Project description:Role of intrauterine insemination (IUI) in infertile couples is evaluated. Patients selected for the study belonged to two categories-Unexplained infertility(34 patients) and Male infertility (30 patients). In all the patients selected for IUI ovarian hyperstimulation was carried out with clomiphene citrate. Two techniques of sperm preparation were used - swim-up technique and mono-percoll gradient separation technique. Pregnancy rates of 15.6% per patient and 7% per cycle respectively were achieved which are comparable with other studies. Mono-percoll sperm separation technique was found more effective in treatment of Male infertility (oligo-asthenospermic semen sample).
Project description:ObjectiveTo investigate the association of non-cavity-distorting uterine fibroids and pregnancy outcomes after ovarian stimulation-intrauterine insemination (OS-IUI) in couples with unexplained infertility.DesignSecondary analysis from a prospective, randomized, multicenter clinical trial investigating fertility outcomes after OS-IUI.SettingReproductive Medicine Network clinical sites.Patient(s)Nine hundred couples with unexplained infertility who participated in the Assessment of Multiple Intrauterine Gestations from Ovarian Stimulation (AMIGOS) clinical trial.Intervention(s)Participants were randomized to one of three arms (clomiphene citrate, letrozole, or gonadotropins), and treatment was continued for up to four cycles or until pregnancy was achieved.Main outcomes measure(s)Conception (serum hCG increase), clinical pregnancy (fetal cardiac activity), and live birth rates.Result(s)A total of 102/900 participants (11.3%) had at least one documented fibroid and a normal uterine cavity. Women with fibroids were older, more likely to be African American, had a greater uterine volume, lower serum antimüllerian hormone levels, and fewer antral follicles than women without fibroids. In conception cycles, clinical pregnancy rates were significantly lower in participants with fibroids than in those without uterine fibroids. Pregnancy loss before 12 weeks was more likely in African American women with fibroids compared with non-African American women with fibroids. There was no difference in conception and live birth rates in subjects with and without fibroids.Conclusion(s)No differences were observed in conception and live birth rates in women with non-cavity-distorting fibroids and those without fibroids. These findings provide reassurance that pregnancy success is not impacted in couples with non-cavity-distorting fibroids undergoing OS-IUI for unexplained infertility.Clinical trial registration numberNCT01044862.
Project description:BackgroundSperm DNA fragmentation has been proposed as a candidate test for the assessment of sperm function on the premise that damage to the sperm chromatin is associated with a detrimental reproductive outcome. The objective of our study was to investigate whether sperm DNA fragmentation testing has a prognostic value, and thus can play a pivotal role in selecting future patients for intra-uterine insemination (IUI) therapy.MethodsThis was a prospective cohort study conducted in a University Hospital setting. SDF was measured through TUNEL assay on the fresh semen sample presented at diagnosis and at insemination in couples with idiopathic/mild male infertility undergoing natural cycle IUI treatment. The generalized estimating equation (GEE)-model and multivariable model were used to analyze the probability of live birth and clinical pregnancy, respectively. ROC analysis was carried out to determine an SDF cut-off.ResultsThere was an inverse relationship between SDF in the ejaculate of the diagnostic semen sample and CP (p = 0.02; OR 0.94 95% CI (0.90, 0.989)) as well as LB (p = 0.04; OR 0.95 95% CI (0.90, 0.9985)). No significant association was found between SDF after gradient and IUI outcome in the diagnostic sample nor between SDF (ejaculate/after gradient) in the IUI samples. The ROC analysis proposed a cutoff of 17.5% as the best compromise between sensitivity and specificity in the diagnostic SDF for live birth; however, the test diagnostics are low, with an AUC of 0.576.ConclusionsOverall, this study strengthens the hypothesis of an inverse relationship between SDF and CP/LB. Furthermore, SDF taken together with other clinical characteristics might provide more insight into male reproductive potential and predicting IUI outcome. Couples with SDF ≥ 17.5% in the diagnostic semen sample did not reach live birth. Further research is necessary to establish the diagnostic and prognostic potential of SDF as an add-on test.
