Free Access Articles
Impact of high serum progesterone during the late follicular phase on IVF outcome
With ovarian stimulation for IVF, serum progesterone concentration may increase during the last few days of stimulation. Several factors, mainly the intensity of the ovarian response to gonadotrophins, have been identified to explain progesterone elevation but many other issues remain uncertain. The aim of this narrative, nonsystematic review is to address the nonconsensual issues of the reasons and consequences of premature progesterone elevation during ovarian stimulation. The determination of the optimal threshold above which progesterone elevation may have an impact on IVF outcome is still a matter of debate because it is likely related to the patient's profile.Increased plasma cell-free DNA is associated with low pregnancy rates among women undergoing IVF–embryo transfer
This prospective repeated measures study was designed to examine the cell-free DNA (cfDNA) concentrations during ovarian stimulation and the relationship between cfDNA concentration and pregnancy rates in women undergoing IVF–embryo transfer. The study examined 37 women undergoing IVF treatment in an IVF unit in a university medical centre in southern Israel. cfDNA concentrations were measured by a direct fluorescence assay, pregnancy rates were identified by plasma β human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) concentrations and verified by vaginal ultrasound to determine gestational sac and fetal heart beats.Synchronization between embryo development and endometrium is a contributing factor for rescue ICSI outcome
Recent evidence shows that the outcome of rescue intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is unsatisfactory on account of a poor clinical pregnancy rate. These outcomes may be due to either the in-vitro ageing of cultured oocytes before ICSI or the asynchrony between the embryo developmental stage and the endometrial secretory pattern. To address the latter issue, this study performed a retrospective analysis of 534 fresh cycles after rescue ICSI and 64 frozen–thawed cycles in subsequent treatment.
