The consensus view among relevant professional societies opposing the offering of elective oocyte cryopreservation for potential future self-donation withstands neither clinical nor ethical scrutiny. The favorable risk-benefit ratio of this technology mandates both the prioritization of patient autonomy for informed women seeking to maximize-not guarantee-their chances of having genetically rel...

BACKGROUND We have previously reported the retrospective observation that when at least one embryo, transferred on day 3, expressed sHLA-G above the geometric mean (sHLA-G+) 46 h post-ICSI, there was a marked improvement in both pregnancy (PR) and implantation (IR) rates. METHODS The media surrounding individual embryos derived from ICSI performed on oocytes from 482 women < or =43 years of a...

Endometrial receptivity plays a crucial role in the establishment of a healthy pregnancy in cycles of assisted reproduction. The endometrium as a key factor during reproduction can be assessed in multiple ways, most commonly through transvaginal grey-scale or 3-D ultrasound. It has been shown that controlled ovarian hyperstimulation has a great impact on the uterine lining, which leads to diffe...

Assisted reproductive technology with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is becoming an international panacea for couples struggling with infertility. The increasing popularity of these techniques and the data generated has given us a better understanding of the efficacy, consequences and costs of these procedures. There still remain many unanswered questions and controversies surrounding ...

There is now considerable discussion whether intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) should be used in all cases of IVF. A critical and balanced view of the current literature is presented. The difficult question is how to identify men with apparently normal semen who are likely to fail to achieve a pregnancy using IVF. In conclusion, from both the safety and scientific viewpoint, ICSI should o...

The aim of this study was to investigate whether seasonal changes affected in vitro developmental competence of porcine oocytes. The relationship between atmospheric temperature and embryonic development of in vitro matured porcine oocytes following intracytoplasmic sperm injection was examined throughout the year. The blastocyst rate (31.1%) in winter (mean atmospheric temperature during Decem...

BACKGROUND Anecdotal evidence suggests that US practice patterns for ART differ by geographical region. The purpose of this study was to determine whether use of ICSI differs by region and to evaluate whether these rates are correlated with differences in live birth rates. METHODS Public data for 2012 were obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Clinics with ≥100 fresh, ...

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BACKGROUND Most studies examining the use of ICSI for cases of elevated sperm DNA fragmentation report poor pregnancy and implantation rates. ICSI with testicular sperm samples has recently been suggested for these cases. Here we test a less invasive approach based on oral antioxidant treatment prior to ICSI with ejaculated spermatozoa. METHODS Thirty-eight men with an elevated (> or =15%) pe...

Since the introduction of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in 1992, the new technology has raised a series of basic moral issues. In this article, I present a brief review of this moral debate. I argue that even if we solve the moral problems of the debate, there is a residue of value issues. These value issues are crucial for the understanding of the dynamics of the health policy and th...