysis of transfusion practice and the role of intraoperative red blood cell salvage during cesarean delivery.

Background: We sought to determine to what extent intraoperative salvaged red blood cells (RBC) might theoretically reduce exposure to appropriately transfused allogenic erythrocytes in Cesarean delivery patients.

Methods: Medical records of Cesarean delivery patients requiring blood transfusions from January 1, 1992 to June 30, 1996 and June 1, 1998 to June 30, 2003 were reviewed. For each patient, we calculated the number of allogenic RBC units that could have theoretically been avoided had intraoperative autotransfusion been performed, based upon estimated blood loss, preoperative hematocrit, and the amount of retrieved blood needed to yield a single RBC unit.

Obesity and in vitro fertilization: negative influences on outcome.

Objective: To determine the influence of body mass index (BMI) on in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcome by studying a large cohort of good-prognosis IVF patients.

Study Design: This was a retrospective study at a university-based IVF center evaluating 920 good-prognosis patients (< 40 years, all with normal ovarian reserve) undergoing luteal leuprolide down-regulation and gonadotropin stimulation for IVF and evaluating IVF outcome, including response to stimulation, cancellation rates and pregnancy outcome based on obesity status.

Results: One hundred forty-eight (16.