Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is associated with anovulatory infertility. Luteinizing hormone/chorionic gonadotrophin receptor (LHCGR), which is critical for ovulation, has been suggested to be expressed prematurely in the ovarian follicles of women with PCOS. This study aimed to analyse the expression and activity of LHCGR in ovarian granulosa cells from PCOS patients and the involvement ...

The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the impact of endogenous and exogenous luteinizing hormone (LH) activity on treatment outcome, when taking into consideration potential confounding variables. Data were derived from IVF patients (n = 358) stimulated with highly purified menotrophin (HP-hMG) in a long gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist protocol. Simple retrospect...

BACKGROUND Human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) is used to monitor pregnancy status. Yet the pattern of hCG excretion in the first week following implantation has not been adequately described. Therefore the aim of this study was to describe the average profile of hCG and its variability during the 7 days following estimated implantation in a population of naturally conceived pregnancies. METH...

OBJECTIVE Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is a serious iatrogenic condition, predominantly related to the hormone used to induce oocyte maturation during IVF treatment. Kisspeptin is a hypothalamic neuropeptide that has recently been demonstrated to safely trigger final oocyte maturation during IVF treatment even in women at high risk of OHSS. However, to date, the safety of kisspeptin...

The regulation of human implantation is still unknown. Evidence from mice suggests an essential role for several paracrine mediators but species differences with implantation in the human preclude the extrapolation of these concepts to humans. An intrauterine microdialysis device (IUMD), consisting of microdialysis tubing glued into a balloon catheter on one side and into a polypropylene tube o...

We examined the immunohistochemical localization of luteinizing hormone (LH)/human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) receptor (LH-R) in the human ovary using the anti-human LH-R monoclonal antibody, 3B5. In the antral follicles, LH-R was detected on theca interna cells. In pre-ovulatory follicles, granulosa cells also expressed LH-R. During corpus luteum formation, granulosa cells seemed to increas...

The effects of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) on the secretion of human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) and cAMP by cultured human cytotrophoblasts were investigated. Cytotrophoblasts obtained from normal term placentae were cultured in serum-free medium with or without the addition of human SHBG. The presence of SHBG in the medium increased the release of HCG and the accumulation of cAMP. L...

The immune changes that accompany pregnancy are in several ways similar to those required for solid organ transplantation. Successful pregnancy involves controlled downregulation of the maternal immune system with increased tolerance of foetal cells expressing paternal HLA antigens. This is mediated principally by human chorionic gonadotrophin which has a documented ability to alter the action ...

The marked tissue remodelling associated with luteolysis involves increased expression and activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and an influx of immune cells, notably macrophages. Since the corpus luteum expresses high concentrations of specific tissue inhibitors of MMPs, it is clear that it is not only the increased activity of MMPs that is important, but also their tissue localization...