In vitro fertilization does not increase the incidence of de novo copy number alterations in fetal and placental lineages.

Although chromosomal instability (CIN) is a common phenomenon in cleavage-stage embryogenesis following in vitro fertilization (IVF), its rate in naturally conceived human embryos is unknown. CIN leads to mosaic embryos that contain a combination of genetically normal and abnormal cells, and is significantly higher in in vitro-produced preimplantation embryos as compared to in vivo-conceived preimplantation embryos. Even though embryos with CIN-derived complex aneuploidies may arrest between the cleavage and blastocyst stages of embryogenesis, a high number of embryos containing abnormal cells can pass this strong selection barrier.

Attitudes of anonymous and identity-release oocyte donors towards future contact with donor offspring.

Study Question: What are the attitudes and expectations of past oocyte donors concerning contact with their donor offspring and contact between donor offspring and their own children?

Summary Answer: The large majority (95%) of open-identity oocyte donors, as well as voluntarily registered donors (registered before the Finnish 2007 ART law), expressed positive or neutral feelings towards contact with their donor offspring and mainly positive expectations towards contact between donor offspring and their own children.

What Is Known Already: Although there is a growing support for openness and identity-release programmes in gamete donation, there is not much knowledge on how donors feel about potential contact with their offspring. Most previous studies have investigated donor expectations with a relatively short follow-up time, using small samples or participants in voluntary donor linkage services.

rs10732516 polymorphism at the locus associates with genotype-specific effects on placental DNA methylation and birth weight of newborns conceived by assisted reproductive technology.

Background: Assisted reproductive technology (ART) has been associated with low birth weight of fresh embryo transfer (FRESH) derived and increased birth weight of frozen embryo transfer (FET)-derived newborns. Owing to that, we focused on imprinted insulin-like growth factor 2 ()/ locus known to be important for normal growth. This locus is regulated by imprinting control region (ICR) with seven binding sites for the methylation-sensitive zinc finger regulatory protein (CTCF).

Short- and long-term health consequences and current satisfaction levels for altruistic anonymous, identity-release and known oocyte donors.

Study Question: What are the short- and long-term health consequences and current satisfaction of altruistic oocyte donors?

Summary Answer: Donating oocytes in the majority (>90%) of donation cycles is not associated with harmful long-term general or reproductive health effects.

What Is Known Already: Knowledge of long-term health effects of oocyte donation on donors is sparse and follow-up studies have usually been carried out on commercial donors. Thus far, no major long-term harmful effects have been demonstrated.

Attitudes and disclosure decisions of Finnish parents with children conceived using donor sperm.

Study Question: What are disclosure intentions and experiences of heterosexual parents with children born after assisted donor insemination (DI) or IVF with donor sperm (dIVF)?

Summary Answer: Only 16.5% of Finnish DI/dIVF heterosexual parents had told their child of his/her origin; 18% of all children above 3 years of age had received the information. Parents with older children were more unwilling to tell or were more uncertain regarding what to do than parents with younger children.

Does long in vitro culture promote large for gestational age babies?

Study Question: Does the length of time during which embryos are cultured in vitro affect the birthweight of the infants?

Summary Answer: The duration of the embryo culture period is a significant factor in determining the birthweight of the infants.

What Is Already Known: IVF children show adverse perinatal outcome when compared with the general population and increased incidence of preterm birth and low birthweight is commonly observed.

Study Design, Size, Duration: A retrospective cross-sectional cohort study including 1079 infants born after treatment at the Family Federation of Finland Fertility Clinic in Helsinki, between 2000 and 2010.

Elective single-embryo transfer in women aged 40-44 years.

Study Question: Is an elective single-embryo transfer (eSET) policy feasible for women aged 40 or older?

Summary Answer: For older women (aged 40-44 years) with a good prognosis, an eSET policy can be applied with acceptable cumulative clinical pregnancy rates and live birth rates.

What Is Known Already: Various studies have shown the effectiveness of eSET in women aged <35 years with high cumulative pregnancy rates and low rates of multiple births.

Study Design, Size, Duration: This retrospective cohort study included 628 women treated between 2000 and 2009.

Increasing openness in oocyte donation families regarding disclosure over 15 years.

Background: Worldwide there is an increasing number of families created by oocyte donation (OD). The aim of this study was to gather information about parents' plans of disclosure to their child and to other people, as well as parents' attitudes and level of satisfaction up to 15 years after their OD treatment.

Methods: A questionnaire with separate material for each partner was sent to all parents (167 mothers, 163 fathers) who had had a child after treatment with donated oocytes at Väestöliitto Fertility Clinics in Helsinki during 1992-2006.

Perinatal outcome of children born after frozen and fresh embryo transfer: the Finnish cohort study 1995-2006.

Background: The number of children born after frozen embryo transfer (FET) is steadily rising. However, studies on obstetric and perinatal outcomes are limited. Our primary aim was to compare the perinatal health of children born after FET and fresh embryo transfer, and to use data from children born after spontaneous conception as a reference.

In-vitro maturation: its role in fertility treatment.

Purpose Of Review: In-vitro maturation of oocytes was primarily developed to make in-vitro fertilization safer and simpler for women with polycystic ovaries and high risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. In-vitro maturation has potentially many advantages over conventional in-vitro fertilization. A simple protocol with decreased or no hormonal stimulation before oocyte retrieval and thus lower cost of the treatment cycle are clear benefits.

In-vitro maturation of eggs: is it really useful?

In in-vitro maturation (IVM), immature oocytes are collected from small antral follicles and allowed to mature in the laboratory before routine in-vitro fertilization or micro-injection. The authors' experience in IVM is based on the treatment of two main groups of patients: women with polycystic ovaries and women with normal ovaries. Patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome have irregular, mostly anovulatory cycles and are at increased risk for ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome because of their higher sensitivity to gonadotropins.