Project description:BackgroundIntrauterine insemination (IUI) treatment is recommended in subfertile women with AFS/ASRM stage I/II endometriosis. However, the efficacy of IUI in women with ovarian endometriomas with tubal patency is uncertain. We explored the efficacy of IUI for the treatment of endometrioma-associated subfertility.MethodsWe performed a retrospective matched cohort study using propensity matching (PSM) analysis. Subfertile couples undergoing IUI with and without ovarian stimulation between January 1, 2015, and May 30, 2020 were reviewed.ResultsAfter PSM, 56 women with endometrioma alone were matched to 173 patients with unexplained subfertility. The per-cycle pregnancy rate (PR) was comparable between women with endometrioma-associated subfertility (n = 56, 87 cycles) and women with unexplained subfertility (n = 173, 280 cycles) (9.2% vs. 17.9%, OR 0.47; 95% CI, 0.21-1.03). Subgroup analyses based on IUI with or without stimulation also resulted in comparable results. A trend toward a lower cumulative pregnancy rates (CPRs) was seen in women with endometrioma (14.3%, 8/56) compared with women with unexplained subfertility (28.9%, 50/173), but the differences were not significant (HR 0.49; 95% CI, 0.23-1.15). However, patients with endometrioma were nearly twice as likely to converse to IVF treatment compared with those without the disease (60.7% versus 43.9%; OR 1.97; 95% CI, 1.07-3.65).ConclusionIUI may be a viable approach for subfertile women with endometrioma and no other identifiable infertility factor. More studies are needed to reassure the findings.
Project description:Early pregnancy loss is common and can be caused by a range of factors. The Brown Norway (BN) rat exhibits reproductive dysfunction characterized by small litter size and pregnancy failure and represents a model for investigating early pregnancy loss. In this study, we investigated the establishment of pregnancy in the BN rat and gained insight into mechanisms causing its subfertility. Early stages of BN uteroplacental organization are unique. The BN primordial placenta is restricted in its development and correlates with limited BN uterine decidual development. BN uterine decidua was shown to be both structurally and functionally distinct and correlated with decreased circulating progesterone (P4) levels. Ovarian anomalies were also apparent in BN rats and included decreased ovulation rates and decreased transcript levels for some steroidogenic enzymes. Attempts to rescue the BN uterine decidual phenotype with steroid hormone therapy were ineffective. BN uteri were shown to exhibit reduced responsiveness to P4 but not to 17beta-estradiol. P4 resistance was associated with decreased transcript levels for the P4 receptor (Pgr), a P4 receptor chaperone (Fkbp4), and P4 receptor coactivators (Ncoa1 and Ncoa2). In summary, the BN rat exhibits luteal insufficiency and uterine P4 resistance, which profoundly affects its ability to reproduce.
Project description:ObjectiveTo characterize relationships associated with adverse endometrial development in patients undergoing IUI for unexplained infertility.DesignA retrospective review of 2,929 patients from 2004-2011.SettingLarge metropolitan infertility practice.Patient(s)Patients with unexplained infertility undergoing first IUI cycle at age less than 43 years, with a total motile sperm count ≥ 8 million.Intervention(s)Clomiphene citrate (CC) with FSH stimulation followed by IUI.Main outcome measure(s)Endometrial thickness, serum E2 (in picograms per milliliter) levels on the day of hCG trigger administration, body mass index (BMI) (in kilograms per meter squared), total motile sperm, follicle number, and clinical pregnancy.Result(s)Of the 2,929 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 466 (15.9 %) achieved a clinical pregnancy. Pregnancy rates (PRs) increased significantly with increasing endometrial thickness on the day of hCG administration and with increasing serum E2 level, but were not significantly related to age, BMI, or follicle numbers according to multiple logistic regression modeling. Peak endometrial thickness declined with age and increasing E2 levels. The BMI was associated with thicker endometrium, but it was also associated with lower peak E2 levels.Conclusion(s)The impact of "endometrial factor" infertility may be underappreciated in IUI therapy. Targeted therapies to optimize the endometrium represent an important new area to improve in current fertility success rates.
