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Biomedical subjects

I Craft

Publications and source records attributed to I Craft.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration for obstructive azoospermia.

We report the use of percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration as a simpler and more acceptable alternative to microscopic epididymal sperm aspiration for patients with obstructive azoospermia in whom bypass surgery is not feasible or has not been successful. Some contamination of the aspirate with blood is inevitable, but with careful sperm preparation techniques this can be reduced substantially in the final aliquot used for assisted conception. Spermatozoa with active forward progression may be used for gamete intra-Fallopian transfer treatment, but when this capacity is absent intracytoplasmic sperm injection is recommended. Three pregnancies were obtained in seven couples and a set of twins has been delivered.

Epididymis↗

Day care management of severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome avoids hospitalization and morbidity.

Severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is a dreaded complication of ovulation induction for assisted reproduction treatment. In the past, conservative management has been recommended and this leads to prolonged hospitalization. A total of 18 patients who developed severe OHSS were managed according to two protocols. The first group (n = 8) was managed conservatively with hospitalization, i.v. hydration and supportive therapy. The average duration of hospitalization was 11 days and the patients were uncomfortable throughout. A second group (n = 10) was managed on an out-patient basis with early, ultrasound-guided trans-abdominal paracentesis. While the patient was hydrated intravenously, 1-3 1 of fluid were removed over 2-3 h. The duration of hospitalization was between 6 and 7 h and no in-patient stay was required. Prompt relief of symptoms was reported and none of the patients required re-tapping. Pregnancy was achieved in 68% of all patients. Day care management with easy abdominal paracentesis was found to be simple, safe and effective; patients found it more acceptable as it avoided in-patient hospitalization.

Ambulatory Care↗

Transfer of embryos into the uterus: how much do technical factors affect pregnancy rates?

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to identify the effect on outcome of (a) ultrasound-assisted embryo transfer, (b) the use of different embryo transfer catheters, and (c) the length of time the patients remain in the supine position after embryo transfer. SETTING: The setting was a private fertility center. SUBJECTS: This was a prospective study of 178 in vitro fertilization and embryo transfers (IVF-ET) and 63 frozen embryo replacements (FER). RESULTS: The pregnancy rate was 28.7% following IVF-ET and 31.8% for FER. Ultrasound-assisted transfer did not affect the outcome (29 vs 30.3%). There was no difference in the performance of the Wallace and Frydman catheters with regard to outcome (30.3 vs 30.7%). Although there was an increase in pregnancy rate as the time interval in the supine position after ET increased, this needs a larger study. CONCLUSION: The parameter studies did not affect the outcome of IVF/ET or FER. Some factors encouraged us to recommend ultrasound-assisted transfer in some cases, and the use of a Frydman catheter for transfer and to encourage the supine position after transfer for longer periods.

Abdomen↗

Ultrasonic monitoring during replacement of frozen/thawed embryos in natural and hormone replacement cycles.

We evaluated the results of cryopreserved/thawed embryo replacement (FER) to determine if the outcome following transfer in a natural cycle in a defined group was different to that from a hormone replacement cycle, and also to assess vaginal ultrasonographic features that assist in predicting the timing of the transfer. At the London Fertility Centre, 149 consecutive FER cycles were studied retrospectively. Women with proven ovulation and regular cycles were included during natural cycles (n = 77). The hormone replacement cycle group included women with anovulation, irregular cycles and older women (n = 72). In the natural cycle group, transfer was performed following positive urinary luteinizing hormone (LH) surge and confirmation of ovulation by ultrasonography. With the hormone replacement therapy group, gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogue was used to induce pituitary down-regulation, oestradiol valerate was supplemented followed by regular ultrasound monitoring, and FER 2 days following the initiation of progesterone, which was started once adequate endometrial development was noticed on ultrasonography. The pregnancy and ongoing/delivery rates were analysed in relation to the treatment cycle, age, number and quality of embryos transferred. Ultrasonographic features were examined to evaluate their relationship with the outcome of treatment. The results showed that no difference existed between natural and hormone replacement cycles in pregnancy rates per cycle (26 and 25%), ongoing/delivery rate (20.8% in both groups), and implantation rate (10.3 and 10.6%). Pregnancy rates were not influenced by the number of embryos transferred, stage at which the embryos were cryopreserved, or whether they were extra embryos from in-vitro fertilization/embryo transfer, or gamete intra-Fallopian transfer.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Correlation of ultrasound assessment of endometrial growth and plasma steroid concentrations during superovulation for in vitro fertilization.

Endometrial and follicular development were investigated by ultrasound in 25 normally cycling women who received clomiphene citrate and human menopausal gonadotrophin to induce multiple follicular development for in vitro fertilization. Ultrasonic determination of endometrial thickness and reflectivity grading and follicular number were correlated with daily concentrations of estradiol (E2) and progesterone (p) in peripheral serum. Serum E2 showed a better positive correlation with endometrial thickness than with total number of developing follicles. There was a significant inverse correlation between endometrial thickness and plasma p concentration. The E2 value per follicle and E2/p ratio were both weakly correlated respectively with endometrial thickness. These data indicate that ultrasound determination of endometrial thickness is a useful ultrasonic parameter for monitoring ovarian function for in vitro fertilization. However, endometrial thickness should always be combined with total number of developing follicles, in order to reach decisions concerning timing of oocyte recovery.

Adult↗

IVF versus GIFT.

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Adult↗

The influence of ovarian response on gamete intra-Fallopian transfer outcome in older women.

Fecundity declines with increasing age in women. The pregnancy rate is lower in in-vitro fertilization/embryo transfer (IVF/ET) in women aged greater than or equal to 40 years. We analysed 349 consecutive gamete intra-Fallopian transfer (GIFT) cycles in women aged greater than or equal to 40 years to identify factors which affected the outcome. A maximum of four oocytes were transferred in GIFT as recommended by the Interim Licensing Authority; 61 women (17.5%) had a positive serum beta-human chorionic gonadotrophin, 35 (10%) had a miscarriage and 26 (7.5%) delivered live infants. The pregnancy rate was lower than with younger women while the conception loss was higher. Pregnancy and delivery rates increased as the number of oocytes retrieved increased but declined again if greater than 10 oocytes were retrieved. If 1-3 oocytes were retrieved, the pregnancy rate was 9.7% and the delivery rate was 3.9%; if 4-10 oocytes were retrieved, the pregnancy rate was 22.1% and the delivery rate was 10.1%, and when greater than 10 oocytes were retrieved, the rates were 17.6 and 5.9% respectively. The highest pregnancy rate was when four oocytes were transformed in GIFT (22.4%) and the delivery rate was 10.0%. An adequate response to long down-regulation with gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist was also a factor associated with high delivery rates (13.5%). We conclude that the delivery rate after GIFT in women aged greater than or equal to 40 years is low, but there is a subgroup who have an acceptable delivery rate because of a good ovarian response. In this group, pituitary down-regulation improves the outcome of treatment.

Adult↗

Prime factors for seeking infertility treatment amongst Iranian patients.

This paper reports a survey of prime factors for seeking infertility treatment amongst 14 Iranian couples and discusses the implications of the findings in relation to issues related to infertility treatment and the need for comparative research on patients from diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.

Adult↗

What is stressful about in vitro fertilization?

The present work was designed to explore whether psychological stress is more related to concerns about the actual physical pain or fear of treatment during in vitro fertilization. Analysis of data for 12 middle-class women from Iran showed that the greatest psychological stress during treatment was associated with worries about the outcome of different stages of treatment rather than fear and pain of the actual procedure.

Adult↗