Endometrium development patterns and BMI groups among in vitro fertilization patients; prognostic aspects.

Introduction: The impact of the obesity pandemic on female reproductive capability is a factor that needs to be investigated. In addition, the link between endometrial thickness and in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes is contentious. Goal: Our goal was to analyze the association among endometrium development, hormone levels, embryo quality, clinical pregnancy, anamnestic parameters, and body mass index (BMI) in women receiving IVF treatment. Patients and methods: 537 participants undergoing IVF/ICSI cycles with successful oocyte retrieval were enrolled. Subjects were divided into four BMI based groups: underweight (UW; n=32), normal weight (NW; n=324), overweight (OW; n= 115), obesity (OB; n=66). Anthropometric and anamnestic parameters, characteristics of stimulation, endometrial thickness on the day of hCG injection, at puncture, at embryo transfer, FSH, LH, AMH, partner's age and the semen analysis indicators, embryo quality, clinical pregnancy, were recorded and analyzed. Support Vector Machine (SVM) was built to predict potential pregnancies based on medical data using 22 dimensions. Results: In accordance with BMI categories, when examining pregnant/non-pregnant division, the average age of pregnant women was significantly lower in the UW (30.9 ± 4.48 vs. 35.3 ± 5.49 years, p=0.022), NW (34.2 ± 4.25 vs. 36.3 ± 4.84 years, p<0.001), and OW (33.8 ± 4.89 vs. 36.3 ± 5.31 years, p=0.009) groups. Considering FSH, LH, and AMH levels in each BMI category, a statistically significant difference was observed only in the NW category FSH was significantly lower (7.8 ± 2.99 vs. 8.6 ± 3.50 IU/L, p=0.032) and AMH (2.87 ± 2.40 vs. 2.28 ± 2.01 pmol/L, p=0.021) was higher in pregnant women. There were no further statistically significant differences observed between the pregnant and non-pregnant groups across any BMI categories, especially concerning endometrial development. Surprisingly, BMI and weight correlated negatively with FSH (r=-0.252, p<0.001; r=-0.206, p<0.001, respectively) and LH (r= -0.213, p<0.001; r= -0.195, p<0.001) in the whole population. SVM model average accuracy on predictions was 61.71%. Discussion: A convincing correlation between endometrial thickness development and patients' BMI could not be substantiated. However, FSH and LH levels exhibited a surprising decreasing trend with increasing BMI, supporting the evolutionary selective role of nutritional status. Our SVM model outperforms previous models; however, to confidently predict the outcome of embryo transfer, further optimization is necessary.

Reducing radicality in fertility-sparing surgery is associated with improved in vitro fertilization outcome in early-stage cervical cancer: A national retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: Fertility-sparing surgery (FSS) aims to achieve oncological outcomes that are non-inferior to radical treatment while preserving fertility and optimizing reproductive results. This study assesses in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes in early-stage cervical cancer survivors following FSS, comparing radical and non-radical approaches. METHODS: This retrospective analysis used data from Hungary's National Health Insurance Fund (2004-2022) on patients who underwent IVF treatment following FSS for early-stage cervical cancer at ten Hungarian fertility clinics. Patients were classified into radical and non-radical surgical groups, with the uterine arteries being spared in the non-radical procedures. RStudio (R software version: 4.2.2) was used for statistical analysis. Student's t-test was used to compare group means, and Fisher's exact test was applied to assess independence and distributions between categorical variables, and to estimate odds. RESULTS: The study analyzed data from 122 IVF treatment cycles involving 36 patients. The non-radical group had a significantly higher live birth rate (83%, 5/6 compared to the radical group (17%, 5/30). Additionally, the non-radical group had a significantly higher implantation rate and cumulative live birth rate per oocyte retrieval (37%, 7/19 and 55%, 6/11 respectively) compared to the radical group (8%, 12/148 and 6%, 5/80 respectively). CONCLUSION: This is the largest study to evaluate IVF outcomes in young cervical cancer survivors who have undergone FSS. The findings suggest that less radical procedures are associated with significantly better IVF outcomes. These results emphasize the importance of considering oncological safety and reproductive outcomes together when choosing FSS for early-stage cervical cancer patients. It also highlights the reproductive benefits of performing less radical surgery.

