Live Birth Rate In Patients Research Articles

Dego: A Novel Variable to Predict the Live-Birth Rate in Patients with Intrauterine Adhesions Following Hysteroscopic Adhesiolysis

Study Objective To propose the density of endometrial glandular openings (DEGO) as a simple and reliable new variable in predicting live birth after hysteroscopic adhesiolysis (HA). Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting University hospital. Patients or Participants 469 patients with intra-uterine adhesions who underwent hysteroscopic adhesiolysis followed by second look hysteroscopy with images recorded. 12 were lost to follow-up or excluded by criteria. The remaining 457 were included in the study and followed up over a period of 2 years. 231 patients had live-births,82 patients had recurrent spontaneous abortion without live-birth and 144 patients remained infertile at the end of the study. Interventions None Measurements and Main Results N/A. Main Outcome Measure(s): The second look hysteroscopic images were evaluated by an automatic counting system to calculate the density of endometrial glandular openings (DEGO). The American Fertility Society (AFS) scores were also calculated for each patient. Logistic regression analysis was performed to develop a prediction model for each of these scores to predict live-birth-rate following hysteroscopic adhesiolysis. The performance of each of these prediction models was compared by calculating the area under the curve (AUC). Result(s): The logistic regression analysis revealed that both DEGO and AFS scores were closely correlated with live-birth rates in patients with intra-uterine adhesions (p=0). The AUCs of AFS scores pre-operatively and post-operatively (evaluated during the final second-look hysteroscopy) were 0.7611 and 0.7691 respectively; The AUC for DEGO post-operatively (evaluated during the final second-look hysteroscopy) was 0.8628. When compared with pre- or post-operative AFS score, the post-operative DEGO had an optimal prediction performance (p=0.0002, p Conclusion Post-operative DEGO has superior performance to AFS score in predicting the live-birth rate following hysteroscopic adhesiolysis for patients with intrauterine adhesions.

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcomes in patients with orgasmic dysfunction and anejaculation by percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (PESA).

BackgroundOrgasmic dysfunction and anejaculation are two uncommon yet powerful factors of male infertility. The treatment of orgasmic dysfunction and anejaculation is especially important for men who desire paternity, who otherwise would have to undergo surgical sperm retrieval for use with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). We evaluated the reproductive outcomes of percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (PESA) for ICSI in a cohort of infertile patients who had presented with orgasmic dysfunction and anejaculation in the past five years.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective study of 41 patients with orgasmic dysfunction and 55 patients with anejaculation who underwent surgical sperm retrieval for ICSI. The sperm was firstly aspirated from the cauda epididymis, and then from the caput of the epididymis. If aspiration attempts failed at both locations, testicular sperm aspiration (TESA) was performed. The ICSI outcomes following these collection methods were compared with those of patients with congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD). The ICSI outcomes of PESA (fertilization rate, high-quality embryo rate, clinical pregnancy, and live birth rate) were recorded.ResultsOf all 96 participants, PESA was successfully performed in 91 patients (94.8%), and TESA was necessary for only 5 patients (5.2%). Of the 91 patients who received PESA, 90 succeeded in retrieving sperm from the cauda epididymis, and just 1 from the caput. Among the patients with anejaculation, there were 28 cases (28/55, 50.9%) of diabetes mellitus (DM). In 56 fresh transfer cycles, the clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate were 57.1% and 51.8%, respectively, both similar to those of CBAVD (53.47% vs. 63.4%, P=0.483, 47.2% vs. 53.5%, P=0.393, respectively). The fertilization rate, transferable embryo rate, high-quality embryo rate, clinical pregnancy, early pregnancy loss, and the live birth rate did not show differences resulting from using fresh or frozen sperm in the two groups. The fertilization rate and high-quality embryo rate in patients with DM were lower than those of patients without DM (75.0% vs. 86.7%, P=0.002; 50.4% vs. 77.4%, P=0.028, respectively).ConclusionsLike TESA, PESA is an appropriate and convenient way to obtain sperm for ICSI for patients with orgasmic dysfunction and anejaculation. Performing ICSI with sperm from the cauda epididymis can achieve favorable clinical pregnancy and live birth rates in patients with orgasmic dysfunction and anejaculation.

