[Intra-uterine insemination: ovarian stimulation or not?].

Conflicting results have been published about intra-uterine insemination efficacy. In many studies, success rates is due to ovarian stimulation and number of follicles. In the present fight against multiple pregnancies, ovarian stimulation is discussed and present pregnancy rates are weak.

[Biological assessment criteria during antagonist protocols].

Until recently, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists were the only choice available to physicians for prevention of premature luteinizing hormone (LH) surges in women undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation. The recent approval of GnRH antagonists for this indication gives clinicians some new options. In several trials performed, the GnRH antagonist regimens have been associated with a slightly lower pregnancy and implantation rates than the established GnRH agonist protocols.

[Prenatal diagnosis of a probable human chimera after fertilization in vitro].

Chimerism is the coexistence of more than one cell line in an individual, due to the fusion of originally separate zygotes. It has been very rarely described in humans. A 36-year-old woman referred for in vitro fertilization (IVF) had three embryos transferred leading to a monofetal pregnancy.

[Embryo donation in France, in Europe and in the United States].

Embryo donation, although proposed in a number of ART centres in the world is more often contemplated than performed, and very few publications report results on this subject. There is a great variability in program procedures and policies according to centres in the same country and between countries. In France, this activity is developing slowly.

Regulations for preimplantation genetic diagnosis in France.

A commentary on regulations for PGD in France.

Possible human chimera detected prenatally after in vitro fertilization: a case report.

Background: Chimerism is the coexistence of more than one cell line in an individual, due to the fusion of originally separate zygotes. It has been very rarely described in humans.

Methods: A 36-year-old woman who was referred for in vitro fertilization (IVF) for unexplained infertility had three embryos transferred.

Genetic analysis of the oocyte--a review.

Chromosome number abnormalities are remarkably common in human reproduction. Most are caused by chromosomal non-disjunction and premature chromatid separation in oocyte meiosis I. Pooled data from previous studies showed that one in five oocytes that failed to fertilize after in vitro insemination was abnormal when analysed by conventional cytogenetics.

[Oocyte and embryo quality in polycystic ovary syndrome].

Objective: To compare oocyte and embryo quality in women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and in women with normal ovulation.

Patients And Methods: Forty women with PCOS underwent a total of 67 In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) or Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) cycles. The control group consisted of women, of the same age, who underwent IVF (for tubal infertility) or ICSI (for male factor infertility) in the same period.

[Consequences of oocyte dysmorphy on the fertilization rate and embryo development after intracytoplasmic sperm injection. A prospective multicenter study].

Objectives: This prospective study aimed to evaluate the impact of oocyte dysmorphy on the fertilization rate and embryonic development rate in an ICSI programme.

Patients And Methods: Three hundred and two couples have been included during 302 ICSI cycles, and 1970 oocytes have been studied in 4 ART centres. After decoronisation, 18 morphological criteria, including the size and shape of the oocyte, the thickness of the zona pellucida, the presence or not of debris in the perivitelline space, as well as the appearance of the cytoplasm and polar body have been noted.

Chromosomal abnormalities in oocytes.

Since the beginning of in vitro fertilization (IVF), basic research has provided insight in the field of human reproduction, especially in genetics. Indeed, the contribution of chromosomal abnormalities to oocyte disorders and impaired embryonic development is now well known. Of oocytes that fail to fertilize after in vitro insemination, 26.

Blastocyst stage transfer: the real benefits compared with early embryo transfer.

With the development of commercially available sequential media it is now possible to grow human embryos to the blastocyst stage without feeder cells. The transfer of blastocysts offers several advantages, the most important being synchronization of the embryos with the uterine endometrium and selection of the best quality embryos with a high implantation potential. This study was conducted to compare the efficiency of day 2 and day 5 transfer in a prospective randomized trial involving patients for whom embryo selection was possible (i.

ESHRE guidelines for good practice in IVF laboratories. Committee of the Special Interest Group on Embryology of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.

Education has always been a priority for the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE). Many efforts have been dedicated to promoting knowledge of techniques, procedures and strategies in order to ensure use of the highest quality practices in reproductive medicine. The need to develop a set of guidelines was a logical consequence that found its first expression in 1990, when Focus on Reproduction (vol.

[Intra-uterine insemination].

Artificial insemination has been proposed for a number of years in the treatment of unexplained or male factors related to infertility with very low results. In recent years, the association of intra-uterine insemination with gonadotropin ovulation induction has demonstrated its effectiveness and it is now the first treatment to propose in these cases before in vitro fertilization.

[In vitro maturation of human oocytes].

Maturation of human oocytes has 3 aspects: nuclear maturation leading to the extrusion of the 1st polar body, membranar maturation essential for the fixation of spermatozoa to the zona pellucida and penetration into the oocyte and cytoplasmic maturation which allows protein synthesis required for normal fertilisation and embryo development. In vitro maturation (IVM) of human oocytes may be appropriate in 5 different situations: for PCOs patients (natural cycle), in normoovulatory patients (natural cycles), for oocytes not exposed to hCG (stimulated cycle), for immature oocytes recovered in the course of an ICSI protocol (stimulated cycle) and after freezing-thawing of immature oocytes. Data from the literature show that in vitro maturation of human oocytes together with ICSI can lead to normal fertilisation, embryo development, pregnancies and the delivery of healthy children.

Cryopreservation in human assisted reproduction is now routine for embryos but remains a research procedure for oocytes.

Human embryo cryopreservation represents an indispensable extension of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) programmes as long as they are based upon the recovery of a large number of oocytes. The most widely used procedures include the cryopreservation of human zygotes or embryos in early cleavage, using 1,2-propanediol and sucrose as cryoprotectants. Our results over a 10 year period (1986-1995) on 5032 thawed cycles involving 14 222 stored embryos make it possible to appraise the results and the contribution of embryo freezing to assisted reproduction.

Chromosome methylation patterns during mammalian preimplantation development.

DNA methylation patterns were evaluated during preimplantation mouse development by analyzing the binding of monoclonal antibody to 5-methylcytosine (5-MeC) on metaphase chromosomes. Specific chromosome patterns were observed in each cell stage. A banding pattern predominated in chromosomes at the one-cell stage.