The Relation between Patient-Centered Care and Quality of Life in Women with Endometriosis.

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the hypothesis that experiences with patient-centered endometriosis care are related to the endometriosis-specific quality of life dimensions "emotional well-being" and "social support."

Design: A secondary regression analysis of two cross-sectional studies was conducted. Participants/Materials: In total, data from 300 women were eligible for analysis.

Web-based Guidance for Assisted Reproductive Technology With an Online App (myFertiCare): Quantitative Evaluation With the HOT-fit Framework.

Background: Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) are considered to be physically and mentally stressful. During their treatment trajectory, couples express high information and communication needs. They appreciate using the internet to obtain fertility-related information.

Exploration of fertility and early menopause related information needs and development of online information for young breast cancer survivors.

Background: Approximately half of premenopausal women diagnosed with breast cancer desire to conceive after they finish treatment. Counseling about the risk of infertility prior to cancer treatment has been proven to improve quality of life after cancer treatment. As a result of this, guidelines focus on informing women on this topic prior to treatment.

The Tell me tool: The development and feasibility of a tool for person-centred infertility care.

Background: An important-and often missing-element of person-centred care is the inclusion of individual patients' values and preferences. This is challenging but especially important for high-burden fertility treatments. We describe the development of a clinical tool that aims to facilitate the delivery of person-centred fertility care by giving insight into the patients' values and preferences.

Web-Based Guidance Through Assisted Reproductive Technology (myFertiCare): Patient-Centered App Development and Qualitative Evaluation.

Background: Providing patient-centered fertility care is known to improve quality of life and can reduce anxiety and depression. In a previous study, we established the need for a web-based app providing personalized information and interactive functionalities among couples undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection with surgically retrieved sperm.

Objective: This study aimed to design, develop, and qualitatively evaluate a multifaceted web-based app for infertile couples undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection with surgically retrieved sperm during their treatment trajectory.

Strengths and weaknesses in the diagnostic process of endometriosis from the patients' perspective: a focus group study.

Objectives: Endometriosis is characterized by a long interval between onset of symptoms and diagnosis. Detailed information about the patients' perspective on the diagnostic delay of endometriosis is scarce. The aim of this study was to identify strengths and weaknesses in the diagnostic process of endometriosis from the patients' perspective.

External quality control and training of semen analysis in the Netherlands: starting point for further reduction of outcome variability.

Semen analysis is characterized by high levels of intra- and inter-laboratory variability, due to a low level of standardization, high subjectivity of the assessments, and problems with automated procedures. To improve consistency of laboratory results, quality control and training of technicians are important requisites. The goals of this study are to evaluate the results of an external quality control (EQC) program and standardized training by ESHRE Basic Semen Analysis Courses (BSAC) on the variability in manual assessments of semen parameters.

Informational needs of couples undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection with surgical sperm retrieval: A qualitative study.

Objective: Infertile couples consider patient information a very important dimension of patient-centred care. Although testicular sperm extraction (TESE) followed by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) has long been offered to infertile couples, little is known about couples' informational needs. The aim of this study was to identify the informational needs of couples undergoing TESE and ICSI, including information content and the channels providing the information as a first step to improve patient-centred care.

Survey of Fertility Preservation Options Available to Patients With Cancer Around the Globe.

Purpose: Oncofertility focuses on providing fertility and endocrine-sparing options to patients who undergo life-preserving but gonadotoxic cancer treatment. The resources needed to meet patient demand often are fragmented along disciplinary lines. We quantify assets and gaps in oncofertility care on a global scale.

Survey of Third-Party Parenting Options Associated With Fertility Preservation Available to Patients With Cancer Around the Globe.

Purpose: In the accompanying article, "Survey of Fertility Preservation Options Available to Patients With Cancer Around the Globe," we showed that specific fertility preservation services may not be offered at various sites around the world because of cultural and legal barriers. We assessed global and regional experiences as well as the legal status of third-party reproduction and adoption to serve as a comprehensive international data set and resource for groups that wish to begin oncofertility interventions.

Methods: We provide data on the legalities of third-party assisted reproductive technologies and other family-building options in the 28 oncofertility-practicing countries surveyed.

Key recommendations for high-quality female oncofertility care based on international clinical practice guidelines.

Research Question: Which guideline-based key recommendations can be selected for high-quality female oncofertility care?

Design: The Delphi method was used to select a set of key recommendations for female oncofertility care. First, recommendations from (inter)national clinical practice guidelines were selected in four domains: risk communication, referral, counselling and decision-making. Thereafter, they were scored, per domain, on their importance for high-quality oncofertility care by a multidisciplinary, oncofertility expert panel, consisting of patients, referrers and counsellors, in two Delphi rounds.

Barriers and facilitators to the timely diagnosis of endometriosis in primary care in the Netherlands.

Background: Endometriosis is an invalidating gynaecological condition in women of reproductive age, and a frequent cause of infertility. Unfortunately, the condition is characterized by a long interval between onset of symptoms and diagnosis. GPs in the Netherlands are educated to provide basic gynaecological care and serve as gatekeepers for specialist medical care.

Assessment of reflectance confocal microscopy for non-invasive selection of optimal ovarian cortex fragments for autotransplantation.