Mitochondrial Differentiation during Spermatogenesis: Lessons from Drosophila melanogaster.

Numerous diseases can arise as a consequence of mitochondrial malfunction. Hence, there is a significant focus on studying the role of mitochondria in cancer, ageing, neurodegenerative diseases, and the field of developmental biology. Mitochondria could exist as discrete organelles in the cell; however, they have the ability to fuse, resulting in the formation of interconnected reticular structures. The dynamic changes between these forms correlate with mitochondrial function and mitochondrial health, and consequently, there is a significant scientific interest in uncovering the specific molecular constituents that govern these transitions. Moreover, the specialized mitochondria display a wide array of variable morphologies in their cristae formations. These inner mitochondrial structures are closely associated with the specific functions performed by the mitochondria. In multiple cases, the presence of mitochondrial dysfunction has been linked to male sterility, as it has been observed to cause a range of abnormal spermatogenesis and sperm phenotypes in different species. This review aims to elucidate the dynamic alterations and functions of mitochondria in germ cell development during the spermatogenesis of Drosophila melanogaster.

Paramedical counselling in infertility treatment: its effects on anxio-depressive symptom severity, perceived stress and self-esteem.

Aims: The importance of contributing psychological factors and stress-control in female infertility is well documented, but research on their role in male infertility is scarce. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of a novel paramedical counselling on anxio-depressive symptom severity, perceived stress and self-esteem in infertile men participating in an infertility treatment programme. Methods: Patients were recruited from clinics of University of Szeged, Hungary between 2019 May and 2020 December, and were sorted into control (n = 51) and experimental (n = 57) groups, where patients in the experimental group received a 5-session paramedical counselling in extension to their medical treatment. The levels of anxio-depressive symptom severity, perceived stress and self-esteem were measured prior to and after receiving paramedical counselling. The control group scored lower in regards of the severity of depressive symptom, and showed an increase of self-esteem, while the experimental group resulted in a significant decrease of anxio-depressive scores with the elevation of the level of self-esteem. Results: Our results indicate that joining an infertility treatment programme alone had a positive role in reducing depressive symptoms and in the increase of self-esteem among infertile men, but receiving additional paramedical counselling throughout the treatment programme resulted in the decrease of anxio-depressive symptoms, besides the elevation of the level of self-esteem, with a significantly higher decrease in the state anxiety compared to not receiving this additional paramedical counselling. Conclusions: Thus, it would be advisable for infertility treatment programmes to incorporate screening for psychological vulnerability and implement additional paramedical counselling to alleviate these confounding symptoms detrimental to conceiving.

Adaptive coping strategies in male infertility, paramedical counselling as a way of support.

Aims: In the last decades, the number of infertile males increased worldwide which gained more focus. The extent to which a person or a couple is able to cope adaptively with the problem of infertility depends on the combined effect of several variables. Our aim was to apply counselling among males suffering from infertility problems. During the therapy - besides providing information - we aim to elaborate the effects of the treatment and experiences, to process information, to develop adaptive coping strategies against stress and to indirectly or directly change health behaviours influencing reproduction.Methods: Only patients with male factor infertility were involved. They were divided into an observed group (n = 57) and a control (n = 51) group after a thorough physical examination and assessment of their reactions to, and awareness of, the disease.Results: The group that received the interventions had an intense awareness of the diagnosis and aims and nature of the indicated treatment. They employed purposeful problem-solving coping strategies, reported being satisfied with the infertility treatment.Conclusions: The counselling of clients with infertility problems a more favourable mental well-being can be established by the active participation of professional helpers. Patients might receive effective, targeted and problem-specific help.Abbreviations: ART: Assisted Reproductive Technology.

Associated perinatal determinants of vanishing twin pregnancies achieved by in vitro fertilization vs. spontaneous conception.

