BACKGROUND After fertilization, embryo development involves differentiation, as well as development of the fetal body and extra-embryonic tissues until the moment of implantation. During this period various cellular and molecular changes take place with a genetic origin, e.g. the elongation of embryonic tissues, cell-cell contact between the mother and the embryo and placentation. To identify g...

As part of successful human reproduction, the Fallopian tube must provide a suitable environment for pre-implantation development of the embryo and for efficient transport of the embryo to the uterus for implantation. These functions are coordinated by paracrine interactions between tubal epithelial, smooth muscle and immune cells and the cells of the developing embryo. Alterations in these sig...

background: the luteal phase defect is a common event following the ovarian stimulation. the aim of the present study was to evaluate the use of human chorionic gonadotropine (hcg) and progesterone hormones to improve the luteal phase defect. materials and methods: 60 mice were superovulated routinely with human menopausal gonadotropin (hmg) (7.5u) and hcg (10u). the mice were mated and divided...

background: hoxa11 and hoxa10 are expressed in endometrium throughout the menstrual cycle and show a dramatic increase during the mid-luteal phase at the time of implantation. the expression of these genes is decreased in women with myomas. objective: to determine whether myomectomy would reverse hoxa11 and hoxa10 expression, we evaluated the transcript levels of these genes in the endometria o...

objective: after the introduction of assisted reproductive techniques, human embryos were officially introduced into laboratories and now thousands of them are cryopreserved in such settings. embryonic stem cells and the future application of such cells in the treatment of disease opened the door to further research on human embryos. these developments raise many ethical issues, some of which h...

Many investigators are interested in finding the new cultural systems that can support the in vitro development of pre-implantation embryos better. Previous studies suggested that growth factors such as epidermal growth factor (EGF) are important in pre-implantation embryo development and implantation process. On the other hand, it is very important to support post thaw development of frozen em...

PROBLEM Implantation failure is common in women with advanced maternal age, partly because of the increased number of aneuploid embryos. These women constitute the majority of patients for IVF treatment. As multiple pregnancies is a major hazard of preterm delivery, the aim is to select a competent embryo for single transfer. This study reviews currently used methods for selecting the competent...

BACKGROUND High concentration of glucose in culture medium affects the developmental process and the quality of the pre-implantation embryo. This study examined the effects of Zuogui Wan (ZGW) supplementation on early embryo development cultured in high-glucose medium. METHODS Embryos were cultured in high-glucose medium with or without ZGW supplementation. Developmental rate and competence w...