Endometrial Receptivity Testing and Therapy in Assisted Reproductive Treatment.

Assisted reproductive treatment (ART) gave numerous couples the chance to have their biological child. Improvement in laboratory and culture conditions allows for selection of embryos with the best developmental potential, although replacement of these top-quality embryos does not, however, guarantee reproductive success. Endometrial receptivity is essential for pregnancy establishment and may be the limiting factor for the observed pregnancy rates with ART.

Efficacy of Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) to overcome the effect of ovarian ageing (DITTO): A proof of principle double blinded randomized placebo controlled trial.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of DHEA supplementation on In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) outcome as assessed by ovarian response, oocyte developmental competence and live birth rates in women predicted to have poor ovarian reserve (OR). The feasibility of conducting a large trial is also assessed by evaluating the recruitment rates and compliance of the recruited participants with DHEA/placebo intake and follow-up rates.

Study Design: A single centre, double blinded, placebo controlled, randomized trial was performed over two years with 60 women undergoing in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).

Deregulation of the endometrial stromal cell secretome precedes embryo implantation failure.

Study Question: Is implantation failure following ART associated with a perturbed decidual response in endometrial stromal cells (EnSCs)?

Summary Answer: Dynamic changes in the secretome of decidualizing EnSCs underpin the transition of a hostile to a supportive endometrial microenvironment for embryo implantation; perturbation in this transitional pathway prior to ART is associated with implantation failure.

What Is Known Already: Implantation is the rate-limiting step in ART, although the contribution of an aberrant endometrial microenvironment in IVF failure remains ill defined.

Study Design, Size, Duration: In vitro characterization of the temporal changes in the decidual response of primary EnSCs isolated prior to a successful or failed ART cycle.

Endometrial spatio-temporal image correlation (STIC) and prediction of outcome following assisted reproductive treatment.

Objective: The aim of this study was to correlate manual and spherical endometrial spatio-temporal image correlation (STIC) vascularity indices with assisted reproductive treatment (ART) outcomes.

Study Design: STIC ultrasound assessments of the endometrium were carried out at three time-points in 127 women in a prospective observational study.

Results: Biochemical pregnancy rate was 69% (88/127), with a biochemical and clinical pregnancy loss of 17%.

4-D Assessment of Endometrial Vascularity Using Spatiotemporal Image Correlation: A Study Comparing Spherical Sampling and Whole-Tissue Analysis.

Our aim in the study described here was to assess the feasibility of spatiotemporal image correlation power Doppler quantification of the endometrium with two techniques: spherical samples and whole tissue. We scanned 51 women in the midluteal phase of the menstrual cycle: STIC assessment of the whole endometrium was not possible in 10% of cases, whereas spherical analysis was possible in all. The time taken for data set analysis was much longer for the whole endometrium compared with spherical analysis (1478.

What exactly do we mean by 'recurrent implantation failure'? A systematic review and opinion.

Recurrent implantation failure (RIF) is an iatrogenic condition, being the result of repetitive unsuccessful cycles of IVF or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment. The aim of this review was to assess the definitions of RIF used in literature as well as suggest a uniform definition of this condition. A systematic search of MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane Library was conducted.

Influence of gain adjustment on 3-dimensional power Doppler indices and on spatiotemporal image correlation volumetric pulsatility indices using a flow phantom.

Spatiotemporal image correlation can be used to acquire 3-dimensional power Doppler information across a single cardiac cycle. Assessment and comparison of the systolic and diastolic components of the data sets allow measurement of the recently introduced "volumetric pulsatility index" (vPI) through algorithms comparable with those used in 2-dimensional Doppler waveform analysis. The vPI could potentially overcome the dependency on certain machine settings, such as power, color gain, pulse repetition frequency, and attenuation, since these factors would affect the power Doppler signal equally throughout the cardiac cycle.

Do dopamine agonists prevent or reduce the severity of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in women undergoing assisted reproduction? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Controlled ovarian stimulation is an integral part of assisted reproduction treatment. This can result in ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), which is associated with significant morbidity and potentially mortality. Recent approaches to ovarian stimulation have led to a reduction in the prevalence of OHSS but it still occurs.

The social and psychological impact of endometriosis on women's lives: a critical narrative review.

BACKGROUND Endometriosis is a chronic condition affecting between 2 and 17% of women of reproductive age. Common symptoms are chronic pelvic pain, fatigue, congestive dysmenorrhoea, heavy menstrual bleeding and deep dyspareunia. Studies have demonstrated the considerable negative impact of this condition on women's quality of life (QoL), especially in the domains of pain and psychosocial functioning.

Obstetric outcome in donor oocyte pregnancies: a matched-pair analysis.

Background: To investigate the obstetrical and perinatal impact of oocyte donation, a cohort of women who conceived after OD was compared with a matched control group of women who became pregnant through in vitro fertilisation with autologous oocytes (AO).

Methods: A matched-pair analysis has been performed at the Centre for Reproductive Medicine of the UZ Brussel, Dutch speaking Free University of Brussel. A total of 410 pregnancies resulted in birth beyond 20 weeks of gestation occurring over a period of 10 years, including 205 oocyte donation pregnancies and 205 ICSI pregnancies with autologous oocytes (AO).

Administration of GnRH antagonists in case of elevated progesterone at initiation of the cycle: a prospective cohort study.

In patients with elevated progesterone levels at the beginning of an ART (assisted reproductive technology) treatment cycle, the outcome of controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) may be inappropriate. A prospective cohort study was conducted to investigate whether the administration of a GnRH antagonist prior to the start of COS in these patients could lead to a similar pregnancy rate than in case of normal progesterone. Four hundred eighty-four patients were included in this study between February 2009 and July 2009.