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether vanishing twin (VT) pregnancies following spontaneous conception have a more adverse perinatal outcome than those conceived after assisted reproduction techniques. METHODS: The retrospective cohort study consisted of 316 VT pregnancies derived from a hospital database between January 1994 and January 2016 (81 after IVF/ICSI and 235 after spontaneous conception). RESULTS: VT was significantly more prevalent after spontaneous conception (in 22.0% of twins) than after IVF/ICSI (in 14.5% of twins). VT pregnancies were significantly more associated with pre-gestational and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in IVF/ICSI pregnancies compared to those spontaneously conceived [adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 4.12 and 11.1, respectively]. IVF-related placental insertion abnormalities were significantly higher in VT pregnancies. A high risk for VT was recorded in the spontaneous group for those who had previously undergone an induced abortion (AOR 0.56) or second-trimester fetal loss (AOR 0.67). The VT phenomenon was a major prognosticator of intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) for the remaining fetus in IVF pregnancies (AOR 5.12). After controlling for covariates conjointly, advanced age (AOR 1.3), GDM (AOR 2.1), hypertensive disorders (AOR 3.5), primiparity (AOR 3.8), and placentation anomalies all represented independent risk factors for VT in IVF pregnancies. CONCLUSIONS: IVF/ICSI poses a higher risk for an adverse perinatal outcome following VT pregnancies as compared with those spontaneously conceived.

Prevalences and pregnancy outcome of vanishing twin pregnancies achieved by in vitro fertilization versus natural conception.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether vanishing twin (VT) pregnancies achieved by in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF-ICSI) had a more adverse perinatal outcome than those after natural conception. DESIGN: Longitudinal, retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Tertiary university hospital. PATIENT(S): Three hundred and six (78 after IVF-ICSI and 228 after natural conception) VT pregnancies over a 22-year period, with VT cases matched to primarily singleton controls. INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Obstetric and neonatal outcome data. RESULT(S): The incidence of VT was statistically significantly higher after natural conception (18.2% of twins) than after IVF-ICSI (12.6% of twins). The odds of VT in pregnancies complicated with pregestational or gestational diabetes were disproportionally higher in IVF-ICSI cases than in spontaneously conceived VT pregnancies (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 0.80 vs. 3.10 and 1.00 vs. 1.07, respectively). Previous induced abortion (AOR 1.34) or second-trimester fetal loss (AOR 3.3) increased the risk of VT pregnancies after spontaneous conception. Gestational diabetes mellitus in both the previous (AOR 5.41) and the present (AOR 2.3) pregnancy as well as chronic maternal diseases (AOR 3.5) and placentation anomalies all represented independent risk factors for VT after IVF-ICSI. CONCLUSION(S): Vanishing twin pregnancies had a lower prevalence and a worse perinatal outcome after IVF-ICSI as compared with those of their spontaneously conceived counterparts.

Pregnancy Rate after Controlled Ovarian Hyperstimulation and Intrauterine Insemination for the Treatment of Endometriosis following Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To compare pregnancy rate after controlled ovarian hyperstimulation and intrauterine insemination (COH-IUI) with no treatment in patients with endometriosis-associated infertility treated with laparoscopy. DESIGN: A clinical cohort study. SETTING: University-level tertiary care center. PATIENTS: 238 women with various stages of endometriosis after laparoscopic treatment. INTERVENTIONS: Either COH-IUI or follow-up for 12 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measures were clinical pregnancy and live birth rate. Predictive factors evaluated were female age, maternal BMI, and duration of infertility. RESULTS: The pregnancy rate attained after the integrated laparoscopy-COH-IUI approach was 53.4%, while it was significantly lower (38.5%) in the control group. Similarly, a significant difference was observed in live births (48.3% versus 34.2%). Patients with severe endometriosis were less likely to achieve pregnancy (38%) and live birth (35%) than their counterparts with milder forms (57% and 53%). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with endometriosis-based infertility, surgery followed by COH-IUI is more effective than surgery alone.