Endometriosis does not impact live-birth rates in frozen embryo transfers of euploid blastocysts

To determine whether subfertility in patients with endometriosis is due to impaired endometrial receptivity by comparing pregnancy and live-birth outcomes in women with endometriosis versus two control groups without suspected endometrial factors: noninfertile patients who underwent assisted reproduction to test embryos for a single-gene disorder and couples with isolated male factor infertility. Retrospective cohort. Multicenter private practice. All patients aged 24 to 44 years undergoing euploid frozen blastocysts transfer from January 2016 through March2018. None. Live birth, clinical pregnancies, pregnancy losses, and aneuploid rates in preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy cycles. The analysis included 459 euploid frozen embryo transfer cycles among 328 unique patients. There were no differences in clinical pregnancy, pregnancy loss, or live-birth rates in patients with endometriosis compared with both control groups. The aneuploidy rates were lowest in the preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic disorders cohort, and the endometriosis patients had aneuploidy rates similar to those of the male factor infertility patients. It is unclear whether endometriosis primarily affects invitro fertilization outcomes via oocyte quality or the endometrium. By controlling for embryo quality using euploid frozen embryo transfer cycles, we found no difference in pregnancy outcomes in patients with endometriosis compared with patients undergoing treatment for male factor infertility and noninfertile patients.

Levothyroxine and subclinical hypothyroidism in patients with recurrent pregnancy loss.

The association between subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) and recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) remains unclear. We evaluated whether SCH affects subsequent live births and whether levothyroxine is effective in improving the live birth rate in patients with RPL. This observational cohort study included 1418 pregnancies of 1014 patients with a history of 2 or more pregnancy losses, who were euthyroid or had hypothyroidism, and had at least one subsequent pregnancy outcome. Some patients with SCH, as defined as a TSH >2.5mIU/L, were treated with levothyroxine, and these comprised the levothyroxine group. The prevalence of SCH, subsequent live birth rates per patient and per pregnancy were compared among patients with SCH treated with and without levothyroxine and patients with euthyroid. The prevalence of SCH was 14.4%. Subsequent live birth rates were 75.0% for the levothyroxine group, 68.6% for the untreated SCH group, and 70.1% for the euthyroid group. After excluding miscarriages with abnormal karyotypes, live birth rates were 89.2%, 90.0%, and 91.1%. The adjusted odds ratio (95%CI) was 0.95 (0.23-3.83) after controlling covariables when comparing SCH patients with and without treatment. The live birth rates per pregnancy were 93.1%, 85.7%, and 90.9%, respectively. The adjusted OR was 0.95 (0.23-3.83). Levothyroxine has no effect on improving the live birth rate in patients with RPL associated with SCH. Treatment in patients with RPL and SCH raised TSH levels (2.5-10mIU/L) might not be beneficial in improving the live birth rate.

Systematic oxidative stress is not associated with live birth rate in young non-obese patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome undergoing assisted reproduction cycles: A prospective cohort study

ObjectiveOxidative stress may be associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and poor outcomes after assisted reproduction treatment. It is unclear if systematic oxidative stress is correlated with live birth rate in patients with PCOS after controlled ovarian stimulation. This study aimed to investigate the serum oxidative stress markers on the day of trigger hCG and its relationship with live birth rate in young non-obese women with or without PCOS undergoing in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) treatment. Study designIn this prospective cohort study, 50 patients with PCOS and 50 patients without PCOS aged less than 35 years and undergoing IVF/ICSI between February 2017 and January 2018 were studied. The body mass index (BMI) of all participants was less than 28 kg/m2. Serum malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) levels on the day of hCG were measured. Demographic and cycle characteristics, embryo laboratory data and pregnancy outcomes after fresh embryo transfer were analyzed. Univariate analysis and logistic regression analysis were used to analyze independent variables predicting the live birth rate. ResultsAfter conventional ovarian stimulation, the patients with PCOS had higher serum MDA and GPx concentrations (P < 0.03) and lower serum SOD levels (P < 0.03) on the hCG trigger day than the controls. Further, the serum MDA and GPx levels on the trigger day were also positively correlated with the number of good quality embryos (R = 0.26, P = 0.01; R = 0.21, P = 0.04; respectively). However, cycle characteristics, IVF/ICSI outcomes and pregnancy outcomes were comparable between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the rate of good quality embryos (OR 1.04, 95 %CI 1.01–1.06, P = 0.005) and the duration of infertility (OR 0.74, 95 %CI 0.56−0.98, P = 0.04) were predictive factors of live birth rate. The ROC curve analysis showed the AUC for the model was 0.76 (95 %CI: 0.67−0.86, P < 0.001). ConclusionThe data suggest that moderate systemic oxidative stress on the hCG trigger day had no detrimental effects on live birth rate in young and non-obese patients with PCOS after IVF/ICSI treatment.

