To know or not to know? Dilemmas for women receiving unknown oocyte donation

BACKGROUND: This study aims to provide insight into the reasons for choosing an unknown oocyte donor and to explore recipients’ feelings and wishes regarding donor information. METHODS: In-depth interviews were carried out with 11 women at different stages of treatment. Seven were on a waiting list and four have given birth to donor oocyte babies. The interviews were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. RESULTS: The choice of unknown donor route was motivated by a wish to feel secure in the role of mother as well as to avoid possible intrusions into family relationships. The information that is available about unknown donors is often very limited. In the preconception phase of treatment, some participants wanted more information about the donor but others adopted a not-knowing stance that protected them from the emotional impact of needing a donor. In the absence of information that might normalize her, there was a tendency to imagine the donor in polarised simplistic terms, so she may be idealized or feared. Curiosity about the donor intensified once a real baby existed, and the task of telling a child was more daunting when very little was known about the donor. A strong wish for same-donor siblings was expressed by all of the participants who had given birth. CONCLUSIONS: This qualitative study throws light on the factors that influence the choice of unknown donation. It also highlights the scope for attitudes to donor information to undergo change over the course of treatment and after giving birth. The findings have implications for pretreatment counselling and raise a number of issues that merit further exploration

Discontinuation of rLH two days before hCG may increase the number of oocytes retrieved in IVF

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Administration of recombinant luteinizing hormone (rLH) in controlled ovarian hyperstimulation may benefit a subpopulation of patients. However, late follicular phase administration of high doses of rLH may also reduce the size of the follicular cohort and promote monofollicular development.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To determine if rLH in late follicular development had a negative impact on follicular growth and oocyte yield, IVF patients in our practice who received rFSH and rLH for the entire stimulation were retrospectively compared with those that had the rLH discontinued at least two days prior to hCG trigger.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The two groups had similar baseline characteristics before stimulation with respect to age, FSH level and antral follicle count. However, the group which had the rLH discontinued at least two days prior to their hCG shot, had a significantly higher number of oocytes retrieved, including a higher number of MII oocytes and number of 2PN embryos.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>When using rLH for controlled ovarian hyperstimulation, administering it from the start of stimulation and stopping it in the late follicular phase, at least two days prior to hCG trigger, may increase oocyte and embryo yield.</p

ESHRE good practice recommendations for add- ons in reproductive medicine

The draft of the paper “ESHRE Good practice recommendations for add-ons in reproductive medicine” was published for public review for 4 weeks, between 1 November and 1 December 2022. This report summarizes all reviewers, their comments and the reply of the working group and is published on the ESHRE website as supporting documentation to the paper. During the stakeholder review, a total of 274 comments (including 24 duplicates) were received from 46 reviewers. Reviewers included professionals and representatives of donor-conceived offspring organisations. The comments were focussed on the content of the guideline (209 comments), language and style (31 comments), or were remarks that did not require a reply (10 comments). All comments to the language and format were checked and corrected where relevant. The comments to the content of the paper (n=209) were assessed by the working group and where relevant, adaptations were made in the paper (n=94; 45%). Adaptations included revisions and/or clarifications of the text, and amendments to the recommendations. For a number of comments, the working group considered them outside the scope of the paper or not appropriate/relevant (n=115; 55%).peer-reviewe

Biological versus chronological ovarian age:implications for assisted reproductive technology

