BACKGROUND Poor ovarian response to controlled ovarian stimulation is one of the most important interest points in assisted reproduction. Mild ovarian stimulation seems to be preferable to high dose of FSH regimens in women with a history of poor ovarian response in previous protocol. Clomiphene citrate and letrozole alone or in combination with FSH have been used in mild ovarian stimulation pr...

A 24-year-old Chinese female was manifested by the primary infertility and primary amenorrhea, sexual infantilism, recurrent ovarian cysts and hypertension. Genetic analysis diagnosed this patient as 17α-hydroxylase and 17,20-lyase deficiency (17OHD) as she harbours a homozygous c.707T>G mutation in exon 4 of the CYP17A1 gene, which resulted in a substitution of amino acid valine (V) at positio...

GnRH antagonists induce a rapid decrease in LH and FSH, preventing and interrupting LH surges. Their properties do not require a desensitization period, and this allows their use in the late follicular phase. GnRH antagonists could replace GnRH agonists in controlled ovarian stimulation without their side-effects and their long desensitization period. Two protocols for assisted reproduction tec...

In reproductive medicine, the aim is to establish an optimal balance between cost-effectiveness, success rate and safety for the patient. In this thesis, a series of clinical studies are presented that all revolve around the optimisation of ovarian stimulation with GnRH antagonist co-treatment. Basal hormonal levels at the start of ovarian stimulation are mandatory to obtain acceptable pregnanc...

PURPOSE To compare serum anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) levels on the seventh day of ovarian stimulation between normal and poor responders. METHODS Nineteen women aged ≥35, presenting with regular menses, submitted to ovarian stimulation for assisted reproduction were included. Women with endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome or those who were previously submitted to ovarian surgery were ...

Aromatase inhibitors have been introduced as a new treatment modality that could challenge clomiphene citrate as an ovulation induction regiment in patients with PCOS. Although several randomized trials have been conducted regarding their use as ovulation induction agents, only few trials are available regarding their efficacy in IVF stimulated cycles. Current available evidence support that le...

Replacing GnRH agonist cotreatment for the prevention of a premature rise in LH during ovarian stimulation for in vitro fertilization (IVF) by the late follicular phase administration of GnRH antagonist may render supplementation of the luteal phase redundant, because of the known rapid recovery of pituitary function after antagonist cessation. This randomized two-center study was performed to ...

The present experiments examined the effects of electrical stimulation of the superior ovarian nerve (SON) and the ovarian plexus nerve (OPN) on the ovarian estradiol secretion in rats. The rats were anesthetized on the day of estrus, and the ovarian venous blood was collected intermittently. The secretion rate of estradiol from the ovary was calculated from differences in the estradiol concent...