Social dynamics of postpartum depression: a population-based screening in South-Eastern Hungary.

PURPOSE: To determine contributing psychosocial factors to postnatal depression (PND) in Hungary in 1996 and in 2006. METHODS: In 1996 and 2006, a total of 2,333 and 1,619 women, respectively, were screened for PND in South-Eastern Hungary, based on a Leverton questionnaire (LQ) score of ≥ 12 at 6-10 weeks after delivery. RESULTS: The LQ scores indicated an increase in PND from 15.0% in 1996 to 17.4% in 2006. The best predictors for PND in a multiple regression analysis were living in an urban environment [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 11.26], unstable relationship (AOR = 3.1) and a perceived lack of social support from partner (AOR = 3.65) in 1996, and recent major life events (AOR = 3.38), unstable relationship (AOR = 3.84), self-reported low income (AOR = 1.82), and intention to return to work soon after delivery (AOR = 0.47) in 2006. CONCLUSIONS: A self-defined low socioeconomic status and an intention to return to work have become significant factors in the development of PND. Besides the family factors recognized as salient variables in 1996, economic features came into prominence as newly identified main predictive factors for PND in 2006.

Pregnancy achieved by transfer of a single blastocyst selected by time-lapse monitoring.

Appropriate selection of a single blastocyst for transfer decreases the risk of multiple gestations. By using a compact time-lapse microscope system placed inside a regular incubator, combined with a microwell embryo culture dish, the development of all the embryos from a patient was continuously monitored by obtaining images at 10 min intervals. The embryos were not moved during the time-lapse observation. The system was switched off completely between image acquisitions in order to avoid exposure to electromagnetic radiation. The analysis of time-lapse records was used to choose a single blastocyst for transfer, which resulted in a singleton pregnancy and birth of a healthy boy on term.

Validation of the Leverton Questionnaire as a screening tool for postnatal depression in Hungary.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the validity of the 24-item Leverton Questionnaire (LQ) in screening for postnatal depression (PND). METHOD: A two-phase, cross-sectional study was designed. Between January and October 2006, a sample of 1552 women attending a routine postnatal check-up at 6 weeks postpartum completed the LQ in southeast Hungary. On the basis of the LQ total score, the participants were stratified and randomly selected within each stratum for clinical evaluation (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were used to examine the sensitivity and specificity of the LQ to detect PND. RESULTS: The best cut-off on the Hungarian version of the LQ for PND was 11/12, with a sensitivity of 88.0%, and a specificity of 94.4%, and a positive predictive value of 53.1%. Internal consistency was satisfactory (Cronbach alpha coefficients > or = 0.753). The sensitivity of the modified Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) in detecting PND was 86.2% and the specificity 90.4%. Although the BDI performed slightly better than the LQ in distinguishing between minor and major depression, both psychometric scales showed satisfactory screening performance. CONCLUSIONS: Our data confirm the validity of the Hungarian version of the LQ reliably to identify PND. We propose a cut-off of 11/12 for screening purposes for PND, the range of 11-14 for detecting minor depression and regarding a total score of 15 points or above as indicative of major depression.

Comparison of serum and follicular fluid hormone levels with recombinant and urinary human chorionic gonadotropin during in vitro fertilization.

OBJECTIVE: To study serum and follicular fluid (FF) hormone levels after the administration of urinary or recombinant hCG to initiate the final stages of oocyte maturation during IVF. DESIGN: Prospective randomized study between 250 microg of recombinant hCG and 7,500 IU of urinary hCG as the final trigger of ovulation during IVF. SETTING: Private IVF center. PATIENT(S): Infertile women undergoing IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) using the long protocol and recombinant FSH. INTERVENTION(S): IVF treatment. Serum and FF hormone measurements on the day of oocyte collection. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Serum and FF E(2), P, hCG, and T levels. RESULT(S): Stimulation parameters, serum and follicular E(2), P, T, and hCG levels were similar in the recombinant and urinary hCG groups. The number of oocytes retrieved from follicles >14 mm, the proportion of mature oocytes, fertilization rate, and pregnancy rate (PR) were also comparable. CONCLUSION(S): Recombinant and urinary hCG provided similar serum and follicular hormonal environments during the final stages of oocyte maturation. The IVF outcome parameters were also comparable. The two medications appear to be equally effective.

