Fertility preservation after gonadotoxic treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases.

Background: The indications for fertility preservation (FP) have expanded. A few patients who underwent gonadotoxic treatment did not have the opportunity to receive FP, leading to concerns that these patients may develop premature ovarian insufficiency. However, the usefulness of FP in women with reduced ovarian reserve has also been questioned.

Artificial oocyte activation using Ca ionophores following intracytoplasmic sperm injection for low fertilization rate.

This large multi-center retrospective study examined whether artificial oocyte activation (AOA) using Ca ionophore following ICSI improves the live birth rate for couples with previous ICSI cycles of unexplained low fertilization rate. In this large-scale multi-center retrospective study conducted in Japan, data were collected from Keio University and 17 collaborating institutions of the Japanese Institution for Standardizing Assisted Reproductive Technology. Between January 2015 and December 2019, 198 couples were included in this study.

Morphometric assessment of blastocysts: relationship with the ongoing pregnancy rate.

Objective: To explore a morphometric grading system for blastocysts that is associated with ongoing pregnancy.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: None.

Embryonic β-Catenin Is Required for Priming of the Uterus to Implantation.

Repeated implantation failure is a major cause of infertility among healthy women. Uterine β-catenin (CTNNB1) plays a critical role in implantation. However, the role of embryonic CTNNB1 during implantation remains unclear.

MicroRNAs secreted by human preimplantation embryos and IVF outcome.

Objective: To generate an effective embryo prediction model and identify a non-invasive evaluation method by analyzing microRNAs (miRNAs) in embryo culture medium.

Design: Analysis of microRNA profiles from spent culture medium of blastocysts with good morphology that did or did not result in pregnancy.

Setting: Clinical and experimental research.

Impact of Oxidative Stress on Age-Associated Decline in Oocyte Developmental Competence.

Reproductive capacity in women starts to decline beyond their mid-30s and pregnancies in older women result in higher rates of miscarriage with aneuploidy. Age-related decline in fertility is strongly attributed to ovarian aging, diminished ovarian reserves, and decreased developmental competence of oocytes. In this review, we discuss the underlying mechanisms of age-related decline in oocyte quality, focusing on oxidative stress (OS) in oocytes.

Derivation of human decidua-like cells from amnion and menstrual blood.

We induced differentiation of human amnion-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AMCs) and menstrual blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MMCs) into endometrial stroma-like cells, which could be useful for cell therapy to support embryo implantation. Interestingly, the expression patterns of surface markers were similar among AMCs, MMCs, and endometrial stromal cells. In addition, whereas treatment with estrogen and progesterone was not very effective for decidualizing AMCs and MMCs, treatment with 8-Br-cAMP prompted remarkable morphological changes in these cells as well as increased expression of decidualization markers (prolactin and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1) and attenuated expression of surface markers unique to mesenchymal stem cells.