Search results for "reproductive medicine"

Uterine microbiome—low biomass and high expectations†

2018

AbstractThe existence of different bacterial communities throughout the female reproductive tract has challenged the traditional view of human fetal development as a sterile event. There is still no consensus on what physiological microbiota exists in the upper reproductive tract of the vast majority of women who are not in periods of infection or pregnancy, and the role of bacteria that colonize the upper reproductive tract in uterine diseases or pregnancy outcomes is not well established. Despite published studies and advances in uterine microbiome sequencing, some study aspects—such as study design, sampling method, DNA extraction, sequencing methods, downstream analysis, and assignment …

Introduction

2019

This issue's of Views and Reviews considers the origins of lifetime health established around the time of conception in some prevalent conditions related to infertility. Reviews will look at the effects of advanced paternal and maternal age, the influence of the severe sperm factor, and the impact of some endocrinopathies commonly seen in infertile couples, especially women, like polycystic ovary syndrome, under- and overweight, diabetes, and thyroid disorders. The aim of this Views and Reviews section is to summarize current evidence on the consequences of these conditions on postnatal health to encourage research in this field and the need to develop strategies and preventative measures t…

Window of implantation transcriptomic stratification reveals different endometrial subsignatures associated with live birth and biochemical pregnancy

2017

Objective To refine the endometrial window of implantation (WOI) transcriptomic signature by defining new subsignatures associated to live birth and biochemical pregnancy. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting University-affiliated in vitro fertilization clinic and reproductive genetics laboratory. Patient(s) Healthy fertile oocyte donors (n = 79) and patients with infertility diagnosed by Endometrial Receptivity Analysis (n = 771). Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) WOI transcriptomic signatures associated with specific reproductive outcomes. Result(s) The retrospective cohort study was designed to perform a prediction model based on transcriptomic clusters for endometrial …

The DNA methylation profile of human spermatogonia at single-cell- and single-allele-resolution refutes its role in spermatogonial stem cell function…

2019

Human spermatogonial stem cells (hSSCs) have potential in fertility preservation of prepubertal boys or in treatment of male adults suffering from meiotic arrest. Prior to therapeutic application, in vitro propagation of rare hSSCs is mandatory. As the published data points to epigenetic alterations in long-term cell culture of spermatogonia (SPG), an initial characterisation of their DNA methylation state is important. Testicular biopsies from five adult normogonadotropic patients were converted into aggregate-free cell suspensions. FGFR3-positive (FGFR3+) SPG, resembling a very early stem cell state, were labelled with magnetic beads and isolated in addition to unlabelled SPG (FGFR3-). DN…

Uterine disorders affecting female fertility: what are the molecular functions altered in endometrium?

2020

[EN]: Objective:To determine the molecular functions of genes exhibiting altered expression in the endometrium of women with uterine disorders affecting fertility. Design: Retrospective analysis integrating case and control data from multiple cohorts with endometrium gene expression in women with uterine disorders. Setting: Infertility research department affiliated with a university hospital. Patient(s): Two hundred and forty women, 121 of whom were controls, 119 of whom had endometrial adenocarcinoma (ADC), recurrent implantation failure (RIF), recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), or stage II–IV endometriosis. Intervention(s): None. Main Outcome Measure(s): Genomewide gene expression and alter…

SARS-CoV-2 infection risk assessment in the endometrium: viral infection-related gene expression across the menstrual cycle

2020

Objective To determine the susceptibility of the endometrium to infection by—and thereby potential damage from—SARS-CoV-2. Design Analysis of SARS-Cov-2 infection-related gene expression from endometrial transcriptomic data sets. Setting Infertility research department affiliated with a public hospital. Patient(s) Gene expression data from five studies in 112 patients with normal endometrium collected throughout the menstrual cycle. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) Gene expression and correlation between viral infectivity genes and age throughout the menstrual cycle. Result(s) Gene expression was high for TMPRSS4, CTSL, CTSB, FURIN, MX1, and BSG; medium for TMPRSS2; and low for…

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…