Search results for "Fertility"

Relevance of assessing the uterine microbiota in infertility

2018

Technical advances in massive parallel sequencing have allowed the characterization of the whole reproductive tract microbiome in all the compartments beyond the vagina. The microbiota in the uterine cavity seem to be a continuum from the microbiota in the vagina, but several works have reported significant differences between vaginal and endometrial microbiota, highlighting the relevance of assessing the upper genital tract microbiota to better understand the potential roles of bacteria in the physiological and pathological processes taking place in the uterine cavity, including embryo implantation, pregnancy maintenance, and other gynecological diseases. However, the study of the endometr…

Prospective, randomized study of the endometrial receptivity analysis (ERA) test in the infertility work-up to guide personalized embryo transfer ver…

2016

Sperm chromosomal abnormalities and their contribution to human embryo aneuploidy.

2018

In this work we reviewed 18 years of experience using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for sperm aneuploidy testing. We evaluated parameters associated with increased numerical sperm chromosome abnormalities and determined the male contribution to embryo aneploidies in terms of reproductive outcome by increased sperm aneuploidy. This retrospective study analyzed data from 2008 sperm samples of infertile males undergoing FISH analysis because of clinical history of repetitive implantation failure, recurrent miscarriage, impaired sperm parameters, or mixed causes. Sperm concentration was the only sperm parameter associated with FISH results—we observed a gradual increase of abnormal …

Paving the way for a gold standard of care for infertility treatment: improving outcomes through standardization of laboratory procedures.

2016

Infertility affects over 70 million couples globally. Access to, and interest in, assisted reproductive technologies is growing worldwide, with more couples seeking medical intervention to conceive, in particular by IVF. Despite numerous advances in IVF techniques since its first success in 1978, almost half of the patients treated remain childless. The multifactorial nature of IVF treatment means that success is dependent on many variables. Therefore, it is important to examine how each variable can be optimized to achieve the best possible outcomes for patients. The current approach to IVF is fragmented, with various protocols in use. A systematic approach to establishing optimum best pra…

Machine Learning-Based Approach Highlights the Use of a Genomic Variant Profile for Precision Medicine in Ovarian Failure

2021

Ovarian failure (OF) is a common cause of infertility usually diagnosed as idiopathic, with genetic causes accounting for 10–25% of cases. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) may enable identifying contributing genes and variant profiles to stratify the population into subtypes of OF. This study sought to identify a blood-based gene variant profile using accumulation of rare variants to promote precision medicine in fertility preservation programs. A case–control (n = 118, n = 32, respectively) WES study was performed in which only non-synonymous rare variants &lt

Second-generation preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy in assisted reproduction: a SWOT analysis.

2019

Second-generation preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A 2.0) in patients with an unfavourable reproductive and IVF prognosis is becoming common practice, with the aim of improving reproductive outcomes. However, there is still no clear evidence on the possible advantages and drawbacks with regard to this procedure. In this discussion paper, based on a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis, the different aspects of this strategy are evaluated. Current evidence suggests that PGT-A 2.0 should not at present have an indiscriminate application, but it might be indicated in cases in which the risk of aneuploidy is increased.

Novel therapeutic targets to improve IVF outcomes in endometriosis patients: a review and future prospects

2020

AbstractBACKGROUNDPatients with endometriosis often experience infertility and have poor IVF outcomes, with low fertilization and pregnancy rates. Although many theories have tried to explain the mechanisms underlying infertility in these patients, none of them is conclusive.OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALEIn this review, we discuss the pathologic mechanisms through which endometriosis likely leads to infertility along with the therapeutic options used to date to treat endometriosis-related infertility and, thereby, to improve IVF outcomes in patients with endometriosis.SEARCH METHODSWe performed a comprehensive literature search of clinical outcomes in endometriosis and the molecular mechanisms con…

Time-lapse: the remaining questions to be answered.

2015

A Two-Cohort RNA-seq Study Reveals Changes in Endometrial and Blood miRNome in Fertile and Infertile Women

2018

The endometrium undergoes extensive changes to prepare for embryo implantation and microRNAs (miRNAs) have been described as playing a significant role in the regulation of endometrial receptivity. However, there is no consensus about the miRNAs involved in mid-secretory endometrial functions. We analysed the complete endometrial miRNome from early secretory (pre-receptive) and mid-secretory (receptive) phases from fertile women and from patients with recurrent implantation failure (RIF) to reveal differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs in the mid-secretory endometrium. Furthermore, we investigated whether the overall changes during early to mid-secretory phase transition and with RIF conditio…

Impact of chronic endometritis in infertility: a SWOT analysis

2021

Chronic endometritis is a pathology often associated with reproductive failure, but there are still no clear recommendations on whether its inclusion in the initial study of infertile couples is necessary. In this discussion paper, based on a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis, the different aspects of the repercussions of chronic endometritis in fertility are evaluated. To avoid possible subjectivity in the analysis and results of this study, the researchers followed the Oxford criteria for the evaluation of evidence. The results from the evaluation of the reviewed literature seem to indicate that, pending new evidence, it would be advisable not to include chroni…