Chemical removal of zona pellucida versus laser assisted hatching after repeated failures of assisted reproductive technology.

To evaluate outcomes after zona pellucida removal by pronase or laser assisted hatching in women with repeated assisted reproduction failures. Of 389 procedures (January 2004 to November 2005), 203 control cycles had an intact zona, 116 cycles had chemical removal of the zona and 70 cycles had laser assisted hatching. Rates of pregnancy, implantation and abortion were compared, and pregnancy rate was secondarily evaluated for fresh or frozen-thawed blastocysts.

[Clinical result of testicular sperm extraction (TESE) to male-factor infertility in Toyota Memorial Hospital].

Owing to progress of assisted reproduction technology in recent years, it has become possible for couples with infertility problems to have children. Between March 1998 and May 2003 testicular sperm extraction (TESE) was performed on 30 men with male-factor infertility in our hospital. Consequently, we succeeded in recovering 20 spermatozoa.

Embryo evaluation by analysing blastomere nuclei.

Background: To create a more effective selection standard for early embryos, we developed a new grading system consisting of conventional morphological evaluation in combination with analysis of blastomere nuclei.

Methods: A total of 744 embryos used during 459 cycles of embryo transfer on day 2 and blastocyst transfer were subjected to retrospective analysis. The overall implantation rate was 15.

Bone mineral density in adult patients with Turner's syndrome: analyses of the effectiveness of GH and ovarian steroid hormone replacement therapies.

To analyze the effects of treatments with GH and cyclic estrogen/progesterone (E/P) replacement on bone mineralization in patients with Turner's syndrome (TS), bone mineral density (BMD) was measured longitudinally. BMDs of the whole body and the lumbar spine in 16 adult female patients with TS (17-38 year old; 0-20 years by length of E/P treatment) were assessed using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry one to 5 times over a treatment period of up to 7 years maximum. GH treatment was performed in 9 cases (GH group), but not in the remaining 7 (non-GH group).

Pretreatment for ovarian endometrial cyst before in vitro fertilization.

Assisted reproductive technology is a widely accepted treatment for infertile women with endometriosis. The presence of an ovarian endometrial cyst reduces the quality of oocytes, while surgical resection of endometrioma may reduce the ovarian reserve for ovarian stimulation by exogenous gonadotropins. To determine what pretreatment should be performed for ovarian endometrial cyst before IVF-ET, we analyzed IVF outcomes with or without pretreatment in patients with endometrioma.

Management of missed abortion in a patient with congenital cervical atresia.

Objective: To describe a patient with congenital cervical atresia who became pregnant through IVF and thawed transmyometrial ET and then experienced a missed abortion.

Design: Case report.

Setting: University hospital.