Effects of sera taken from women with recurrent spontaneous abortion on sperm motility and apoptosis

Recurrent spontaneous abortion impacts almost 1% of couples. The sera from women with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion [URSA] have toxic effects on embryos that grow in the uterus. Therefore, the abnormal condition of the uterus may also affect sperm qualities. The objectives of this study were to search if these sera could induce DNA denaturation in sperm nuclei and also it could reduce sperm motility. Sera of 20 women with URSA history and sera from 20 women with at least two healthy children were added to the sperms samples from 20 healthy men for 2 hours. The sperm motility was assessed after incubation with sera. The samples were stained with Tdt mediated dUTP nick end labeling [TUNEL] assay for DNA fragmentation. The samples were analyzed with flow cytometry and the percentage of the TUNEL positive sperms were calculated. The data were analyzed by t-test. The incubation of the sperm samples in sera with URSA lead to a decrease in the percentage of the motile sperm from 55% in control to 41% in the treated group, significantly [p=0.038]. The percentage of the sperm with abnormal fragmented DNA increased after incubation with URSA [26.6%] compare to the control [21.2%]; however, it was not significant. It seems that sera from URSA patients could not induce a significant increase in the percentage of the sperms with nuclei contain DNA fragmentation. However, the sera of women with URSA could affect the fertility rate by reduction of the sperm motility

Comparison of the effects of letrozole and clomiphene citrate on ovulation and pregnancy rate in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome

For more than four decades clomiphene citrate has been the first line of the treatment for ovulatory disorders. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of letrozole and clomiphene citrate on ovulation and pregnancy rate in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome. In this prospective double-blind study, 100 patients with polycystic ovary syndrome were randomized into two equal groups. The first group received letrozole, 5mg daily [per oral] and the second group received clomiphene, 100mg daily during the 3rd-7th days of the menstrual cycles. Intramuscular human chorionic gonadotropin [hCG] [10,000 IU] was administered to trigger ovulation when at least one mature follicle [>/= 18mm] was developed. Ovulation occurred in 30 patients [60%] of the letrozole group and in 16 patients [32%] of the clomiphene group, which showed a statistically significant difference [P=0.009]. The mean number of follicles with diameter >/= 14 mm on the day of administration of hCG was 1.06 +/- 0.95 in the letrozole group and 1.14 +/- 1.17 in the clomiphene group, which showed non-significant difference [P=0.962]. No difference was found in the endometrial thickness between the two groups. A non-significant increase in pregnancy rate was observed in the letrozole group [26% v 14% P=0.21]. Ovulation rate was higher in letrozole group and administration of letrozole was associated with a non-significant increase in pregnancy rate