Reproduction & fertility最新文献

{"title":"Correlation among blastocoel fluid DNA level, apoptotic genes expression and preimplantation aneuploidy.","authors":"Fattaneh Khajehoseini, Zahra Noormohammadi, Poopak Eftekhari-Yazdi, Hamid Gourabi, Reza Pazhoomand, Shirzad Hosseinishenatal, Masood Bazrgar","doi":"10.1530/RAF-24-0097","DOIUrl":"10.1530/RAF-24-0097","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Graphical abstract: </strong>The chromosomal status of Day 5 blastocysts was determined based on trophectoderm biopsy for all 24 chromosomes by array comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH). The blastocoel fluid (BF) was extruded and amplified, and DNA concentration was read by a Qubit fluorometer. Apoptotic gene expression (TNFRSF10B, CASP2, BAX and CASP3) was analyzed by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Our findings suggest BF-DNA may be released in the blastocoel cavity of aneuploidy blastocysts under the influence of the apoptosis mechanism, and it appears that quantifying BF-DNA has the potential to aid in the selection of viable embryos.</p><p><strong>Abstract: </strong>It is believed that aneuploid embryos release cell-free DNA (cfDNA) into the blastocyst cavity during the self-correction process through the apoptotic mechanism. This study aimed to develop less invasive methods for predicting ploidy status by investigating how ploidy status affects blastocoel fluid DNA (BF-DNA) levels and apoptotic gene expression as indicators of embryo viability. Human blastocysts were classified into three groups; survivable embryo (SE), fatal single and double aneuploidy (FSDA) and multiple aneuploidy (MA) using array comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH) by trophectoderm biopsy. Following BF aspiration and whole genome amplification, BF-DNA level was quantified. Apoptotic activity was assessed by measuring the genes TNFRSF10B, CASP2, BAX and CASP3 using real-time quantitative PCR. Day-5 intracytoplasmic sperm injection blastocysts were scored according to the Gardner and Schoolcraft system. BF-DNA levels were significantly higher in the MA vs SE group (P = 0.01), while these were not statistically significant differences between the MA and FSDA groups or between the FSDA and SE groups, P = 0.17 and P = 0.38, respectively. TNFRSF10B, CASP2 and CASP3 were overexpressed in the MA and FSDA groups compared to SE, while BAX was downregulated. We found a significant correlation between the amount of BF-DNA and apoptosis marker genes. No significant correlation was found between embryo morphology score and BF-DNA level, BF volume or apoptosis marker gene expression levels. We observed that the correlation between apoptotic activity and BF-DNA levels is influenced by the embryo's ploidy status. These findings suggest that BF-DNA level evaluation can be applicable in selecting viable embryos for transfer.</p><p><strong>Lay summary: </strong>Preimplantation genetic testing helps doctors choose healthy human embryos for transfer during fertility treatments, but it can be expensive, invasive and time-consuming. Recently, scientists have found a less invasive way to study embryos by looking at DNA in a fluid inside the embryo's cavity. This fluid may give us clues about how embryos try to fix problems with their chromosomes through a natural process of cell death. Our study shows that the amount of DNA in this fluid and the activity of","PeriodicalId":101312,"journal":{"name":"Reproduction & fertility","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11825185/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143049301","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Germ cell quantification in human fetal and prepubertal testis tissues: a comparison of current methodologies.","authors":"Emma Kearney, David Greenald, Gabriele Matilionyte, Sheila Lane, Melissa D Tharmalingam, Jill Davies, Jan-Bernd Stukenborg, Grace Forsyth, Rod T Mitchell","doi":"10.1530/RAF-24-0116","DOIUrl":"10.1530/RAF-24-0116","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>Methods to quantify germ cell number in human immature testicular tissues are essential to evaluate the impact of chemotherapy exposures and to optimise cryopreservation protocols used in fertility preservation for prepubertal boys. Established quantification methods rely on the presence of round tubules within the tissue. However, round tubular cross sections are limited in human prepubertal testicular tissues, especially when using in vitro culture. We aimed to assess whether an alternative method of germ cell quantification would provide similar results to recently established methods, without the requirement for round tubules. Human testicular samples included fetal tissue (exposed in vitro to cisplatin, carboplatin or control) or prepubertal tissue (fresh, cryopreserved, fresh in vitro cultured or cryopreserved in vitro cultured). Immunofluorescence assessed AP2γ (gonocytes) and MAGE-A4 ((pre)spermatogonia) expression. Germ cells were quantified by tubular germ cell density (Method 1), which was compared to methods that require round tubules, including spermatogonial number per round tubular cross section (S/T) (Method 2), fertility index (Method 3) and round tubular germ cell density (Method 4). A correlation analysis between methods was performed. Method 1 is strongly and significantly correlated with Method 2 (r = 0.838, P < 0.0001; r = 0.833, P < 0.0001), Method 3 (r = 0.752, P < 0.001; r = 0.802, P < 0.0001) and Method 4 (r = 0.863, P < 0.0001; r = 0.914, P < 0.0001) for fetal and prepubertal tissues, respectively. Given that Method 1 assess tubules irrespective of shape, it may increase the total number of germ cells available for quantification, validating its use for quantification of human testicular tissue samples where the amount of tissue or presence of round tubules is limited.