Accumulating evidence suggests that advanced (moderate/severe) endometriosis negatively affects female fecundity, whereas the influence of early (minimal/mild) endometriosis on human reproduction remains unclear. Recent studies showed that the presence of the early pelvic endometriosis lesions deteriorates the ovarian reserve, luteal function, and fertilization rate in infertile women undergoin...

OBJECTIVE To assess the usefulness of the vitrification method in clinical practice. DESIGN Clinical study of vitrification of human oocytes. SETTING A university-affiliated hospital. PATIENT(S) Thirty-four patients who agreed to undergo additional IVF-ET after the failed fresh cycle using the previously vitrified/thawed oocytes. INTERVENTION(S) Surplus oocytes from the IVF-ET patients ...

BACKGROUND To assess whether an objective performance criterion for in vitro fertilization (IVF) centers can be established. METHODS A retrospective analysis of 2011 National ART Surveillance System data for 451 U.S. IVF centers, 137 of which were included in the analysis since they performed >20 fresh embryo transfers per age group and >20 fresh oocyte donor transfers. The analysis of autolo...

Low development of somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos could be due to the incomplete DNA methylation reprogramming, and Dnmt1s existing in donor cells may be one cause of this disrupted DNA methylation reprogramming. However, the reprogramming pattern of Dnmt1s and its effect on DNA methylation reprogramming in cloned embryos remain poorly understood. Here, we displayed that along with the s...

OBJECTIVE To report and evaluate the performance and utility of an approach to predicting IVF-double embryo transfer (DET) multiple birth risks that is evidence-based, clinic-specific, and considers each patient's clinical profile. DESIGN Retrospective prediction modeling. SETTING An outpatient university-affiliated IVF clinic. PATIENT(S) We used boosted tree methods to analyze 2,413 inde...

Abdominal cocoon (AC) is a rare condition of uncertain etiology. We report the case of a 29-year-old infertile Chinese woman with AC, who successfully got twin pregnancy and delivery through in vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer (ET). And this review discusses the current concepts of its pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatments. AC might lead to tubal infertility and IVF-ET would be th...

Multiple pregnancy is increasingly considered a complication of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and ovarian stimulation for natural fertilization. Harms to fetuses, newborn and older children, mothers, families, and healthcare systems are encouraging single embryo transfer. When patients knowingly accept multiple pregnancy risks from IVF or ovarian stimulation, they are unlikely to succeed in liti...

This paper examines the metaphysical question of 'ensoulment' in relation to the theory, put forward in an earlier paper, that human life begins when the newly formed body organs and systems of the embryo begin to function as an organised whole, at which stage there is evidence of a change of nature. Although Roman Catholic theology teaches that a human being is a union of physical body and spi...

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic condition characterized by elevated blood glucose levels secondary to absolute impairment of insulin secretion. Maternal diabetes has been demonstrated to adversely affect pre implantation embryo development and pregnancy outcomes. Emerging evidence has implicated that these effects are associated with compromised oocyte competence. Several developme...