It is estimated that the male factor contributes to half of the infertility in couples attending for assisted reproductive techniques (ART). Therefore the semen analysis remains the starting point to evaluate main causes of infertility and in case of oligospermic semen the assessment of sperm morphology may help to choose the best spermatozoon to use for the intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IC...

With the development of the Makler counting chamber, the reproducibility and accuracy of computer-assisted semen analysis and of manual determination of sperm concentration and sperm motility were significantly enhanced beyond what is possible with other methods, such as the hemocytometer, the Horwell chamber, the Petroff-Hausser chamber, and Chartpak slides. The use of Micro-Cell, a disposable...

BACKGROUND One of the most important points concerning the patients who undergo assisted reproductive techniques (ART) for getting pregnant can be the possible neonatal chromosomal abnormalities as a result of these methods. OBJECTIVE This study was conducted to help answering a part of this question. MATERIALS AND METHODS This is a historical cohort study from April 2006 to April 2007. Dat...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether time to pregnancy (TTP) is associated with neurological condition of 2-year-old children born to subfertile parents. DESIGN Data collected in a prospective, assessor-blinded follow-up study were used for cross-sectional analyses. PATIENTS Participants were the singletons of the Groningen assisted reproductive technique cohort study: all children were born to su...

Significant advances in treatment have enabled previously infertile males to achieve fatherhood, when only a few years ago they would have had no chance of biological paternity. In contrast to the overall success of assisted reproduction, the aetiology of male-factor infertility is poorly understood. Recent studies have shown, however, that a significant proportion of men with severe infertilit...

OBJECTIVE To determine follicular-fluid neurotrophin levels in women undergoing assisted reproductive techniques for different etiologies of infertility. DESIGN Prospective observational study. SETTING Academically affiliated assisted reproductive techniques unit. PATIENT(S) One hundred six patients undergoing an IVF cycle for different etiologies of infertility. INTERVENTION(S) Assessm...

BACKGROUND Infertility is estimated to affect as many as 186 million people worldwide. Although male infertility contributes to more than half of all cases of global childlessness, infertility remains a woman's social burden. Unfortunately, areas of the world with the highest rates of infertility are often those with poor access to assisted reproductive techniques (ARTs). In such settings, wome...

BACKGROUND This study compares the microdose flare-up protocol to the ultrashort gonadotropinreleasing hormone (GnRH) agonist flare combined with the fixed multidose GnRH antagonist protocol in poor responders undergoing ovarian stimulation. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this randomized clinical trial, 120 women who were candidates for assisted reproductive techniques (ART) and had histories of on...

BACKGROUND Although heterotopic gestation is common in assisted reproductive techniques, it is very rare in natural conception and clomiphene induced pregnancy. Diagnosis and appropriate intervention of heterotopic pregnancy requires a high index of suspicious. CASE In this paper a case of heterotopic pregnancy in a 30-year old woman with hemoperitoneum from ruptured tubal pregnancy with live...

Diminished fertility and poor ovarian response pose a conundrum to the experts in the field of reproductive medicine. There is limited knowledge about the risk factors of diminished ovarian reserve other than the iatrogenic ones. One of the leading causes of infertility in women today is diminished ovarian reserve (DOR). DOR is characterized by a low number of eggs in a woman's ovaries and/or w...