BACKGROUND Successful pregnancy via in vitro fertilization (IVF) depends on the recovery of an adequate number of healthy oocytes and on blastocyst implantation following uterine transfer. Two hormones, LH and hCG, utilize a common LH/hCG receptor (LHCGR), variations in which have profound implications in human reproduction. Soluble LHCGR (sLHCGR) is released from experimental cell lines and pl...

BACKGROUND Poor response to ovarian stimulation affects a significant proportion of infertile couples undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment. Recently, the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology developed new criteria to define poor ovarian response, the so-called Bologna criteria. Although preliminary studies in these patients demonstrated very low pregnancy rates, a ...

The ovarian stimulation of poor responders still remains a challenging task for clinicians. There are numerous strategies that have been suggested to improve the outcome in poor responders but there is still no one pituitary down-regulation protocol that best suits all women with such condition. Traditional GnRH agonist flare and long luteal phase protocols do not appear to be advantageous. Red...

Despite the fact that in the last two decades an enormous number of papers on the topic of poor ovarian response have been published in the literature, so far it has been impossible to identify any efficient treatment to improve the ovarian response and the clinical outcome of this group of patients. The incidence of poor ovarian responders among infertile women has been estimated at 9-24% but ...

Age related fertility decline varies considerably among women. Therefore, chronological female age, though informative on pregnancy prospects in assisted reproduction, will often not correctly express a woman's reproductive potential. The value of quantitative ovarian reserve tests prior to IVF/ICSI treatment is still subject of debate. From a series of systematic reviews it has become clear th...

BACKGROUND Gonadotrophins are used in many assisted reproduction units to achieve a better success rate by increasing the number of replaced embryos. However, high oestradiol concentrations are associated with altered physiological functions and its complications. We investigated whether high oestradiol concentrations (> or =20 000 pmol/l) after ovarian stimulation in infertile women would affe...

BACKGROUND Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) are utilized to differentiate between good and poor response to controlled ovarian hyperstimulation. Their respective roles in defining functional ovarian reserve remain, however, to be elucidated. To better understand those we investigated AMH and FSH per oocyte retrieved (AMHo and FSHo). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FIN...

Poor responders represent more than a third of women undergoing assisted reproduction. Typically they are patients with advanced maternal age and low ovarian reserve. However, there is a younger group that unexpectedly demonstrates impaired response to controlled ovarian hyperstimulation. The etiologies in many of these cases are still unclear. In our program, the determination of basal cycle d...