Background: To evaluate effects of simvastatin on selected biochemical parameters and reproductive outcome among patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) who undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF). Materials and Methods: PCOS patients were randomized to receive either oral simvastatin 20mg/d (n=32) or placebo (n=32) in a prospective, double-blind randomized clinical trial (NCT 005-75601) in...

Background: Animal and in vitro studies have shown that 25-OH vitamin D plays a significant role in different parts of body. Few data exist about the role of 25- OH vitamin D in reproduction. Insufficient levels during pregnancy are potentially associated with increased risk of preeclampsia, insulin resistance and gestational diabetes mellitus. Recently, few studies have assessed the prognostic...

The latest micromanipulative technique, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), has been very successful in cases of severe male factor infertility. The main objective of this study is to report the results of our fIrst experience with ICSI in cases of male factor infertility, as well as patients who had failed their previous cycles with conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF). Normal ...

BACKGROUND Chemical activation is the most frequently used method for artificial oocyte activation (AOA), results in high fertilization rate. OBJECTIVE This prospective, randomized, unblinded, clinical study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of oocyte activation with calcium ionophore on fertilization and pregnancy rate after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in infertile men suffer from...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficiency of pre-treatment in dyspermic males in IVF couples with a combination of micronutrients, for the purpose of improving the fertilization rate, the implantation rate and the outcome of the pregnancy. PATIENTS AND METHODS This controlled prospective clinical study was performed in two medically assisted reproduction centers. 59 males with mild oligo-astheno-t...

BACKGROUND One of the recognized treatment options for patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Fears are however sometimes raised concerning the likely outcome of treatment in such patients compared with their counterparts with tubal factor infertility. OBJECTIVE To compare the IVF/ICSI performance in women w...

BACKGROUND: The sperm penetration assay (SPA) is used to predict the fertilizing capacity of sperm. Thus, some programs rely on SPA scores to formulate insemination plans in conjunction with in-vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if a relationship exists between SPA scores and polyspermy rates during conventional IVF cycles. METHODS: A total of 1350 conse...

BACKGROUND Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) has been used as a replacement for the mid-cycle luteinizing hormone (LH) surge for several years. The recent arrival of recombinant DNA technology has made recombinant HCG (rHCG) accessible. OBJECTIVE To assess efficacy of rHCG compared to urinary HCG (uHCG) for triggering of ovulation and induction of final oocyte maturation in assisted reproduc...

BACKGROUND Complete fertilization failure after ICSI is a rare event, and it may happen repeatedly even in cases of normal sperm parameters and good ovarian response. In these cycles, alternative ICSI techniques may prove useful. METHODS Our modified ICSI (mICSI) is characterized by aspiration close to the opposite membrane (the region of the mitochondria with a high inner mitochondrial membr...