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Women have been able to delay childbearing since effective contraception became available in the 1960s. However, fertility decreases with increasing maternal age. A slow but steady decrease in fertility is observed in women aged between 30 and 35 years, which is followed by an accelerated decline among women aged over 35 years. A combination of delayed childbearing and reduced fecundity with increasing age has resulted in an increased number and proportion of women of greater than or equal to 35 years of age seeking assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Literature searches supplemented with the authors' knowledge.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Despite major advances in medical technology, there is currently no ART treatment strategy that can fully compensate for the natural decline in fertility with increasing female age. Although chronological age is the most important predictor of ovarian response to follicle-stimulating hormone, the rate of reproductive ageing and ovarian sensitivity to gonadotrophins varies considerably among individuals. Both environmental and genetic factors contribute to depletion of the ovarian oocyte pool and reduction in oocyte quality. Thus, biological and chronological ovarian age are not always equivalent. Furthermore, biological age is more important than chronological age in predicting the outcome of ART. As older patients present increasingly for ART treatment, it will become more important to critically assess prognosis, counsel appropriately and optimize treatment strategies. Several genetic markers and biomarkers (such as anti-Müllerian hormone and the antral follicle count) are emerging that can identify women with accelerated biological ovarian ageing. Potential strategies for improving ovarian response include the use of luteinizing hormone (LH) and growth hormone (GH). When endogenous LH levels are heavily suppressed by gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogues, LH supplementation may help to optimize treatment outcomes for women with biologically older ovaries. Exogenous GH may improve oocyte development and counteract the age-related decline of oocyte quality. The effects of GH may be mediated by insulin-like growth factor-I, which works synergistically with follicle-stimulating hormone on granulosa and theca cells.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Patients with biologically older ovaries may benefit from a tailored approach based on individual patient characteristics. Among the most promising adjuvant therapies for improving ART outcomes in women of advanced reproductive age are the administration of exogenous LH or GH.</p

Multidose methotrexate treatment of cornual pregnancy after in vitro fertilization: Two case reports

Background: An ectopic pregnancy, when the gestational sac is implanted outside of the uterine cavity, can be life-threatening. A cornual pregnancy is the most dangerous type of ectopic pregnancy since it can be misdiagnosed easily and has high mortality rate. It is diagnosed when the implantation site is at the junction between the fallopian tube and the uterus. For a successful outcome, early diagnosis and management are critical. The traditional management is surgical, involving cornual resection or hysterectomy, which, however, affects fertility. Thus, conservative management involving administration of methotrexate should always be considered. Case presentation: The article describes to two women in their early forties with no previous children (G1, P0) and diagnosed with a cornual pregnancy at 7 and 8 weeks of gestation following in vitro fertilization. Given their hemodynamic stability and their desire to conserve fertility they were treated conservatively. The two patients had similar ultrasound findings and blood results. The main difference was the presence of an embryonic heart beat in one case. Successful management was accomplished with multidose methotrexate and leucovorin during hospitalization for 8 days and close monitoring for the next 30 days as outpatients. In addition, the second woman was given a transvaginal injection of potassium chloride (KCL) to stop embryonic cardiac activity. Conclusion: Conservative management of cornual pregnancies applying multidose therapy of methotrexate and leucovorin is a safe treatment when patients are asymptomatic and preserves fertility. © 202

Does hyaluronan improve embryo implantation?

Taking into consideration the increasing interest on hyaluronan and its biological as well as physiological properties, this review will focus on the role of this molecule in human embryo implantation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Acute intestinal obstruction in pregnancy after previous gastric bypass: A case report

Background: Intestinal obstruction is an extremely rare condition among pregnant women, but it can be life-threatening for both mother and fetus. Case presentation: A woman in her late twenties with no history of previous pregnancies was admitted to hospital due to regular preterm contractions and cervical shortening. Seven days after her admission, while the contractions had stopped and cervical length was stable, she complained of acute abdominal pain. Bowel obstruction was suspected due to the patient's history of gastric bypass 5 years earlier for weight loss. Computed tomography was not performed due to risk of fetal irradiation. Conservative management was attempted, but the patient stopped passing flatus and started vomiting. The fetus was delivered by emergency exploratory laparotomy, during which small bowel obstruction due to adhesions was identified and resolved. Conclusion: Although uncommon during pregnancy, small bowel obstruction is far more common in women who have had previous abdominal operations, especially involving the stomach. Obstetricians must maintain a high level of suspicion since this condition can be life-threatening for both the mother and the fetus