Effect of cigarette smoking on DNA damage of human cumulus cells analyzed by comet assay.

Cigarette smoking has been reported to induce intrafollicular oxidative stress that may lead to DNA damage. The purpose of this study was to determine damage in DNA in human cumulus cells caused by tobacco smoke in females who had received in vitro fertilization. The level of DNA damage in freshly isolated cumulus cells was determined by comet assay. Statistically significant increase (p<0.05) was observed in damaged nuclear DNA in smokers, both at basal level and after oxidative stress induced by hydrogen-peroxide. Since cumulus cells have an important role in oocyte maturation, ovulation and fertilization, this method could be used both as a test for the evaluation of the biological potential of the female reproductive system and as a direct means to measure certain toxic effects.

Obstetric and neonatal risk of pregnancies after assisted reproductive technology: a matched control study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to evaluate the obstetric and neonatal outcome of pregnancies after assisted reproduction technology (ART) in comparison with matched controls from spontaneous pregnancies. METHODS: A total of 12 920 deliveries at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Szeged, from 1 January 1995 to 31 December 2001 were subjected to retrospective analysis. Two hundred and eighty-four singleton, 75 twin and 17 triplet pregnancies after ovulation induction (n = 114; 30.3%), intrauterine insemination (n = 33; 8.8%) and in vitro fertilization (n = 229; 60.9%) were evaluated. The pregnancy outcome of the singleton and twin pregnancies was compared with that for controls matched with regard to age, gravidity and parity and previous obstetric outcome after spontaneous pregnancies. RESULTS: Twenty-four percent of the assisted reproductive pregnancies were multiple pregnancies. The incidences of singleton intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and preterm birth were reasonably similar to those among the controls (IUGR: 6.3% vs. 4.2%; preterm births: 13.0% vs. 9.9%, for the cases and the controls, respectively). As compared with the controls, there was an increased incidence of cesarean section among the singleton (41.2% vs. 34.5%, p = 0.12; OR 1.33; 95% CI 0.95-1.87) and twin assisted reproduction pregnancies (66.7% vs. 60.0%), but without significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: Increased obstetric risk could be observed concerning threatened preterm delivery and cesarean section rate in the study group. The perinatal outcome of singleton and twin pregnancies following assisted reproductive techniques is comparable with that of spontaneously conceived, matched pregnancies.

Risk of cesarean section in singleton pregnancies after assisted reproductive techniques.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the perinatal outcome of singleton pregnancies after assisted reproductive techniques in comparison with that in matched controls from spontaneous pregnancies. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 11,776 deliveries from January 1, 1995, to May 31, 2001, were subjected to retrospective analysis. Data on 259 neonates from singleton pregnancies after ovulation induction (n = 85, 32.8%), intrauterine insemination (n = 17, 6.6%) or in vitro fertilization (n = 157, 60.6%) were evaluated. The pregnancy outcome was compared with that for controls (n = 518) matched for age, gravidity and parity after spontaneous pregnancies. RESULTS: Cesarean section was significantly more frequent in the study group than in the control group (42.1% vs. 27.6%, P < .001, odds ratio [OR] 1.91, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.39-2.61). The prevalence of preterm deliveries was not significantly higher (P = .40, OR 1.23, 95% CI .78-1.95) in the study group as compared with the controls (12.7% vs. 10.6%). There was no significant difference in intrauterine growth retardation between the two groups (9.3% vs. 6.2%, P = .14, OR 1.55, 95% CI .89-2.69). CONCLUSION: Singleton pregnancies after assisted reproductive techniques are associated with an increased rate of cesarean section, whereas neonatal outcome is not influenced.