The use of acupuncture to improve the outcome of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) has become widespread over the past five years. Three of four randomised controlled trials (RCT) published since 2002 have shown that acupuncture significantly increases pregnancy rates. Although the research has a number of methodological limitations, it does strongly endorse the use of acupuncture during IVF. Protoc...

BACKGROUND More couples are delaying childbirth resulting in an increase of age-related subfertility in women. Subfertility and assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments may affect couples' psychological well-being. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether factors related to IVF/ICSI affect anxiety and mental health in couples 1 year after childbirth. METHOD In this coh...

To optimize success rates of IVF, selection of the most viable embryo(s) for transfer has always been essential, as embryos that are cryopreserved are thought to have a reduced chance of implanting after thawing. Recent developments challenge this concept. Evidence is accumulating that all embryos can now be cryopreserved and transferred in subsequent cycles without impairing pregnancy rates or...

This study aimed to detect the levels of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-2 and -9, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, in the follicular fluid of 35 patients with polycystic ovaries, compare them with the levels found in 35 normally ovulating women enrolled in their first in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle and then correlate them with pregnancy rates in these two groups. Levels of MMP-9 w...

Abdominal cocoon (AC) is a rare condition of uncertain etiology. We report the case of a 29-year-old infertile Chinese woman with AC, who successfully got twin pregnancy and delivery through in vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer (ET). And this review discusses the current concepts of its pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatments. AC might lead to tubal infertility and IVF-ET would be th...

Information on the outcomes of ART treatments in Ireland is not readily available to Irish practitioners. The data for hospital affiliated clinics has been made available for many years and is included in the hospital reports. We present a 10-year analysis of the Irish ART results voluntarily reported by six out of seven IVF clinics. The data was collected from published ESHRE reports and from ...

OBJECTIVE To report on the safety of conservative management of a young woman with pseudomyxoma peritonei of appendiceal origin desiring fertility preservation. DESIGN Case report. SETTING IVF Center at Tertiary Hospital. PATIENT(S) A 32-year-old woman with primary infertility. INTERVENTION(S) Appendectomy, conservative second-look laparoscopy, and IVF. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Persist...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study is to assess the effect of body mass index (BMI) on outcomes of in vitro fertilization (IVF) / intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) among polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and non-PCOS patients. METHODS This was a retrospective cohort study that was performed in the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University. Patients who were under 35 years old were incl...

BACKGROUND This study was designed to evaluate the incidence of uterine pathologies in infertile women with a history of two implantation failures after in vitro fertilization (IVF) and estimate the effect of hysteroscopic correction on achieving a pregnancy in these patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS The retrospective study population included 238 infertile women attended the outpatient inferti...

BACKGROUND The ideal test for ovarian reserve should permit the identification of women who have no real chance of pregnancy with IVF treatments consequent upon an extremely reduced ovarian reserve. The aim of the current study was to evaluate pregnancy rates in patients with low AMH levels (0.2-1 ng/ml) and extremely low AMH levels (<0.2 ng/ml) and to determine the cumulative pregnancy rates f...