Infertility Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Infertility, including details on male and female infertility, treatment, causes, pregnancy.

Current status of the approach to assisted reproduction.

Pauli SA, Berga SL, Shang W, Session DR

Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory Reproductive Center, Medical Office Tower, Atlanta, GA 30308, USA. spauli@emory.edu

Assisted reproductive technologies are important tools in the clinical armamentarium used to treat both female and male infertility disorders. Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis offers couples at risk of having children with inheritable disorders the ability to analyze the genetic make-up of embryos before transfer. For patients undergoing treatment of cancer with chemotherapy or radiation therapy, these technologies offer the potential for the preservation of future fertility. As technology evolves, it is likely the clinical applications of assisted reproduction will continue to develop and expand in the future to enhance fertility.

Published 8 June 2009 in Pediatr Clin North Am, 56(3): 467-88, Table of Contents.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

Articles on Infertility published 29 May 2009:

Fertility of female survivors of childhood cancer: a report from the childhood cancer survivor study.   J Clin Oncol, 27(16): 2677-85.

PURPOSE: This study was undertaken to determine the effect, if any, of treatment for cancer diagnosed during childhood or adolescence on fertility. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We reviewed the fertility of female participants in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS), which consisted of 5-year survivors, and a cohort of randomly selected siblings who responded to a questionnaire. Medical records of all members of the cohort were abstracted to obtain chemotherapeutic agents administered; the ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Infertility published 21 May 2009:

Pregnancy after uterine artery embolization for symptomatic fibroids: a series of 15 pregnancies.   AJR Am J Roentgenol, 192(6): 1588-92.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to report on pregnancies and their outcome after uterine artery embolization for uterine fibroids. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: From 2001 to 2004, 102 patients (mean age, [+/- SD] 35.7 +/- 6.4 years; range, 20-48 years) with symptomatic uterine fibroids underwent uterine artery embolization with 500- to 710-microm polyvinyl alcohol particles. The mean uterine volume was 552 +/- 649 cm(3) (range, 94-4,656 cm(3)), and the dominant fibroid size was 228 +/- 359 ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Estrogen-dependent and -independent estrogen receptor-alpha signaling separately regulate male fertility.   Endocrinology, 150(6): 2898-905.

Estrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha) plays a critical role in male reproductive tract development and fertility. To determine whether estrogen-dependent and -independent ERalpha mechanisms are involved in male fertility, we examined male estrogen nonresponsive ERalpha knock-in mice. These animals have a point mutation (G525L) in the ligand-binding domain of ERalpha that significantly reduces interaction with, and response to, endogenous estrogens but does not affect growth factor activation of ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Infertility published 18 May 2009:

A missense mutation in the Capza3 gene and disruption of F-actin organization in spermatids of repro32 infertile male mice.   Dev Biol, 330(1): 142-52.

Males homozygous for the repro32 ENU-induced mutation produced by the Reproductive Genomics program at The Jackson Laboratory are infertile, have low epididymal sperm concentrations, and produce sperm with abnormally shaped heads and poor motility. The purpose of the present study was to identify the mutated gene in repro32 mice and to define the structural and functional changes causing infertility and the aberrant sperm phenotype. In repro32/repro32 mice, we discovered a failure to shed ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Infertility published 7 May 2009:

Mucocele of the appendix causing tubal factor infertility.   Fertil Steril, 91(5): 1957.e17-20.

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): Persistence of active mucinous lesions in the peritoneal cavity, presence of abnormalities at colonoscopy, and ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Prevalence of insulin resistance and determination of risk factors for glucose intolerance in polycystic ovary syndrome: a cross-sectional study of Chinese infertility patients.   Fertil Steril, 91(5): 1864-8.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of abnormalities in glucose metabolism in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and control infertility patients in Taiwan, and to determine the predictive risk factors for PCOS. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Infertility Center, Taiwan Adventist Hospital. PATIENT(S): Three hundred fifty-six patients with PCOS and 974 control infertility patients. INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURE(S): Hormone assay and 75-g oral glucose ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Anti-Müllerian hormone in men with normal and reduced sperm concentration and men with maldescended testes.   Fertil Steril, 91(5): 1812-9.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) in well-characterized men with normal and reduced sperm concentration and in men with a history of or persistent maldescended testes as a possible clinical marker of male factor infertility and/or maldescended testes. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of 199 men selected from our database (Androbase). SETTING: The university-based Institute of Reproductive Medicine. PATIENT(S): One hundred eight men with normal and 60 men with reduced ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

The impact of hemochromatosis mutations and transferrin genotype on gonadotropin serum levels in infertile men.   Fertil Steril, 91(5): 1793-800.

OBJECTIVE: To address the possibility that HFE mutations and TF gene polymorphism cause dysfunction of spermatogenesis and/or the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis via contribution to long-term iron overload in the testes and brain. DESIGN: Case-control and association study. SETTING: Clinic of obstetrics and gynecology and university-based research laboratory. PATIENT(S): 127 infertile men (including 97 with idiopathic infertility) and 188 controls of proven fertility. INTERVENTION(S): ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

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