Customized Frozen Embryo Transfer after Identification of the Receptivity Window with a Transcriptomic Approach Improves the Implantation and Live Birth Rates in Patients with Repeated Implantation Failure

The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate outcome benefits expected in repeated implantation failure (RIF) patients (n = 217) after customized embryo transfer based upon identification of the receptivity window by transcriptomic approach using the Win-Test. In this test, the expression of 11 endometrial genes known to be predictive of endometrial receptivity is assessed by RT-PCR in biopsies collected during the implantation window (6–9 days after the spontaneous luteinizing hormone surge during natural cycles, 5–9 days after progesterone administration during hormone replacement therapy cycles). Then, patients underwent either customized embryo transfer (cET, n = 157 patients) according to the Win-Test results or embryo transfer according to the classical procedure (control group, n = 60). Pregnancy and live birth rates were compared in the two groups. The Win-Test showed that in 78.5% of women, the receptivity window lasted less than 48 h, although it could be shorter (< 24 h, 9.5%) or longer (> 48 h, 12%). This highlighted that only in 20% of patients with RIF the endometrium would have been receptive if the classical embryo transfer protocol was followed. In the other 80% of patients, the receptivity window was delayed by 1–3 days relative to the classical timing. This suggests that implantation failure could be linked to inadequate timing of embryo transfer. In agreement, both implantation (22.7% vs. 7.2%) and live birth rates per patient (31.8% vs. 8.3%) were significantly higher in the cET group than in the control group. cET on the basis of the Win-Test results could be proposed to improve pregnancy and live birth rates.ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT04192396; December 5, 2019, retrospectively registered.

Pregnancy outcomes in women with inflammatory bowel disease: a 10-year nationwide population-based cohort study.

Data relating to the association between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and pregnancy outcomes are lacking in Korea. To determine the incidence rates of pregnancy outcomes in women with IBD. A nationwide population study was performed using the Korean National Health Insurance claims database. A total of 2058 women with IBD consisting of ulcerative colitis (UC, n=1469) and Crohn's disease (CD, n=589) were pregnant between 2007 and 2016. We compared their incidence of pregnancy outcomes with 20580 age-matched controls without IBD. We also stratified the patients into those with quiescent to mild and moderate to severe IBD and compared the outcomes between them. The pregnancy rate of women with IBD was lower than that of women without (25.7% vs 32.3%, P<0.001). Caesarean section (46.5% vs 38.8%, odds ratio [OR] 1.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.17-1.75), and intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) (3.0% vs 1.0%, OR 2.89, 95% CI: 1.59-5.26) were increased in CD patients than the controls. In regards to disease severity, there were no significant differences in pregnancy outcomes between patients with quiescent to mild IBD and the controls. However, the live birth rate of patients with moderate to severe IBD was lower than that of the controls (65.0% vs 69.9%, OR 0.79, 95%CI: 0.66-0.94). In addition, moderate to severe IBD was significantly associated with spontaneous abortion (14.9% vs 11.9%, OR 1.33, 95% CI: 1.04-1.68), caesarean section (46.4% vs 38.8%, OR 1.41, 95% CI: 1.14-1.74) and IUGR (3.4% vs 1.0%, OR 3.20, 95% CI: 1.75-5.84). With the exception of moderate to severe disease, the incidences of adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with IBD are similar to that of the general population.