Frozen embryo transfers: implications of clinical and embryological factors on the pregnancy outcome.

Background: Frozen embryo transfers are characterized by impaired pregnancy outcome and increased incidence of pregnancy loss as compared with fresh IVF/ICSI embryo transfers. In this study, we performed a retrospective analysis of clinical and embryological factors that potentially influence the outcome of frozen embryo transfer.

Methods: We reviewed the outcome of 1242 frozen embryo transfers with respect to the age of the woman, the method of fertilization, embryo quality before and after freezing and the number of embryos transferred.

Obstetric and perinatal outcome and preliminary results of development of children born after in vitro maturation of oocytes.

Background: Careful follow-up of children born after in vitro maturation (IVM) of human oocytes is essential because the technique is still very new.

Methods: Obstetric and perinatal data were collected from all deliveries after IVM treatment during 1999-2004. The growth and development of IVM children was assessed at 6, 12 and 24 months using Muenchener Funktionelle Entwicklungs Diagnostik and Bayley Scales of Infants.

Favourable pregnancy results with insemination of in vitro matured oocytes from unstimulated patients.

Background: The purpose has been to develop an in vitro oocyte maturation (IVM) method for a wide range of patients.

Methods: A total of 239 cycles with immature oocyte retrieval (IOC) were carried out without hormonal priming. Patients with regular cycles and normal or polycystic ovaries (PCO) and anovulatory cycles with PCOS were included.

Elevated incidence of chromosomally chaotic embryos among frozen-thawed preimplantation embryos.

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of cryopreservation on the formation of chromosomal abnormalities in human preimplantation embryos.

Study Design: The chromosomal constitutions of cleavage stage embryos (n = 61) were assessed using fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) technique, applying probes for chromosomes 13, 16, 18, 21, X and Y. Study group embryos frozen at zygote or two-cell stage (n = 29) were cultured in vitro post-thawing until they reached four- to six-cell stage, after which their chromosomal constitutions were assessed.

Recombinant LH is equally effective as recombinant hCG in promoting oocyte maturation in a clinical in-vitro maturation programme: a randomized study.

Background: Fertilization treatment using oocytes matured in vitro from pre-ovulatory follicles has many potential applications. It minimizes the risk of severe ovarian hyperstimulation and is an alternative for women with polycystic ovary syndrome who may have problems regarding stimulation for IVF. In-vitro maturation (IVM) may prove important for subjects needing fertility preservation, and also provides information about the final stages of oocyte maturation.

Effect of developmental stage of embryo at freezing on pregnancy outcome of frozen-thawed embryo transfer.

Background: The study aim was to investigate the impact of the developmental stage of embryos on pregnancy outcome of frozen embryo transfer (FET).

Methods: The survival rates of embryos after thawing and pregnancy outcome following FET were compared retrospectively between three cryopreservation strategies utilizing either zygote, day 2 or day 3 embryo freezing.

Results: A total of 4006 embryos was analysed in 1657 thaw cycles.

Elective single embryo transfer yields good delivery rates in oocyte donation.

Background: High pregnancy rates have been noted after oocyte donation (OD). Multiple pregnancies should be avoided, because oocyte recipients have an increased risk of obstetric complications.

Methods: We analysed our OD results from 2000-2001 when elective single embryo transfer (eSET) was introduced as a recommended policy for all recipients if at least one good quality embryo was available.

Early cleavage predicts the viability of human embryos in elective single embryo transfer procedures.

Background: The reduction of multiple pregnancies by using elective single embryo transfers (eSET) requires critical and careful selection of the embryo for transfer. The current study was undertaken to assess whether early cleavage could be used as a marker of embryo competence in eSET procedures.

Methods: The study included analysis of 178 eSET procedures.

Influence of oocytes and spermatozoa on early embryonic development.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of oocytes and spermatozoa on early embryonic development.

Design: Retrospective study.

Setting: Infertility Clinic, the Family Federation of Finland.

Cell death and its suppression in human ovarian tissue culture.

In women with premature ovarian failure, fertility may be preserved by ovarian tissue culture in vitro. However, techniques for tissue culture and follicle maturation have remained suboptimal. Our aim was to characterize ovarian tissue degeneration in cultures and to establish a model for cell death research in cultured ovarian tissue.

The predictive value of pronuclear morphology of zygotes in the assessment of human embryo quality.

Background: Recent studies have shown that zygote morphology could be used for the assessment of human embryo quality. Pronuclear (PN) morphology is based on certain distinct features seen in zygotes 16-18 h after fertilization. In the present study PN stage morphology was assessed and combined with a single embryo transfer in order to investigate whether currently used zygote classifications are able to predict embryo quality and implantation rates.

Y-chromosomal microdeletions among infertile Finnish men.

Background: Microdeletions in the Y-chromosome are known to cause a significant proportion of azoo- and oligozoospermia in men. The reported frequency of deletions varies greatly between the studies. Probable reasons for this variation are different selection criteria and number of patients included, and possibly also methodological aspects, whereas the contribution of environmental and genetic factors is not known.

Luteal phase start of low-dose FSH priming of follicles results in an efficient recovery, maturation and fertilization of immature human oocytes.

In this prospective study we investigated whether the maturation and fertilization of immature oocytes can be improved by administration of recombinant follicle stimulating hormone (rFSH) starting in the late luteal phase in two groups of women: group 1 (n = 6) women with regular menstrual cycles; and group 2 (n = 6) women with irregular cycles and polycystic ovaries (PCO) on ultrasound examination. Low-dose (37.5 IU) rFSH was commenced 11 days after LH surge during a spontaneous menstrual cycle and on the ninth day of progesterone administration in an irregular cycle.