Publications by authors named "W Ledger"
Research Question: What are the views and experiences of patient and expert stakeholders on the positive and negative impacts of commercial influences on the provision of assisted reproductive technology (ART) services, and what are their suggestions for governance reforms?
Design: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 31 ART industry experts from across Australia and New Zealand and 25 patients undergoing ART from metropolitan and regional Australia, between September 2020 and September 2021. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.
Results: Expert and patient participants considered that commercial forces influence the provision of ART in a number of positive ways - increasing sustainability, ensuring consistency in standards and providing patients with greater choice.
Background: The effects of novel non-cytotoxic and immunotherapy drugs for cancer treatment on human testicular function have not been studied systematically.
Objectives: The present study aimed to characterize effects of non-cytotoxic and immunotherapy drugs in patients with cancers who had not been previously treated with gonadotoxic chemo- or radiotherapy.
Materials And Methods: This study involved 34 men, not previously treated with gonadotoxic regimens, in a mixed longitudinal (Cohort 1: 19 men about to start and approximately 1 year on non-cytotoxic and immunotherapy treatment) and cross-sectional (Cohort 2: 15 men already on non-cytotoxic and immunotherapy treatment) study using data modeling to estimate within-person time-course changes in testicular exocrine and endocrine functions.
Background: More than 2 million children are conceived annually using assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs), with a similar number conceived using ovulation induction and intrauterine insemination (OI/IUI). Previous studies suggest that ART-conceived children are at increased risk for congenital anomalies (CAs). However, the role of underlying infertility in this risk remains unclear, and ART clinical and laboratory practices have changed drastically over time, particularly there has been an increase in intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and cryopreservation.
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- The study investigates the connection between the microbiome and adverse perinatal health outcomes, aiming to understand how dysbiosis affects pregnancy and postpartum health.
- To achieve this, 2000 Australian women will be recruited and monitored over a span of 7 years, with samples collected regularly before, during, and after pregnancy.
- Data will include multiple biological samples and assessments on health, lifestyle, and environmental factors, allowing for comprehensive analysis of the microbiome's influence on maternal and child health.