0000000000178215
AUTHOR
Adolfo Allegra
P–231 Transnational oocyte donation program between Italy and Spain based on transport of vitrified oocytes: a five-years experience
Abstract Study question What is the clinical efficacy of an oocyte donation program based on the transportation of vitrified oocytes between two countries? Summary answer The transnational oocyte donation program is efficient, safe and comparable to other strategies (transport of frozen sperm and embryos). What is known already Egg donation represents a valid treatment strategy for women who have exhausted their ovarian function and it has considerably increased in the last years. In Italy, egg donation is allowed after the judgment of the Constitutional Court n. 162 in 2014 but no reimbursement for the donors is provided. For this reason, the number of voluntary donors is irrelevant. There…
Infertility-related stress, anxiety and ovarian stimulation: can couples be reassured about the effects of psychological factors on biological responses to assisted reproductive technology?
Abstract The aim of this prospective, longitudinal study was to examine the association between couples' pre-treatment psychological characteristics (state anxiety and infertility-related stress levels of both partners) and ovarian response during assisted reproductive technology treatment in a well-controlled sample. A total of 217 heterosexual couples (434 patients), suffering from primary infertility and undergoing their first assisted reproductive technology treatment at the Reproductive Medicine Unit of ANDROS Day Surgery Clinic in Palermo (Italy), were recruited. Psychological variables were assessed using the State Scale of State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S) and the Fertility Pro…
Colour Doppler-guided haemorrhoidal artery ligation: an adjunct in identification of haemorrhoidal vessels.
Not available (case report)
Towards an ideal source of mesenchymal stem cell isolation for possible therapeutic application in regenerative medicine.
Background. The possibility of obtaining mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from fetal tissue such as amniotic fluid, chorionic villi and placenta is well-known and a comparison between MSCs originating in different sources such as fetal tissue and those from bone marrow in terms of yield and function is a topical issue. The mesenchymal stem cells isolated from bone marrow are well-characterized. Unfortunately the low quantitative yield during isolation is a major problem. For this reason, other tissue sources for MSCs are of paramount importance. Conclusion. In this review, starting from a description of the molecular and cellular biology of MSCs, we describe alternative sources of isolation ot…
The carriers of the A/G-G/G allelic combination of the c.2039 A>G and c.-29 G>A FSH receptor polymorphisms retrieve the highest number of oocytes in IVF/ICSI cycles
The objective of this study was the elucidation of the possible role of the single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) at position -29 and 2039 of the FSH receptor gene (FSHR) as independent predictive markers of ovarian response. Indeed, the tailoring of reproductive treatments is crucial for both maximizing the success of IVF patients and obtaining a reduction in hypo- or hyper-response rates. This prospective, observational study analyzed the association of -29 and 2039 FSHR polymorphisms with the number of retrieved oocytes in 140 patients attending an IVF/ICSI cycle for severe male factors (≤5,000,000 spermatozoa/mL) or tubal factors at the ANDROS Day Surgery Clinic, Palermo, Italy. The res…
How do individual attachment patterns of both members of couples affect their perceived infertility stress? An actor–partner interdependence analysis
Abstract There exists a lack of dyadic research examining how the attachment characteristics of infertile individuals influence their experience of infertility-related distress. The actor partner interdependence model was used to test a theoretical model by examining whether both infertile wives and husbands, who display high levels of attachment avoidance and/or attachment anxiety, will experience infertility-related distress. Seven hundred and seventy individuals (385 couples) completed the experience in close relationships, the fertility problem inventory, and the state-trait anxiety inventory prior to infertility treatment. Wives' distress was predicted by their own and by their husband…
P–409 Comparison of the incidence of ectopic pregnancies in fresh versus frozen embryo transfers in IVF/ICSI cycles: a meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT)
Abstract Study question Is the incidence of ectopic pregnancy (EP) increased in fresh compared with frozen embryo transfer (ET)? Summary answer The fresh ET is not associated with an increase of the incidence of EP in comparison with frozen ET. What is known already EP represents the first cause of mortality in the first trimester of pregnancy. Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) are associated with an increased EP risk. The reasons of this effect are inadequately explained and may be associated with variables patients-related as tubal diseases and ART-related as the number of embryos transferred, the depth of insertion of the catheter tip during ET and the supraphysiological estradiol…
Are attachment dimensions associated with infertility-related stress in couples undergoing their first IVF treatment? A study on the individual and cross-partner effect
study question: Are attachment anxiety and avoidance dimensions in female and male partners in couples seeking infertility treat- ment associated with her and his infertility-related stress? summary answer: Attachment dimensions are significantly associated with several aspects of infertility stress in couples undergoing IVF treatment. what is known and what this paper adds: Attachment dimensions of anxiety and avoidance (where highly anxious individuals fear rejection and are preoccupied with maintaining proximity to their partner and highly avoidant individuals are uncomfortable with intimacy and prefer to maintain distance from their partner) may influence the well being of individuals u…
The gender gap in the diagnostic-therapeutic journey of the infertile couple
Medical procreation impairs both the biological and psychological lives of couples. However, male and female attitudes to infertility are different and require a different approach during the IVF journey. Thus, the gender impact assessment (GIA) method was used to analyse original studies present in the literature. We found some gender-related differences and, subsequently, possible outcomes of intervention to improve healthy reproduction management and prevent infertility. In particular, it became apparent that there was the need for an in-depth male infertility assessment and a gender-specific follow-up.
