The goal of this work was to correlate oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) and DNA damage with classic semen parameters in spermatozoa and seminal plasma of fertile and subfertile stallions. Oxidation was measured in both lipids and proteins, using the thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) assay and the DNPH carbonyl groups assay, respectively. Sperm DNA damage was m...

Although the frequency and consequence of sperm chromosomal abnormalities are considerable, few epidemiologic studies in large samples have been conducted to investigate etiologic risk factors. This is, in part, attributable to the labor intensive demands of manual sperm fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) scoring. As part of an epidemiologic study investigating environmental risk factors...

BACKGROUND Pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period after fertility treatment are considered "normal" in the Netherlands, with no indication of an increased obstetric risk, and can therefore be monitored by a primary care midwife. However, there is little evidence on the experiences of couples and women who finally get pregnant after fertility treatment and a lack of training for midwive...

BACKGROUND The increase in miscarriage rate with female age is attributed to a decline in oocyte quality. This age-related decrease of oocyte quality is accompanied by a decrease in oocyte quantity. Assessment of the number of oocytes by ovarian reserve tests (ORTs) may therefore also represent their quality. The objective of our study was to assess the predictive value of ORTs for miscarriage ...

BACKGROUND European guidelines on fertility care emphasize that subfertile couples should receive information about their chances of a natural conception and should not be exposed to unnecessary treatments and risks. Prognostic models can help to estimate their chances and select couples with a good prognosis for tailored expectant management (TEM). Nevertheless, TEM is not always practiced. Th...

Inhibin is produced by Sertoli cells of the testis, provides negative feedback on FSH secretion, and may prove to be an important marker for the functioning of seminiferous tubules. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the spermatogenic function of the tests of subfertile men and the plasma concentrations of inhibin. The study was carried out on twenty infertile (or...