Embryo quality is a key determinant of the success IVF. Although focus has been on selecting best embryo for transfer, classification low-grade blastocysts (LGB) in existing scoring systems received less attention. This worrisome; freezing allows optimal use all created embryos, thus maximizing cumulative live birth rate, which arguably most important outcome infertile couples. A PubMed search ...

OBJECTIVES This report presents trends and variations in smoking during pregnancy in the United States. Data are presented for various characteristics including mother's age, race, ethnic origin, place of birth and State of residence, live birth order, and birthweight. METHODS Descriptive tabulations of data reported on the birth certificates are presented. RESULTS The percentage of women w...

OBJECTIVES This article examines trends in teenage pregnancy in Canada, focussing on induced abortions, live births and fetal loss among women aged 15 to 19 in 1997. DATA SOURCES The data come from the Hospital Morbidity Data Base and the Canadian Vital Statistics Data Base at Statistics Canada, and the annual Therapeutic Abortion Survey, conducted by the Canadian Institute for Health Informa...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Pregnancy in ESRD is rare and poses substantial risk for mother and baby. This study describes a large series of pregnancies in women undergoing long-term dialysis treatment and reviews maternal and fetal outcomes. Specifically, women who had conceived before and after starting long-term dialysis are compared. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENT All pregnanc...

BACKGROUND The association among hereditary thrombophilia, recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) and obstetric complications is yet uncertain. The objective of the study was to assess the prognostic value of the factor V Leiden (FVL) and prothrombin (PT) mutations for the subsequent chance of live birth for women with RPL. METHODS Pregnancy outcome was recorded in a retrospective cohort of 363 women...

BACKGROUND New techniques in assessing oocytes and embryo quality are currently explored to improve pregnancy and delivery rates per embryo transfer. While a better understanding of embryo quality could help optimize the existing "in vitro fertilization" (IVF) therapy schemes, it is essential to address the economic viability of such technologies in the healthcare setting. METHODS An Embryo-D...

This study tested the hypothesis that using aspirin and/or heparin as adjuvants in IVF improves the treatment outcome. This retrospective cohort-control study recruited 234 consecutive subjects aged ≤ 44 years who had previously had one or more unsuccessful IVF cycle. All underwent IVF using conventional protocols. The study group received aspirin and/or heparin post embryo transfer until the d...

BACKGROUND Minimal stimulation in vitro fertilization (mini-in vitro fertilization) is an alternative in vitro fertilization treatment protocol that may reduce ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, multiple pregnancy rates, and cost while retaining high live birth rates. OBJECTIVE We performed a randomized noninferiority controlled trial with a prespecified border of 10% that compared 1 cycle of...

BACKGROUND During the past decade in the UK, only one in six cycles of assisted conception has resulted successfully in a live birth. Assisted hatching (AH) has been proposed to improve outcome. This systematic review of randomized controlled trials addresses primary outcomes of live birth, clinical pregnancy and embryo implantation. METHODS Trials on post-fertilization disruption of the zona...

Using data from a birth defects registry, this study examined the epidemiology of hydrocephaly in Hawaii during 1986--2000. There were 294 cases of hydrocephaly, resulting in a rate of 10.4 per 10,000 live births. The hydrocephaly rate was lower with increased maternal age and female sex and higher with lower birth weight, lower gestational age, and multiple gestation pregnancy.