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In its latest report, the ESHRE Task Force on Ethics and Law discusses the main ethical arguments for and against the provision of infertility treatment in resource-poor countries. The conclusion is that infertility treatment should be part of a more global integrated programme including family planning and motherhood care (p. 1008).
Two studies discuss the role of transvaginal sonography (TVS) in endometriosis. The combination of routine clinical examination (per vaginam) and TVS can successfully predict the presence of endometriosis in different sites in patients suspected of having endometriosis (p. 1018). Pain relief and infertility treatment may require surgical treatment in patients with deep infiltrating endometriosis. TVS is a highly valuable tool in detecting rectal endometriosis (p. 1012).
The optimal duration of embryo in-vitro culture is still a matter of debate. A prospective study was carried out comparing single embryo transfer on Day 2 with single blastocyst transfer on Day 5, combining fresh and frozen transfers. The cumulative delivery rates were similar for both groups (p. 1051).
Two randomized controlled trials in infertility management indicated that the use of contrast sonography during infertility investigation did not enhance spontaneous clinical pregnancy rates (p. 1075) and that ultrasound-guided intrauterine insemination does not produce better results than blind insemination, since the pregnancy rates are similar for the two conditions (p. 1080).
A lot has been said and written about the impact of psychological distress on outcome of infertility treatment. So far, studies on distress and IVF pregnancies are still inconclusive. In a small study from the Netherlands, anxiety before and during ART treatment was assessed and had no significant influence on cancellation and pregnancy rates (p. 1092).
Clinical-grade human embryonic stem cells require rigorous culture conditions using defined chemicals or materials of human origin. Three novel autogenic feeders are reported which can maintain the pluripotent identity of hESCs in xeno-free culture media (p. 1114).
Long-term reproductive outcome and ovarian reserve were studied in an unselected group of women with polycystic ovary syndrome. At follow-up, most (87%) of the PCOS women had given birth; mostly via spontaneous conception. The group had a good fecundity and ovarian reserve, which may be superior to women with normal ovaries (p. 1176).
Two perfluorinated chemicals (PFOA and PFOS) are ubiquitous compounds that are possible endocrine disruptors. Their concentrations were measured in the plasma of 4–14 week pregnant women and related to the women's time to pregnancy. Exposure at plasma levels present in the general population of developed countries may reduce fecundity (p. 1200).
Among 15 158 cycles reported by the ESHRE PGD Consortium, there were 24 misdiagnoses and adverse outcomes: 12 using FISH and 12 using PCR procedures. The analysis of the reasons for misdiagnosis indicates that the majority of these cases can be prevented using robust diagnostic procedures in laboratories working to the highest quality standards (p. 1221).
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Related articles in Hum. Reprod.:
- Providing infertility treatment in resource-poor countries
- ESHRE Task Force on Ethics and Law including, G. Pennings, G. de Wert, F. Shenfield, J. Cohen, B. Tarlatzis, and P. Devroey
Hum. Reprod. 2009 24: 1008-1011.[Abstract] [FREE Full Text] - Can transvaginal sonography predict infiltration depth in patients with deep infiltrating endometriosis of the rectum?
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Hum. Reprod. 2009 24: 1080-1084.[Abstract] [FREE Full Text] - Anxiety and depression have no influence on the cancellation and pregnancy rates of a first IVF or ICSI treatment
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Hum. Reprod. 2009 24: 1176-1183.[Abstract] [FREE Full Text] - Maternal levels of perfluorinated chemicals and subfecundity
- Chunyuan Fei, Joseph K. McLaughlin, Loren Lipworth, and Jørn Olsen
Hum. Reprod. 2009 24: 1200-1205.[Abstract] [FREE Full Text] - The causes of misdiagnosis and adverse outcomes in PGD
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