Artificial oocyte activation to improve reproductive outcomes in couples with various causes of infertility: a retrospective cohort study.

Does calcium ionophore treatment of oocytes improve fertilization rate, embryo development and outcomes in specific groups of infertile couples? This retrospective cohort study involved 796 couples undergoing oocyte activation with calcium ionophore (A23187) after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) between 2016 and 2018. All metaphase II oocytes were exposed to 5 μmol/l ionophore for 15 min immediately after ICSI, cultured in vitro to the blastocyst stage, and transferred to the uteri of recipients on day 5 or cryopreserved for transfer in the next cycle. The previous cycles of the same patients formed the control group. Among 1261 ICSI cycles and 796 ICSI-artificial oocyte activation (ICSI-AOA) cycles, implantation, positive beta-HCG, clinical pregnancy and live birth rates were significantly (P < 0.05 to P < 0.001) improved for all groups, compared with previous cycles, except live birth rate in women with primary ovarian insufficiency (POI). Compared with previous cycles, rates of blastulation (all P < 0.001) and high-quality blastocysts (P < 0.05 to P < 0.001) were increased significantly for couples with male factor (oligoasthenoteratozoospermia [OAT]), unexplained infertility and couples with both factors in the ICSI-AOA cycles. High-quality blastocyst rate was increased in couples with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) (P = 0.0453). Miscarriage rates were decreased significantly (P < 0.05 to P < 0.001) in couples with OAT, PCOS and unexplained infertility in the treatment cycles. No significant differences were found for fertilization rate, embryo development or live birth rate in patients with POI between both groups. Artificial oocyte activation was able to 'rescue' the poor reproductive outcomes in certain types of infertile couples with history of failure to achieve pregnancy.

Preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy: a comparison of live birth rates in patients with recurrent pregnancy loss due to embryonic aneuploidy or recurrent implantation failure.

Preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy: a comparison of live birth rates in patients with recurrent pregnancy loss due to embryonic aneuploidy or recurrent implantation failure.

Efficacy of intrauterine perfusion of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) for infertile women before embryo transfer: meta-analysis

This meta-analysis was intended to evaluate the effects of intrauterine perfusion of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) on the pregnancy outcomes including clinical pregnancy rates, embryo implantation rates, live birth rates and miscarriage rates of infertile women who were undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment. By searching Pubmed, Embase database, five articles meeting the inclusion criteria were included, and 1173 women were enrolled (intrauterine PBMC group: n = 514; NO-PBMC group: n = 659). For the entire IVF/ICSI population and one or two embryo transfer failure patients, there was no significant difference in endometrial thickness, embryo implantation rates, live birth rates, and miscarriage rates between the PBMC group and NO-PBMC group. Although the clinical pregnancy rates of the PBMC group were higher than that of the NO-PBMC group, the confidence interval was close to the line of unity. As for the patients with three or more implantation failures, the clinical pregnancy rates, embryo implantation rates and live birth rates were much higher in the PBMC group than that of the NO-PBMC group. In summary, current evidence suggests that intrauterine perfusion of PBMC can significantly improve pregnancy outcomes in patients who have three or more implantation failures. Impact statement What is already known on this subject? An increasing number of studies have shown that immune cells play an important role in embryo transfer. There is no reliable evidence to confirm the clinical efficacy of intrauterine perfusion of PBMC. What do the results of this study add? The current evidence suggests that intrauterine perfusion of PBMC can significantly improve pregnancy outcomes in patients who have three or more implantation failures. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? To the best of our knowledge, this meta-analysis is the first to evaluate the effect of intrauterine perfusion of PBMC on pregnancy outcomes before embryo transfer. Our study indicated that intrauterine perfusion of PBMC significantly increased clinical pregnancy rates, embryo implantation rates, and live birth rates in patients who failed more than three implants.

Preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy: a comparison of live birth rates in patients with recurrent pregnancy loss due to embryonic aneuploidy or recurrent implantation failure

Can preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) improve the live birth rate and reduce the miscarriage rate in patients with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) caused by an abnormal embryonic karyotype and recurrent implantation failure (RIF)? PGT-A could not improve the live births per patient nor reduce the rate of miscarriage, in both groups. PGT-A use has steadily increased worldwide. However, only a few limited studies have shown that it improves the live birth rate in selected populations in that the prognosis has been good. Such studies have excluded patients with RPL and RIF. In addition, several studies have failed to demonstrate any benefit at all. PGT-A was reported to be without advantage in patients with unexplained RPL whose embryonic karyotype had not been analysed. The efficacy of PGT-A should be examined by focusing on patients whose previous products of conception (POC) have been aneuploid, because the frequencies of abnormal and normal embryonic karyotypes have been reported as 40-50% and 5-25% in patients with RPL, respectively. A multi-centre, prospective pilot study was conducted from January 2017 to June 2018. A total of 171 patients were recruited for the study: an RPL group, including 41 and 38 patients treated respectively with and without PGT-A, and an RIF group, including 42 and 50 patients treated respectively with and without PGT-A. At least 10 women in each age group (35-36, 37-38, 39-40 or 41-42years) were selected for PGT-A groups. All patients and controls had received IVF-ET for infertility. Patients in the RPL group had had two or more miscarriages, and at least one case of aneuploidy had been ascertained through prior POC testing. No pregnancies had occurred in the RIF group, even after at least three embryo transfers. Trophectoderm biopsy and array comparative genomic hybridisation (aCGH) were used for PGT-A. The live birth rate of PGT-A and non-PGT-A patients was compared after the development of blastocysts from up to two oocyte retrievals and a single blastocyst transfer. The miscarriage rate and the frequency of euploidy, trisomy and monosomy in the blastocysts were noted. There were no significant differences in the live birth rates per patient given or not given PGT-A: 26.8 versus 21.1% in the RPL group and 35.7 versus 26.0% in the RIF group, respectively. There were also no differences in the miscarriage rates per clinical pregnancies given or not given PGT-A: 14.3 versus 20.0% in the RPL group and 11.8 versus 0% in the RIF group, respectively. However, PGT-A improved the live birth rate per embryo transfer procedure in both the RPL (52.4 vs 21.6%, adjusted OR 3.89; 95% CI 1.16-13.1) and RIF groups (62.5 vs 31.7%, adjusted OR 3.75; 95% CI 1.28-10.95). Additionally, PGT-A was shown to reduce biochemical pregnancy loss per biochemical pregnancy: 12.5 and 45.0%, adjusted OR 0.14; 95% CI 0.02-0.85 in the RPL group and 10.5 and 40.9%, adjusted OR 0.17; 95% CI 0.03-0.92 in the RIF group. There was no difference in the distribution of genetic abnormalities between RPL and RIF patients, although double trisomy tended to be more frequent in RPL patients. The sample size was too small to find any significant advantage for improving the live birth rate and reducing the clinical miscarriage rate per patient. Further study is necessary. A large portion of pregnancy losses in the RPL group might be due to aneuploidy, since PGT-A reduced the overall incidence of pregnancy loss in these patients. Although PGT-A did not improve the live birth rate per patient, it did have the advantage of reducing the number of embryo transfers required to achieve a similar number live births compared with those not undergoing PGT-A. This study was supported by the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology and grants from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology. There are no conflicts of interest to declare. N/A.

Chronic Endometritis: Old Problem, Novel Insights and Future Challenges.

Chronic endometritis (CE) is a poorly investigated pathology which has been related to adverse reproductive out- comes, such as implantation failure and recurrent miscarriage. In this paper, we aim to provide an overview of diag- nosis, etiology, pathophysiology and treatment of CE, its impact on endometrial microenvironment and its associa- tion with infertility. We present a narrative review of the current literatures, synthesizing the findings retrieved from searches of computerized databases. CE is more prevalent in infertile patients. Effective antibiotic treatment of CE seems to improve the pregnancy and live birth rate in patients with unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), and increase ongoing pregnancy rate in patients with recurrent implantation failure. In order to increase the diagnostic ac- curacy, immunohistochemistry is recommended besides the conventional histology. In addition, hysteroscopy could be considered as gold standard tool for diagnosis, considering its high correlation with histological findings. CE, as the chronic inflammation of endometrium, is usually asymptomatic and probably underestimated. Interaction of bac- teria with endometrial microenvironment promotes changes in leukocyte population, cytokine production and growth factors which support its negative impact on endometrial receptivity. Nevertheless, standardization of the criteria for histopathological diagnosis and immunohistochemistry technique needs to be defined.