Project description:Basigin (BSG) is a transmembrane glycoprotein involved in cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and tissue remodeling. BSG has been shown to be essential for male and female reproduction although little is known about its role in normal uterine function. To study the potential function of BSG in the female reproductive tract, we generated mice with conditional knockout of Bsg in uterine cells using progesterone receptor-Cre and hypothesized that BSG is required for normal pregnancy in mice. Fertility study data showed that the conditional knockout mice had significantly reduced fertility compared to controls. Ovarian function of the conditional knockout mice appeared normal with no difference in the number of superovulated oocytes collected or in serum progesterone levels between the conditional knockout and the control mice. Uterine tissues collected at various times of gestation showed increased abnormalities in implantation, decidualization, placentation, and parturition in the conditional knockout mice. Uterine cross sections on Day 5 of pregnancy showed implantation failure and abnormal uterine epithelial differentiation in a large proportion of the conditional knockout mice. There was a compromised decidual response to artificial decidualization stimuli and decreased mRNA and protein levels for decidualization genes in the uteri of the conditional knockout mice. We also observed altered protein expression of monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1), as well as impaired angiogenesis in the conditional knockout uteri compared to the controls. These results support that BSG is required for successful pregnancy through its functions in implantation and decidualization.
Project description:ObjectiveTo identify risk factors for pregnancy outcomes in couples treated with intracervical or intrauterine insemination, with or without superovulation for unexplained or male-factor infertility.DesignSecondary analysis of data from a randomized superovulation and intrauterine insemination trial.SettingAcademic medical centers.Intervention(s)Treatment continued for four cycles unless pregnancy was achieved.Patient(s)Out of 932 couples randomized to four treatment groups, 664 couples who had completed the lifestyle questionnaires were assessed for occurrence of pregnancy and live birth.Main outcome measure(s)Pregnancy and live birth.Result(s)The pregnancy and live birth rates were significantly higher in couples in which the female partners reported that they had consumed coffee or tea in the past or drank alcoholic beverages in the past (past users) compared with those who had never consumed coffee, tea, or alcoholic beverages. Past users also had significantly higher pregnancy and live birth rates than those currently consuming coffee or tea or alcoholic beverages. Demographic, occupational exposure, and other lifestyle factors were not significant.Conclusion(s)Couples in which the female partners drank coffee, tea, or alcoholic beverages in the past had higher pregnancy and live birth rates compared with never or current users. When discontinuing these habits, they might have made other lifestyle changes to improve the pregnancy outcome.
Project description:ObjectiveTo identify baseline characteristics of couples that are likely to predict conception, clinical pregnancy, and live birth after up to four cycles of ovarian stimulation with IUI in couples with unexplained infertility.DesignSecondary analyses of data from a prospective, randomized, multicenter clinical trial investigating pregnancy, live birth, and multiple pregnancy rates after ovarian stimulation-IUI with clomiphene citrate, letrozole, or gonadotropins.SettingOutpatient clinical units.Patient(s)Nine-hundred couples with unexplained infertility who participated in the Assessment of Multiple Intrauterine Gestations from Ovarian Stimulation clinical trial.Intervention(s)As part of the clinical trial, treatment was randomized equally to one of three arms and continued for up to four cycles or until pregnancy was achieved.Main outcome measure(s)Conception, clinical pregnancy, and live-birth rates.Result(s)In a multivariable logistic regression analysis, after adjustment for other covariates, age, waist circumference, income level, duration of infertility, and a history of prior pregnancy loss were significantly associated with at least one pregnancy outcome. Other baseline demographic and lifestyle characteristics including smoking, alcohol use, and serum levels of antimüllerian hormone were not significantly associated with pregnancy outcomes.Conclusion(s)While age and duration of infertility were significant predictors of all pregnancy outcomes, many other baseline characteristics were not. The identification of level of income as a significant predictor of outcomes independent of race and education may reflect differences in the underlying etiologies of unexplained infertility or could reveal disparities in access to fertility and/or obstetrical care.Clinical trial registrationNCT01044862.