Adjusting to life when assisted conception fails.

According to our basic (psychosomatic) tenet, every somatic problem has its emotional side; therefore, medical treatment and counselling are not separate but are interlinked and equally important. First interviews and interviews after failed assisted reproductive technology (ART) are held together in four person settings; the couple with two counsellors. The sessions last for approximately 1 h.

Prognostic appraisal of success and failure in an in vitro fertilization program by transvaginal Doppler ultrasound at the time of ovulation induction.

In 323 stimulated cycles of women participating in in vitro fertilization treatment, a transvaginal Doppler examination was performed on the day of ovulation induction to investigate the value of blood flow velocimetry of the uterine artery. The results showed a significantly lower pulsatility index in patients who conceived (n = 42) compared with those who did not become pregnant (n = 272). The differences were especially marked during the first cycles.

[Ultrasound monitoring of follicle growth in IVF].

Vaginal sonography is a well-established method to monitor follicular growth and to detect the optimum time for induction of ovulation with hCG. In this study we found significantly less and smaller follicles in the left ovary compared to the right. However, during the procedure of oocyte retrieval we found an equal number of follicles and oocytes in both ovaries.

[Vaginal ultrasonographic observation of uterine contractions in embryo transfer and its relevance to treatment success].

441 patients were treated by in-vitro fertilisation and embryo transfer (ET) from January 1989 to May 1990. Transvaginal ultrasound allowed pre-transfer assessment of the uterine architecture and confirmation of successful transfer after the procedure. The length and direction of the cervical and uterine cavity were noted.

[Comparison of various methods of cryopreservation of human pre-embryos].

A human egg and embryo freezing program for non-fertilized eggs and spare embryos has been established in our in vitro fertilization clinic. In the following we report on our first experience with different methods of human pre-embryo cryopreservation. In a simple evaluation we have compared different conventional freezing techniques using cryoprotectant substances such as glycerol, DMSO and 1.