</p><p><strong>Lay summary: </strong>Chemotherapy can damage cells in the testicles that are required to make sperm, often leading to infertility in males. While options to preserve fertility in adult males are available, there are no established methods for young boys. To investigate how chemotherapy damages these cells and to explore approaches to preserve fertility, we require methods to count the number of cells that can develop into sperm. Existing counting methods involve only counting some of the cells in the tissue, but in young boys, it is often necessary to count all of the cells because the amount of tissue is limited. To overcome this, we counted cells in small pieces of human fetal and prepubertal testicles using an alternative method, which allows all cells to be counted. We found similar results using our method compared to three existing methods, making our method useful for counting cells in fetal and prepubertal testicle samples.</p>","PeriodicalId":101312,"journal":{"name":"Reproduction & fertility","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11825158/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143019391","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Oral dydrogesterone versus oral micronized progesterone in threatened miscarriage: protocol paper for a randomized controlled trial.","authors":"Alka Kriplani, Gouri Shankar Kamilya, T Ramani Devi, Ashima Taneja, Amol Pawar, Gayathri Karthik Nagesh, Tapan Pattanaik, Tanusree Gupta, Mahima Jain, Monjori Mitra","doi":"10.1530/RAF-24-0044","DOIUrl":"10.1530/RAF-24-0044","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Graphical abstract: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Abstract: &lt;/strong&gt;Threatened miscarriage is a common complication of early pregnancy characterized by symptoms of vaginal bleeding with/without abdominal cramps/pain in the first trimester. Progestogens are often administered for the management of this condition. Presented herein is the protocol of an ongoing, multicentric clinical trial to investigate the efficacy and safety of micronized progesterone (natural progestogen) compared to dydrogesterone (synthetic isomer of progesterone). A total of 304 eligible pregnant women aged 20-39 years, diagnosed with threatened miscarriage, will be enrolled during 5-12 weeks of gestation and randomized equally to receive either oral dydrogesterone (40 mg stat, followed by 10 mg three times a day) or oral micronized progesterone (200 mg two times a day) up to one week after stoppage of bleeding or if bleeding does not stop, then treatment will be continued till a maximum of 14 weeks of gestation (unless miscarriage is confirmed earlier or the investigator decides to prolong treatment for better outcome or if bleeding relapses). Scheduled visits after enrollment will be conducted during 6-13, 8-14, 18-20 and 24-26 weeks of gestation, in addition to a visit at the end of treatment at 14 weeks and another after parturition. The primary endpoint of the study is the miscarriage rate before 20 weeks of gestation. Secondary endpoints include the ongoing pregnancy rate at 24 weeks, treatment-induced changes in serum levels of cytokines and time to symptom resolution. Apart from the incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events, safety endpoints include changes in complete blood count and the results of liver and kidney function tests from baseline to 14 and 24-26 weeks of gestation. Delivery outcomes are exploratory endpoints of the study.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lay summary: &lt;/strong&gt;Almost one out of four women face miscarriage during the first trimester of pregnancy; initial symptoms include vaginal bleeding with/without abdominal cramps/pain. This paper presents the plan of how an ongoing, multicentric study will be conducted to compare the efficacy and safety of oral medications known to reduce chances of miscarriage: micronized progesterone (which is a natural female sex hormone) versus synthetic progesterone. Women aged 20-39 years who are at risk of miscarriage during the first trimester of pregnancy will be randomly treated with either medication till one week after stoppage of bleeding during early pregnancy. If bleeding does not stop, treatment will be continued till a maximum of 14 weeks of pregnancy (unless miscarriage is confirmed earlier). The participants will be monitored until delivery. The study will evaluate the proportion of participants who experience miscarriage before 20 weeks of pregnancy and those who have an ongoing pregnancy at 24 weeks. It will also look at the time taken for relief