Research Question: Can reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) be used to determine follicle density in human ovarian cortex fragments that are intended for fertility restoration?

Design: RCM was used on living cortex tissue fragments derived from five bovine ovaries and 13 human ovaries. All tissue fragments were cryopreserved and thawed before RCM analysis. Follicle numbers and distribution were determined by RCM and histology.

Female fertility in the cancer setting: availability and quality of online health information.

As cancer survival rates continue to increase, so does the relevance of starting or expanding a family after cancer, impacting quality of life. However, the option of fertility preservation is not always addressed by physicians before treatment. In the meanwhile, many patients look for health information online.

Clinical practice guidelines for fertility preservation in young women undergoing gonadotoxic treatment: an overview and critical appraisal of methodological quality and content.

Research Question: What is the methodological quality and content of internationally available clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) on fertility preservation (FP) care in adult women?

Design: Internationally available CPGs on FP care in adult women were identified after conducting an extensive literature search and consulting (inter)national key experts. The methodological quality of the CPGs was appraised by an (inter)national panel of experts using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II instrument. The content of the best CPGs, scoring ≥60% for the domain 'Rigour of development' of the AGREE II instrument, was extracted and categorized according to their topic.

Treatment strategies and cumulative live birth rates in WHO-II ovulation disorders.

Objective: To assess the live birth rate in women with WHO II anovulation and the proportion of women that need second or third line treatments if the initial therapy fails.

Study Design: In this multicenter cohort study we included couples with unfulfilled child wish who were referred to three fertility clinics in the Netherlands and selected women with a WHO II ovulation disorder as the only final infertility diagnosis (n = 468).

Results: The cumulative live birth rate of the total group was 82% (383/468).

De-implementation of urodynamics in The Netherlands after the VALUE/VUSIS-2 results: a nationwide survey.

Introduction And Hypothesis: We aimed to estimate the level of de-implementation of preoperative routine urodynamics (UDS) before stress urinary incontinence (SUI) surgery in The Netherlands and to analyze facilitators and barriers. Routine UDS was performed by 37% of the medical specialists in 2010. We hypothesized that the recommendations from the recent Value of Urodynamics prior to Stress Incontinence Surgery (VUSIS) and Value of Urodynamic Evaluation (ValUE) studies would have been followed by a reduction of routine UDS.

ESHRE guideline: recurrent pregnancy loss.

Study Question: What is the recommended management of women with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) based on the best available evidence in the literature?

Summary Answer: The guideline development group formulated 77 recommendations answering 18 key questions on investigations and treatments for RPL, and on how care should be organized.

What Is Known Already: A previous guideline for the investigation and medical treatment of recurrent miscarriage was published in 2006 and is in need of an update.

Study Design Size Duration: The guideline was developed according to the structured methodology for development of ESHRE guidelines.

Global oncofertility index-data gap slows progress.

The number of pediatric and young adult cancer survivors is increasing globally due to earlier diagnostics and expansion of targeted chemo- and biological-based therapeutics. As a consequence, cancer-related infertility and reproductive hormone loss is of increasing concern for both male and female survivors. We attempted to estimate the reproductive loss in oncofertility-practicing countries and to develop a global oncofertility index (OFI).

Psychological and educational interventions for subfertile men and women.

Background: Approximately one-fifth of all subfertile couples seeking fertility treatment show clinically relevant levels of anxiety, depression, or distress. Psychological and educational interventions are frequently offered to subfertile couples, but their effectiveness, both in improving mental health and pregnancy rates, is unclear.

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of psychological and educational interventions for subfertile couples on psychological and fertility treatment outcomes.

Added value of involving patients in the first step of multidisciplinary guideline development: a qualitative interview study among infertile patients.

Background: Patient involvement in scoping the guideline is emphasized, but published initiatives actively involving patients are generally limited to the writing and reviewing phase.

Objective: To assess patients' added value to the scoping phase of a multidisciplinary guideline on infertility.

Design: Qualitative interview study.

The value of Anti-Müllerian hormone in low and extremely low ovarian reserve in relation to live birth after in vitro fertilization.

Objective: To determine the relation of Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) with live birth after in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in women with (extremely) low ovarian reserve.

Study Design: This study was a retrospective cohort study in a Dutch tertiary fertility clinic. Between January 2009 and March 2012, AMH levels were measured in infertile women when ≥36 years of age or when showing clinical signs of diminished ovarian reserve, before they underwent IVF or ICSI treatment.

e-Therapy to reduce emotional distress in women undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART): a feasibility randomized controlled trial.

Study Question: Is it feasible to evaluate a personalized e-therapy program (Internet based) for women during fertility treatment aimed to reduce the chance of having clinically relevant symptoms of anxiety and/or depression after unsuccessful assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment within a randomized controlled trial (RCT)?

Study Answer: The evaluation of a personalized e-therapy program is feasible, reflected by good acceptability and integration within current guidelines, but adjustments to the e-therapy program and study design of the RCT have to be made to enhance demand, practicality and efficacy.

What Is Known Already: Internet-based interventions are promising in reducing psychological distress, especially when treatment is personalized to specific risk profiles of patients. However in fertility care, the beneficial effects of personalized e-therapy on psychological distress and its implementation in daily clinical care still have to be evaluated.