The impact of early testicular sperm extraction or cryopreservation on the outcome of intracytoplasmic sperm injection--a randomized controlled study.

PURPOSE: To compare the outcome of sperm extraction 24 h before ovum pickup and on the day of oocyte retrieval. METHODS: A controlled study was performed to compare the outcome of 90 sperm extractions and in vitro sperm injection cycles performed in 54 patients. RESULTS: Available fresh sperm for the sperm injection procedure and cryopreservation obtained on the day of ovum pickup were similar to sperm collected 1 day before (33.3% vs 39.4%, respectively). Fertilization rate obtained with fresh sperm was also similar (48.9% vs. 54%), respectively. Clinical pregnancy rate was 38% vs. 22% per embryo transfer, respectively (P = 0.235). When comparing an additional 24 cycles with cryopreservation of sperm retrieved on the day of ovum pickup, as well as a day previously, no significance was noted in the parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Sperm retrieved 24 h before oocyte retrieval and used as fresh or frozen-thawed for sperm injection are as effective as those used on the day of ovum pickup.

Uterine curettage following second trimester abortion by extraovular instillation of prostaglandin E2. A prospective-randomized trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the benefits associated with routine uterine curettage following complete second trimester termination of pregnancy by extraovular prostaglandin E2. STUDY DESIGN: Fifty-five patients between 15 and 24 weeks' gestation who had undergone complete termination of pregnancy by continuous extraovular instillation of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), were randomly assigned into either no further intervention (n=25), or uterine curettage under general anesthesia (n=30). The need for late uterine curettage, clinical and ultrasonographic parameters at 1 and 42 days follow-up, as well as the incidence of the minor and major complications, were compared between groups. RESULTS: Baseline and post-abortion clinical and ultrasonographic characteristics were similar in both groups. Mean (+/- Standard error of the mean) number of post-abortion bleeding days in the curettage group was 8.9+/-1.8 versus 10.1+/-2.6 days in the non-curettage group (P=NS). No patient in the former group, compared to three patients in the latter group, needed late uterine curettage, (P=NS). Major and minor complications rates in the curettage and in the no-curettage groups were not significantly different. Considerably more patients in the curettage group needed analgesic agents following the abortion compared to the no-curettage group (60% vs. 3.3%, respectively; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Routine uterine curettage in patients undergoing complete second trimester termination of pregnancy by extraovular instillation of PGE2, exerts no benefit.

Cessation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue (GnRH-a) upon down-regulation versus conventional long GnRH-a protocol in poor responders undergoing in vitro fertilization.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) regimen that involves GnRH agonist (GnRH-a) discontinuation before administration of gonadotropins would benefit poor responders. DESIGN: A prospective, randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Hospital-based IVF Unit. PATIENT(S): Sixty-three patients with previous poor response to COH and/or high basal FSH level (> or =9 mIU/mL) undergoing 78 IVF-ET cycles. INTERVENTION(S): In both groups, administration of GnRH-a was started in the midluteal phase. Whereas in the study group (40 cycles), it ended before administration of gonadotropins, in controls (38 cycles) GnRH-a treatment was continued throughout the follicular phase. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Ovarian stimulation patterns and IVF outcome. RESULT(S): A significantly higher cancellation rate was noted in the study group than in the controls (22.5% versus 5%, respectively). The new and control regimens resulted in similar stimulation characteristics and clinical pregnancy rates (11% versus 10.3%, respectively). In 13 patients with a basal FSH level that was not persistently high, the new regimen resulted in a significantly higher number of retrieved oocytes compared with the standard protocol (7.6+/-1.03 versus 4.0+/-0.68, respectively). CONCLUSION(S): Whereas for most low responders, the new COH regimen offers no further advantage, future prospective studies may demonstrate whether it can confer a benefit for a subset of patients with a basal FSH level that is not persistently high.