from symptoms such as vaginal bleeding and abdominal pain, ","PeriodicalId":101312,"journal":{"name":"Reproduction & fertility","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11825165/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143019393","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Do women accurately predict their odds of having a child following planned oocyte cryopreservation?","authors":"Matan Friedman, Nadine Jaffe, Daniel Tairy, Maya Torem, Arieh Raziel, Maya Finkelstein, Eran Horowitz, Ariel Weissman, Yossi Mizrachi","doi":"10.1530/RAF-24-0118","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1530/RAF-24-0118","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Planned oocyte cryopreservation (POC) has become widely available, allowing women to circumvent age-related fertility decline. The aim of our study was to examine whether women who have undergone POC were able to correctly predict the chance of having a child with their cryopreserved oocytes. We conducted a telephone survey with 260 women who underwent POC at our center between January 2017 and December 2023. Participants were asked to estimate their chance of having at least one live birth in case they would use their cryopreserved oocytes. For each participant, we also calculated the chance of achieving at least one live birth based on her age at the last oocyte retrieval and the number of cryopreserved oocytes, according to a model published by Goldman and colleagues in 2017. The median estimated probability of achieving a live birth was 50%, while the median calculated probability was 75% (p<0.001). Only 28.1% of the participants accurately estimated their chances. In conclusion, a large percentage of women underdoing POC underestimate the probability of achieving a live birth if they use their cryopreserved oocytes. Improved counseling is essential to provide comprehensive information about the probability of live birth and prevent women from undergoing unnecessary treatments.</p>","PeriodicalId":101312,"journal":{"name":"Reproduction & fertility","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143416566","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of paternal high energy diets on semen quality and embryo development in cattle.","authors":"Pedro Levy Piza Fontes, John James Bromfield, Ky Garret Pohler, Graham Cliff Lamb","doi":"10.1530/RAF-24-0082","DOIUrl":"10.1530/RAF-24-0082","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Highly anabolic diets and excessive body fat accumulation have been shown to negatively impact sperm biology in humans and murine biomedical models. Current research indicates that obesity is associated with decreased semen quality and represents a major contributor to male subfertility in humans. Male overnutrition is commonly observed in the beef cattle industry and the use of high energy diets during bull development has been shown to negatively impact semen quality. Most research efforts in bovine reproductive physiology have focused on understanding and optimizing female fertility. This emphasis is even more evident in research investigating the relationship between nutritional interventions and reproductive performance, which has limited the development of nutritional strategies that optimize fertility in bulls. Increasing our understanding of the genetic and environmental factors that influence bull fertility will contribute to future increases in cattle reproductive and productive efficiency. Moreover, exploring the impact of overnutrition in bulls may offer valuable insight and help address diet-induced male subfertility in humans. Herein, we summarize the currently available literature evaluating the impact of highly anabolic diets on male fertility, with an emphasis in the bovine species. Literature summarized in the present review evaluates the impact of overnutrition on sperm biology, early embryonic development, and explores its potential to impact postnatal performance of the offspring.</p>","PeriodicalId":101312,"journal":{"name":"Reproduction & fertility","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143082433","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dyspareunia is rarely assessed in rodent models of endometriosis and interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome.","authors":"Paulina Nunez-Badinez, Razneen Shah, Lysia Demetriou, Bianca De Leo, Jane Meijlink, Judy Birch, Nicole Schmidt, Jens Nagel, Katy Vincent","doi":"10.1530/RAF-23-0083","DOIUrl":"10.1530/RAF-23-0083","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>Dyspareunia, or pain during sex, is a common and often debilitating symptom in individuals with endometriosis and/or interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS). Despite its significant impact on quality of life, it is frequently overlooked in research. This review evaluates how dyspareunia has been addressed in preclinical investigations of these conditions. A systematic search was conducted using Embase from 1998 to 2021, identifying original in vivo preclinical studies using female rodents to model (i) endometriosis and (ii) IC/BPS. The search aimed to identify studies that assessed dyspareunia. Study quality and risk of bias were evaluated using a modified CAMARADES checklist. Our analysis found 1,286 studies modelling endometriosis and 674 modelling IC/BPS, but only 18 and 1, respectively, measured dyspareunia. The most common method involved vaginal distention in rats, assessed by either behavioural escape responses or visceromotor reflexes of abdominal muscles. Despite the high prevalence of dyspareunia in these conditions, it is rarely measured in preclinical studies. We identify a significant gap in the literature and offer succinct recommendations for future translational research to address this important symptom.