It has been shown recently that delayed transfers improve implantation rates in assisted reproductive technology programmes. In a prospective study, the pregnancy rates and safety of outcome were evaluated in a group of patients after the transfer of day 5 blastocysts with enzymatic treatment of the zona pellucida. Nineteen women with a mean age of 32.6+/-5.2 years and mean 2.1+/-2.2 repeated a...

Assisted reproductive technology is an evolving area, and several adjuvant procedures have been created to increase a couple's chance of conceiving. For male infertility, the current challenges are to properly accommodate old and new techniques that are both cost-effective and evidence-based. In this context, urologists are expected to diagnose, counsel, provide medical or surgical treatment wh...

Background: Infertility is defined as the inability of a sexually active, non-contracepting couple to achieve spontaneous pregnancy in one year. About 15% of couples do not achieve pregnancy within one year and seek medical treatment for infertility. One out of eight couples encounters problems when attempting to conceive a first child and one in six when attempting to conceive a subsequent chi...

Background The effect of smoking cigarettes is followed by diverse effects on ovaries and developing follicles but the effect of passive smoking on ovarian function is unknown. On the other hand, the ovarian response to induction is a very important step in assisted reproduction. The aim of this study is to compare ovarian response in passive smokers and non-passive smokers in an assisted repro...

Lifestyle is increasingly recognized as an outcome-determining factor in assisted reproduction, not only with regard to the cost-effectiveness but also in view of the balance of benefits and risks, including risks related to the welfare of the future child. This document briefly summarizes the evidence concerning the impact of three lifestyle-related factors (obesity, tobacco smoking and alcoho...

To cite: Carr D. Acupunct Med 2015;33:2–6. The role of somatosensory stimulation (acupuncture and related techniques) as an adjunct to assisted reproductive technology (ART) has been hotly debated over the past decade. In the last 6 years there have been no fewer than 12 meta-analyses of 34 randomised controlled trials (table 1). Systematic and narrative reviews of the literature often report c...

Lifestyle is increasingly recognized as an outcome-determining factor in assisted reproduction, not only with regard to the cost-effectiveness but also in view of the balance of benefits and risks, including risks related to the welfare of the future child. This document briefly summarizes the evidence concerning the impact of three lifestyle-related factors (obesity, tobacco smoking and alcoho...

Background Pre-conceptional supplementation with folic acid is recognized as essential for the prevention of neural tube defects. However, the reproductive effects of folic acid may extend well beyond this well-recognized effect and may have an important role in improving fertility and survival of the conceptus and fetus. MaterialsAndMethods We evaluated the association between pre-conceptional...