Uterine size and volume are associated with higher live birth rate in patients undergoing assisted reproduction technology

To investigate how uterine size and volume are associated with live birth rate in patients undergoing assisted reproduction technology.This prospective cohort study was conducted at the Reproductive Medicine Centre from January 2010 to May 2017. Multivariate binary logistic regression was used to evaluate the relations between uterine size, total volume, and live birth outcomes, after they were adjusted for the main influencing factors.A total of 7320 women of clinical pregnancy were enrolled. Compared with uterine lengths of 50 to 59 mm (referent), women with uterine lengths ≥60 mm had a lower live birth rate (RR = 1.541). Compared with uterine widths of ≥50 mm (referent), women with uterine widths <30 mm had a lower live birth rate (RR = 1.430). Compared with uterine anteroposterior diameters of <30 mm (referent), women with uterine anteroposterior diameters ≥50 mm had a lower live birth rate (RR = 1.636). Compared with uterine volumes of 30 to 49 mL (referent), women with volumes <30 mL and ≥70 mL had lower live birth rates (RR = 1.368 and 1.742, respectively).Our findings indicate that uterine sizes and volumes that were too large or too small reduced the live birth rate.

Live Birth Rates in Poor Responders' Group after Previous Treatment with Autologous Platelet-Rich Plasma and Low Dose Ovarian Stimulation Compared with Poor Responders Used Only Low Dose Ovarian Stimulation Before in Vitro Fertilization.

BACKGROUND:This prospective pilot study determined the efficacy of previous transvaginal intraovarian injection with autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in poor ovarian responders (PORs) fulfilling the Bologna criteria before in vitro fertilisation (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with low dose ovarian stimulation. Current knowledge of efficient treatment for PORs is limited and often contradictory; also, LBRs of IVF remains disappointingly low.AIM:We assessed the live birth rates (LBRs) in PORs after previous ovarian treatment with PRP.METHODS:Overall, 40 patients undergoing IVF/ICSI between June 2017 ending December 2018 were included. A transvaginal intraovarian injection of PRP was performed on 20 patients. Both compered groups were balanced for all basic characteristics, and multivariate analysis was performed to adjust for all known confounders.RESULTS:Between the groups, a statistical significance in clinical pregnancies and LBR was not found. Clinical pregnancy and live birth rates were 33.33 ± 44.99 and 40.00 ± 50.71 in the PRP group and 10.71 ± 28.95 and 14.29 ± 36.31 in control group retrospectively. However, there is a trend towards higher implantation rates and LBRs in patients with previous treatment with PRP. Anyhow, the number of patients used in the research is insufficient to make a concrete conclusion, and more studies are needed in the future to confirm these results entirely.CONCLUSION:Even though the treatment of POR responders remains as a therapeutical challenge, the usage of intraovarian injection of autologous PRP in PORs before the IVF performance brings a glimpse of new hope in increasing the success of IVF defined by clinical pregnancy and LBRs.

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor for intracytoplasmic sperm injection patients with repeated implantation failure: which route is best?†

