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Biomedical subjects

M S Mills

Publications and source records attributed to M S Mills.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Expectations of assisted conception for infertility.

OBJECTIVE: To provide reliable prognostic information for couples seeking assisted conception. DESIGN: Analysis of four years' practice (1988-91). SETTING: Private university service linked with NHS reproductive medicine services. PATIENTS: 804 couples with various causes of subfertility, median duration five years, median age of women 34 years. INTERVENTIONS: 1280 completed cycles: 950 in vitro fertilisation, 144 gamete intrafallopian transfer, and 186 intrauterine insemination and superovulation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pregnancy and birth rates per cycle and cumulative pregnancy and take home baby rates per couple. RESULTS: In women under 40 years and men with normal sperm, whatever the cause of infertility, results with in vitro fertilisation improved steadily reaching a pregnancy rate per cycle of 30% (95% confidence interval 26% to 35%) during 1990-1 and birth rate per cycle of 29% (23% to 35%) in 1990. Pregnancy and birth rates for gamete intrafallopian transfer were 36% (28% to 44%) and 26% (17% to 37%) and for intrauterine insemination 18% (12% to 24%) and 16% (10% to 22%). After six cycles cumulative probability of pregnancy was 82% and cumulative take home baby rate 70%. Considering only in vitro fertilisation and gamete intrafallopian transfer after four cycles the pregnancy rate was 78% (66% to 91%). CONCLUSIONS: Conception is less likely in women over 40 and men with sperm dysfunction. For other couples the prognosis for a live birth is at least as good as for fertile couples if they persist with treatment.

Adult

Subclavian vein thrombosis: a late complication of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.

Two cases of subclavian vein thrombosis following ovarian stimulation for in-vitro fertilization and subsequent ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) are described. Both occurred several weeks after complete resolution of the OHSS. The site of the lesions and their timing suggest that there is a generalized disturbance of coagulation associated with OHSS, which persists beyond the duration of the clinical syndrome.

Abortion, Missed

A prospective controlled study of in-vitro fertilization, gamete intra-fallopian transfer and intrauterine insemination combined with superovulation.

The relative effectiveness of in-vitro fertilization (IVF), gamete intra-Fallopian transfer (GIFT) and intrauterine insemination (IUI) combined with superovulation in the treatment of infertility were compared in 151 couples undergoing a single cycle of treatment. Treatment was selected as appropriate (IVF for tubal disease, GIFT or IUI/superovulation for nontubal infertility) but possible bias due to non-randomization was overcome by all couples having had favourable fertilization in a previous cycle of IVF. Furthermore, in a preliminary study of initial IVF treatment in 265 couples from whom the study patients were drawn, implantation and pregnancy rates in the diagnostic groups were similar. In the definitive study comparing IVF, GIFT and IUI/superovulation, the pregnancy rate observed with GIFT was highest (40%) but this was not significantly higher than with IVF (28%) or IUI/superovulation (20%). However, the implantation rate per egg transferred by GIFT (21%) was significantly higher than the implantation rate per embryo transferred by IVF (11%). Although the pregnancy rates with GIFT were not statistically greater than with IVF, a significant advantage is likely to be observed in larger groups in view of the better implantation rate. The lower pregnancy rates with IUI superovulation are to be expected because of limited ovarian stimulation, they are nevertheless of comparative interest.

Adult

Attitudes towards gamete donation among couples undergoing in vitro fertilization.

The attitudes of 234 anonymous couples undergoing in vitro fertilization toward sperm and oocyte donation were explored by questionnaire. All the questionnaires were returned of which 222 (95%) were complete and analysed. A high proportion of couples found the use of donor sperm acceptable for therapeutic, diagnostic and treatment purposes (77%, 90% and 97% respectively) and 72%, 84% and 90% respectively were willing to donate oocytes for these purposes. Of potential oocyte donors 41% would agree to nonanonymous donation, 12% would wish to meet the recipient couple and although only 4% wanted to choose the recipient, a quarter of the couples would prefer a relative or friend as the recipient. Provision of nonidentifying information about the donor to the recipient couple was acceptable to almost 70% whereas 40% found giving the same information to the child acceptable.

Adult

Two-tier approach to biophysical assessment of the fetus.

The biophysical profile score is widely accepted as a superior predictor of acute-on-chronic fetal asphyxia over the nonstress test. Nevertheless, in the United Kingdom facilities for assessment of high-risk pregnancies by nonstress test are more widely available than with the biophysical profile score. After a retrospective review of 2038 biophysical assessments in 500 high-risk pregnancies, it is suggested that biophysical evaluation of the fetus can be rationalized on the basis of the clinical problem and fetal growth. Terminal acute-on-chronic fetal asphyxia can be excluded by a two-tier method of fetal assessment by initial nonstress test backed up by the biophysical profile score when the nonstress test is suboptimal.

Asphyxia Neonatorum