Advances in the genetic etiology of female infertility.

Human reproduction is a complex process involving gamete maturation, fertilization, embryo cleavage and development, blastocyst formation, implantation, and live birth. If any of these processes are abnormal or arrest, reproductive failure will occur. Infertility is a state of reproductive dysfunction caused by various factors.

Oocyte freezing intention for non-medical reasons: the interplay with childbearing intention, age and self efficacy.

In recent years, the possibility for healthy women to consider or undertake oocyte freezing for non-medical reasons (OFNMR) allows women who want to have biological children, to enable motherhood at a later time, while protecting against age-related fertility decline. The present study explored the intended OFNMR among healthy Israeli women by looking at the interplay of age, childbearing intention and general self-efficacy - a personal resource. Two hundred fifty-one Israeli women were recruited through social networks and online forums related to women's issues in general.

ARHGAP26 deficiency drives the oocyte aneuploidy and early embryonic development failure.

Aneuploidy, the presence of a chromosomal anomaly, is a major cause of spontaneous abortions and recurrent pregnancy loss in humans. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms still remain poorly understood. Here, we report that ARHGAP26, a putative tumor suppressor gene, is a newly identified regulator of oocyte quality to maintain mitochondrial integrity and chromosome euploidy, thus ensuring normal embryonic development and fertility.

Factors associated with decision outcomes along the planned oocyte cryopreservation pathway in a cohort of women who sought consultation before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose: To identify factors associated with three decision outcomes along the planned oocyte cryopreservation (POC) pathway: fertility assessment completion, POC uptake, and multiple POC cycles uptake.

Methods: A single-site retrospective cohort study of 425 patients who sought POC consultation from 2018-2022 before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results: The mean age of patients at consultation was 35.

Cumulative live birth rate of a blastocyst versus cleavage stage embryo transfer policy during in vitro fertilisation in women with a good prognosis: multicentre randomised controlled trial.

Objectives: To evaluate whether embryo transfers at blastocyst stage improve the cumulative live birth rate after oocyte retrieval, including both fresh and frozen-thawed transfers, and whether the risk of obstetric and perinatal complications is increased compared with cleavage stage embryo transfers during in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment.

Design: Multicentre randomised controlled trial.

Setting: 21 hospitals and clinics in the Netherlands, 18 August 2018 to 17 December 2021.

Impact of Bisphenol A and its alternatives on oocyte health: a scoping review.

Background: Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disrupting chemical released from plastic materials, including food packaging and dental sealants, persisting in the environment and ubiquitously contaminating ecosystems and human populations. BPA can elicit an array of damaging health effects and, alarmingly, 'BPA-free' alternatives mirror these harmful effects. Bisphenol exposure can negatively impact female fertility, damaging both the ovary and oocytes therein.

Laparoscopic salpingostomy for two types of hydrosalpinx: a step-by-step video tutorial.

Objective: This study aims to illustrate our laparoscopic salpingostomy approach for two types of hydrosalpinx, emphasizing various reproductive surgical techniques.

Design: A step-by-step demonstration of the technique is provided alongside narrated video footage.

Setting: University hospital.

Hormone-free vs. follicle-stimulating hormone-primed infertility treatment of women with polycystic ovary syndrome using biphasic in vitro maturation: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To compare oocyte maturation rates and pregnancy outcomes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) undergoing biphasic in vitro maturation (capacitation in vitro maturation [CAPA-IVM]) with vs. without follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) priming.

Design: Randomized, controlled, assessor-blinded trial.

Angiotensin II type-1 receptor autoantibody positively correlates with the rate of metaphase I oocytes in infertility with ovulatory disorder.

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays an important role in reproductive function. Our previous study identified that angiotensin II type-1 receptor autoantibody (AT1-AA), an autoantibody that activates RAS, was closely associated with infertility. However, its distribution in different types of infertility remained unclear.

The importance of social oocyte cryopreservation in supporting local municipalities: A prospective study.

Background: With the trend toward late marriages and late childbearing, cryopreservation of oocytes for fertility preservation is attracting attention as a method to counteract the declining birthrate.

Objectives: To examine the impact of social oocyte cryopreservation on local communities by assessing the significance of government assistance for cryofreezing and capturing the participants' subsequent feelings regarding this assistance.

Design: Descriptive study.

Which Side of the Coin Are You on Regarding Possible Postnatal Oogenesis?

It is well known that oocytes are produced during fetal development and that the total number of primary follicles is determined at birth. In humans, there is a constant loss of follicles after birth until about two years of age. The number of follicles is preserved until the resumption of meiosis at puberty and there is no renewal of the oocytes; this dogma was maintained in the last century because there were no suitable techniques to detect and obtain stem cells.

Primary Splenic Ectopic Pregnancy: A Rare Derivation.

Splenic ectopic pregnancy refers to the implantation of fertilized ovum in the spleen, which occurs extremely rare. Due to the abundance of splenic blood and its fragile texture, the lethality of ruptured hemorrhage in splenic ectopic pregnancy is higher than that of other ectopic pregnancies. Hence, prompt diagnosis and treatment are critical.

New Immunological Indexes for the Effect of Systemic Inflammation on Oocyte and Embryo Development in Women With Unexplained Infertility: Systemic Immune Response Index and Pan-Immune-Inflammation Value.

Problem: Predicting the impact of systemic inflammation on oocyte and embryonic development in unexplained infertile women using the new immunological indexes.

Method Of Study: This retrospective cohort study was conducted using the records of the In Vitro Fertilization Department of Ankara Gülhane Training and Research Hospital. After reviewing the records of patients who had undergone in vitro fertilization (IVF) for unexplained infertility (UI) and excluding all known factors that could cause systemic immune inflammation, the systemic immune response index (SIRI), and pan-immune score were calculated from the pre-treatment hemogram parameters between the embryo arrest (EA) group and the embryo transfer group.

Are companies ethically justified in offering nonmedical egg freezing as an employee benefit?

All over the world, many companies are including oocyte cryopreservation for nonmedical reasons, also popularly known as nonmedical egg freezing (NMEF), within their employee benefits packages. However, it is important to ask whether companies are ethically justified in offering NMEF as a benefit for their employees. The inclusion of NMEF within companies' employee benefits packages could be ethically justified in two ways.

Variants in NLRP2 and ZFP36L2, non-core components of the human subcortical maternal complex, cause female infertility with embryonic development arrest.

The subcortical maternal complex (SCMC), which is vital in oocyte maturation and embryogenesis, consists of core proteins (NLRP5, TLE6, OOEP), non-core proteins (PADI6, KHDC3L, NLRP2, NLRP7), and other unknown proteins that are encoded by maternal effect genes. Some variants of SCMC genes have been linked to female infertility characterized by embryonic development arrest. However, so far, the candidate non-core SCMC components associated with embryonic development need further exploration and the pathogenic variants that have been identified are still limited.

Mechanisms of minor pole-mediated spindle bipolarization in human oocytes.

Spindle bipolarization, the process of a microtubule mass transforming into a bipolar spindle, is a prerequisite for accurate chromosome segregation. In contrast to mitotic cells, the process and mechanism of spindle bipolarization in human oocytes remains unclear. Using high-resolution imaging in more than 1800 human oocytes, we revealed a typical state of multipolar intermediates that form during spindle bipolarization and elucidated the mechanism underlying this process.