The aim of this study was to assess whether the dual administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) increases the effect of only systemic administration in patients with RIF. This retrospective study included 111 infertile normoresponder cases with two or more unsuccessful in vitro fertilisation/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) treatments, despite the transfer of good quality embryos. Patients were divided into three groups according to using G-CSF and administration route; Group 1 included patients who received subcutaneous (SC) G-CSF only (n = 38), Group 2 comprised patients who received both intrauterine (IU) and SC G-CSF (n = 39), the control group included patients who did not receive G-CSF who were matched by age (n = 34). The IU route of G-CSF was employed on ovulation triggering day. G-CSF was administered via an IU insemination catheter. SC injection was started on the day of oocyte retrieval and administered for 15 days at 100,000 IU/kg. Foetal cardiac activity (clinical pregnancy) was present in 50 patients (46.2%) after embryo transfer, with 20 patients included in SC group (Group 1) (52.6%), 25 in SC + IU group (Group 2) (64.1%) and 8 (23.5%) in control group and significant difference was observed between groups (p: .001). Pregnancy resulted in live birth in 43 patients (39.8%), with 13 patients belonging in Group 1 (34.2%), 25 in Group 2 (61.5%) and 8 (23.5%) in control group; significant differences were observed between groups (p: .001). In conclusion, our results showed that dual administration of G-CSF was significantly more effective that the SC only method.Impact statementWhat is already known on this subject? A number of studies reported the possible benefits of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) administration in recurrent implantation failure (RIF) and recurrent pregnancy loss patients; however, it is unclear which administration route is better.What do the results of this study add? Our results showed that G-CSF is a promising and safe agent for increasing live birth rates in patients with RIF. Additionally, dual administration is considered the better method than SC only administration.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Clinicians should consider a combination of IU use before ovulation triggering with SC administration starting from the day of oocyte collection for using G-CSF for the treatment of recurrent implantation failure. Additionally, our data show the need for research in the field of administration route of G-CSF for RIF. We suggest that further studies be performed in this field.

Optimizing fertility preservation using multiple modalities in a young patient with cervical cancer

Oocyte cryopreservation is the mainstay of fertility preservation in patients with malignancy; however, live birth rates after oocyte cryopreservation are lower in cancer patients than in healthy patients. Multiple modalities of fertility preservation can be combined to optimize success rates. We demonstrate a case of a 24-year-old female who was diagnosed with cervical clear cell adenocarcinoma and was advised to undergo treatment with cisplatin and radiation therapy. She strongly desired fertility preservation and opted to proceed with oocyte cryopreservation, ovarian tissue cryopreservation, and ovarian transposition. Ovarian transposition is a surgical approach to fertility preservation that preserves both fertility and gonadal function. Different modes of fertility preservation may be combined to optimize live birth rates in patients with malignancy.

The impact of the modified speculum application technique on the success rates of intrauterine insemination: A randomized controlled study

ObjectiveIntrauterine insemination (IUI) is frequently used to treat patients with ovulation disorders, cervical factor, mild male infertility and unexplained infertility. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of modified speculum application on the success of IUI in patients with unexplained infertility. Materials and methodsThis prospective randomized study reviewed 219 women who had undergone controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH)-IUI treatment. In the modified speculum application group (109 patients with 124 cycles), the screw of the vaginal speculum was loosened after passing the internal os with catheter and the vaginal speculum remained in this position to ensure closure of the cervix during the procedure. In the conventional speculum application group (110 patients with 132 cycles), the screw of the vaginal speculum was not loosened to close the lips of cervix after passing the internal os with the catheter and the vaginal speculum was removed after withdrawal of the insemination catheter. The primary outcome was live birth rate. ResultsThe modified and conventional speculum application groups had statistically similar demographic and clinical characteristics. There were no significant differences between the study and the control groups in terms of the clinical pregnancy rate per cycle and per patient (24.1% vs 18.9% and 26.6% vs 22.7%, respectively), as well as the live birth rate per cycle and per patient (19.3% vs 15.1% and 22% vs 18.1% respectively). ConclusionApplying gentle mechanical pressure on the portio vaginalis of the cervix using a vaginal speculum during IUI does not improve pregnancy and live birth rates in patients with unexplained infertility.

