Intravenous immunoglobulin use in patients with unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss.

Problem: Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) affects up to 4% of couples attempting to conceive. RPL is unexplained in over 50% of cases and no effective treatments exist. Due to the immune system's pivotal role during implantation and pregnancy, immune-mediated RPL may be suspected and immunomodulatory treatments like intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) have been administered but remain controversial.

Ovarian stimulation and intrauterine insemination in women aged 40 years or more.

Fertility decreases with advancing age. This study retrospectively reviewed the results of ovarian stimulation and intrauterine insemination (IUI) in women 40 years old with diminished ovarian reserve or unexplained infertility who underwent treatment with ovarian stimulation/IUI with clomiphene citrate or gonadotrophin and compared them with the results of IVF and in-vitro maturation (IVM) treatments. The main outcome measures were pregnancy and live-birth rates.

How old is too old for in vitro maturation (IVM) treatment?

Objective: Fertility declines with age. A study of the outcomes of in vitro maturation (IVM) in women of different ages has not been reported to date. The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of age on treatment response and on pregnancy rates after IVM treatment.

Controversies in IVM.

Purpose: To explore four areas of controversy: the benefits of gonadotropin priming, benefits and timing of hCG trigger as well as the ideal protocols for endometrial preparation and luteal support.

Methods: A literature review was performed to explore the current evidence

Results: Current evidence suggests that Gonadotropin priming in combination with hCG prior to collection benefits patients with normal ovaries. In PCOS patients 10,000 IU hCG 38 h before retrieval increases the total number and rate of oocyte maturation.

Effects of ovarian endometrioma on embryo quality.

The proportions of good, fair, and poor embryos in 13 women with bilateral endometriomas were compared with those of 39 women without endometriomas and were found to be similar (47.2% vs. 41.

Comparison of automated and manual follicle monitoring in an unrestricted population of 100 women undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation for IVF.

Background: Ovarian response to gonadotrophin stimulation is monitored with serial ultrasound (US) examinations. Sonography-based Automated Volume Count (SonoAVC) is a relatively new three-dimensional (3D) US technology, which automatically generates a set of measurements including the mean follicular diameter (MFD) and a volume-based diameter (d(V)) for each follicle in the ovaries. The present study aimed to assess the applicability and reproducibility of this automated follicle measurement method in an IVF programme.

Septic uterus after uterine artery embolization for uterine myomas triggered by endometrial biopsy.

Background: Women who undergo uterine artery embolization (UAE) and subsequently have heavy vaginal bleeding require assessment to establish the cause. Endometrial sampling in such women should not necessarily carry more than the usual risk.

Cases: Two women who had undergone UAE presented with recurrence of heavy vaginal bleeding.

In vitro maturation for patients with polycystic ovary syndrome.

In vitro fertilization (IVF) with ovarian stimulation is an effective treatment for couples needing treatment with assisted reproductive technologies (ART) where polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is coexisting. However, it is also associated with an increased risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. In vitro maturation (IVM) avoids the risks and side effects of ovarian stimulation by retrieving immature oocytes from unstimulated ovaries.

The importance of a postpartum 75 g oral glucose tolerance test in women with gestational diabetes.

Objective: To compare the ability of the fasting plasma glucose (FPG) level with the ability of the 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) to identify women with any form of glucose intolerance within the first six postpartum months.

Methods: In a retrospective, observational analysis, the predictive ability of the FPG level was compared with that of the 2-hour OGTT in 275 women followed for gestational diabetes who returned for postpartum testing.

Results: With use of the FPG level alone, 4.