Infertile women with isolated polycystic ovaries are deficient in endometrial expression of osteopontin but not alphavbeta3 integrin during the implantation window.

Objective: To characterize possible endometrial defects in infertile women with isolated PCO morphology.

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: An academic hospital with an IVF unit.

Prolonged survival in culture of preantral follicles from polycystic ovaries.

Context: In polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), an increased proportion of follicles leave the primordial (resting) pool and initiate growth. However, there is little evidence for a reduced reproductive life span (early menopause) in women with PCOS, suggesting that the dynamics of follicle growth, and of follicle loss by atresia, is altered in PCOS.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility that loss of preantral follicles by atresia is reduced in PCOS, leading to prolonged follicle survival.

Thrombocythemia and hemoperitoneum after transvaginal oocyte retrieval for in vitro fertilization.

Objective: To present the first report of massive hemoperitoneum in a case of essential thrombocythemia after transvaginal oocyte retrieval for IVF and review the relevant literature related to the management of patients with this condition.

Design: Case report.

Setting: Assisted conception unit of a tertiary care university hospital in the United Kingdom.

Analysis of epitopes on endometrial epithelium by scanning immunoelectron microscopy.

Scanning immunoelectron microscopy was applied to human endometrial epithelium for the first time to simultaneously determine epitope localisation and cellular architecture. The method was established using HMFG1, an antibody to a glycoform of the MUC1 mucin. This was chosen because of the potential importance of MUC1 in connection with endometrial receptivity.