Danaparoid is effective and safe for patients with obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome

Objectives: The objective is to evaluate whether danaparoid is effective in improving the live birth rate in patients with obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome (oAPS).Methods: This prospective study included 91 pregnancies of 60 patients with oAPS diagnosed according to criteria of the International Congress on APS. Live birth rates, adverse pregnancies and perinatal outcomes were compared among patients treated with danaparoid and low dose aspirin (danaparoid group, LDA), unfractionated heparin (UFH) and LDA (UFH group) and LDA and/or prednisolone (LDA group).Results: After excluding 11 miscarriages with abnormal embryonic chromosomes, one chemical pregnancy and one ectopic pregnancy, live birth rates were 87.5% (14/16) for the danaparoid group, 90.0% (36/40) for the UFH group and 63.6% (14/22) for the LDA group, respectively. The live birth rates of patients treated with danaparoid and UFH were similar and tended to be higher than that of patients treated with LDA, respectively (OR 4.0, 95% confidence interval 0.72–22.22 and 5.15, 1.33–20.00). No patient given danaparoid and one patient with UFH developed heparin-induced thrombocytopenia which resulted in a stillbirth. Another patient with UFH suffered a lumbar compression fracture.Conclusion: Danaparoid is effective for improving the live birth rate and is safe for patients with oAPS.

Effect of differential endometrial injury timing on frozen-thawed embryo transfer pregnancy outcomes

Objective: To explore whether differential endometrial injury (EI) timing prior to a frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycle yields similar improvements in pregnancy outcomes. Materials and Methods: A total of 688 women underwent consecutive FET cycles. Based on their desire to undergo differentially timed EI or not, patients were divided into four groups: on the 3 rd-5 th day of the menstrual phase of the FET cycle (n = 308), on the 3 rd-5 th day of the menstrual phase preceding the FET cycle (n = 78), during the luteal phase of the cycle preceding the FET cycle (n = 83), and no intervention (n = 219). Results: The pregnancy outcomes in the four groups were significantly different. The chemical pregnancy, clinical pregnancy, implantation, and live birth rates of patients who underwent EI on the 3 rd-5 thday of the menstrual phase preceding the FET cycle were the highest, followed by those who underwent EI on the 3 rd-5 th day of the menstrual phase of the FET cycle. The lowest rates were those during the luteal phase of the cycle preceding the FET cycle and patients who had no interventions, which were similar. Conclusions: Differential EI timing resulted in differential improvement of pregnancy outcomes for FET.

Intrauterine administration of human chorionic gonadotropin improves the live birth rates of patients with repeated implantation failure in frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer cycles by increasing the percentage of peripheral regulatory T cells.

Repeated implantation failure (RIF) frustrates both patients and their clinicians. Our aim was to observe the effects of intrauterine administration of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) on pregnancy outcomes of patients who received frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET). A prospective cohort study was conducted to evaluate the impact of intrauterine administration of hCG on pregnancy outcomes in FET cycles of patients with RIF from January 1st 2016 to December 31st 2016. The treatment group (n = 153, 152 cycles) received an infusion of 500IU of hCG diluted in normal saline 3days before embryo transfer. The control group (n = 152, 151 cycles) received embryo transfer with a previous intrauterine injection of normal saline without hCG. Early morning fasting blood samples were obtained from each patient for the measurement of peripheral regulatory T cells (Tregs) on the day of embryo transfer. The outcome parameters including Tregs in each group were compared. The patients in the hCG-treated group had significantly higher clinical pregnancy rates, implantation rates and live birth rates than the controls (37.5% versus 25.17%, 29.19% versus 19.4%, 26.97% versus 17.22%, respectively). They also had significantly higher percentages of peripheral Tregs than the controls (6.1 ± 0.6% versus 5.4 ± 1.0%). In addition, the clinical pregnancy rate, implantation rate and live birth rate in patients who received blastocyst transfer were significantly higher in the hCG-treated group when compared to the control group (41.38% versus 26.44%, 42.22% versus 26.14%, 33.33% versus 17.24%, respectively). We also showed that the clinical pregnancy rate, implantation rate and live birth rate were significantly higher in hCG-treated group when compared to the control group (49.12% versus 28.07%, 49.15% versus 28.07%, 40.35% versus 17.54%, respectively) of RIF patients with blastocyst transfer under 35years, while there was on difference in patients above 35years. Intrauterine administration of hCG significantly improves the clinical pregnancy rate, implantation rate and live birth rate in FET cycles of patients with RIF by increasing Tregs. The treatment improves the pregnancy outcomes much more for younger RIF patients transferred blastocysts.