Assessing infertility-related stress: The factor structure of the Fertility Problem Inventory in Italian couples undergoing infertility treatment
The factor structure of the Fertility Problem Inventory (FPI) and its invariance across gender were examined in Italian couples undergoing infertility treatment. About 1000 subjects (both partners of 500 couples) completed two questionnaires prior to commencing infertility treatment at a private Clinic in Palermo, Italy. Confirmatory Factor Analysis demonstrated that the original factor structure of the FPI was partially confirmed. Two correlated factors (Infertility Life Domains and Importance of Parenthood) were obtained via a post hoc Exploratory Factor Analysis. Finally, the invariance of this factor structure across gender was confirmed. The study supported the relevance of two interre…
From telescope to binoculars. Dyadic outcome resulting from psychological counselling for infertile couples undergoing ART
Objective This longitudinal study aims to evaluate the effect of psychological counselling on quality of life, marital satisfaction and need for parenthood in couples undergoing fertility treatments (ART). Background Recent guidelines on the ART suggest that psychological counselling should target both members of the infertile couple in order to improve their conjoint management of the infertility-related stress. However, studies on the dyadic outcome of couples are scarce. Methods 262 patients were originally considered in the study and completed questionnaires on quality of life, need for parenthood and marital satisfaction, before treatment (T1) and at the day of intrauterine inseminatio…
P–410 Comparison of the incidence of miscarriage rates in frozen versus fresh embryo transfers in IVF/ICSI cycles: a meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT)
Abstract Study question Is the incidence of miscarriage rates increased in frozen embryo transfer (ET) compared with fresh ET? Summary answer The frozen ET is not associated with an increased risk of miscarriage in comparison with fresh ET. What is known already Nowadays, the freeze-all policy has gained great popularity because it minimizes OHSS and it seems to improve the reproductive outcomes. This increase was possible thanks to progress in vitrification procedures. Nevertheless, some recent evidence suggests more caution on the wide use of elective frozen ET in a general IVF population for its possible effect on some pregnancy-related complications. Endometrial preparation schemes for …
Gene expression of stem cells at different stages of ontological human development.
Abstract Objectives To compare multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) obtained from chorionic villi (CV), amniotic fluid (AF) and placenta, with regard to their phenotype and gene expression, in order to understand if MSCs derived from different extra-embryonic tissues, at different stages of human ontological development, present distinct stemness characteristics. Study design MSCs obtained from 30 samples of CV, 30 of AF and 10 placentas (obtained from elective caesarean sections) were compared. MSCs at second confluence cultures were characterized by immunophenotypic analysis with flow cytometry using FACS CANTO II. The expression of the genes Oct-4 (Octamer-binding transcription fact…
The Fertility Quality of Life Questionnaire (FertiQoL) Relational subscale: psychometric properties and discriminant validity across gender.
Study question Is the Fertility Quality of Life Questionnaire (FertiQoL)-Relational Scale a valid measure to assess the relational domain regarding quality of life in women and men undergoing infertility treatment? Summary answer The FertiQoL-Relational scale (FertiQoL-REL) showed good psychometric properties and captured core aspects of couple relationships. What is known already FertiQoL has become a gold standard for the assessment of infertility-related quality of life in patients undergoing assisted reproduction treatment (ART). Despite its growing importance, no previous studies have examined the convergent validity of the FertiQoL-REL and its discriminant validity across gender. Stud…
O-195 The impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on psychological distress due to the cancellation of ART. A systematic review and meta-analysis
Abstract Study question Is there evidence that infertile patients have been more likely to experience distress during the COVID-19 outbreak with the consequent interruption of treatment plans? Summary answer High levels of psychological distress among infertile patients have been found during the COVID-19 pandemic, greater than that reported in the general population. What is known already Preliminary research on the negative consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak on mental health evidenced heightened levels of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress in some clinical populations as well as in community samples. However, little is known about the impact of COVID-19 on psychological dist…
The gene expression profile of cumulus cells reveals altered pathways in patients with endometriosis
PURPOSE: The objective of this experimental study was to compare the global gene expression profile of CC of mature oocytes in 18 patients with severe endometriosis and CC in 18 control patients affected by a severe male factor. METHODS: For each group, the CC were pooled, RNA was extracted and a microarray performed. For validating the microarray, a quantitative real-time PCR was performed in the CC of an independent set of patients with endometriosis (n = 5) and controls (n = 7). RESULTS: 595 differentially expressed genes (320 down-regulated, 275 up-regulated, p < 0.05, fold change ≥1.5) were identified. The most significant changes were observed in genes involved in the chemokine signal…