</p><p><strong>Lay summary: </strong>Dyspareunia describes pain occurring before, during or after sexual intercourse. This poorly understood symptom is particularly common in people suffering from two chronic pain-related conditions: endometriosis and IC/BPS, severely impacting their quality of life. Therefore, effective treatments addressing painful sex in people with these conditions are needed. To see the benefits of medical research at the patient's bedside, it is important to build from basic science research to preclinical animal studies then to human studies. Our study aims to assess the work that has been done so far at the 'preclinical' stage. Developments have been made in the methodology used to investigate this symptom in animals, and a summary of all the key findings may help build a platform to design future studies. Given the urgent need to develop new therapeutic strategies, attention given to painful sex by scientific medical researchers and physicians needs to improve.</p>","PeriodicalId":101312,"journal":{"name":"Reproduction & fertility","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11770405/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142866911","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Age and serum anti-Müllerian hormone levels as predictors of time to return of menses after chemotherapy.","authors":"Madhavi-Priya Singh, Rashi Kalra, Franca Agresta, Alec Leos, Samith Minu Alwis, Alex Polyakov, Genia Rozen, Kate Stern","doi":"10.1530/RAF-24-0046","DOIUrl":"10.1530/RAF-24-0046","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>Chemotherapeutic agents result in the loss of growing follicles, which can manifest as amenorrhoea. Alkylating chemotherapy (AC) is known to be more gonadotoxic than non-alkylating chemotherapy (NAC). Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), an indirect marker of ovarian reserve, and age have been investigated as predictors of ovarian function after chemotherapy; however, little is known about the time to return of menses. This study aimed to assess how patient age and baseline serum AMH levels at cancer diagnosis affect the time to return of menses post-chemotherapy. This retrospective cohort study examined oncology patients (n = 67) who underwent chemotherapy and were treated through the Reproductive Services Unit of two institutions in Melbourne, Australia. Primary outcomes included the correlation between age and baseline AMH with time to return of menses after chemotherapy. Secondary outcomes include the change in AMH levels at 6- and 12-months post-completion of chemotherapy. Pairwise correlation of the pre-chemotherapy AMH level and time to return of menses demonstrated statistical significance (Spearman's coefficient, ρ = -0.40) for patients who underwent AC. This analysis in breast cancer patients who underwent AC displayed a negative correlation but was not statistically significant. No association was found between age and time to return of menses for all cancer (NAC or AC) or breast cancer patients who underwent AC. Higher AMH levels prior to AC were associated with an earlier return of menses after chemotherapy. Age at the commencement of chemotherapy was not associated with return of menses. Further prospective research is required to assess post-chemotherapy recovery of AMH.</p><p><strong>Lay summary: </strong>Chemotherapy, used to treat cancer, is known to damage women's ovaries, with certain types having a more toxic effect than others. This may result in a temporary loss of periods while undergoing chemotherapy. AMH is a hormone produced by the ovaries and gives an indication of their level of function. This study looks at whether an individual's AMH or age when beginning chemotherapy can predict the time before the resumption of periods after completing chemotherapy. This study found that for cancer patients who underwent the chemotherapy type known to be more toxic to ovaries, the higher their AMH level was before beginning chemotherapy, the more rapidly their periods would return after completing chemotherapy. Age was not found to accurately predict how rapidly periods would return after completing chemotherapy. This information can be used to inform patients before treatment of the chances of periods returning and, consequentially, pregnancy after the completion of their chemotherapy.</p>","PeriodicalId":101312,"journal":{"name":"Reproduction & fertility","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142857514","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparing surface immune markers in successful and non-viable ART pregnancies on the day of hCG measurement: a prospective pilot study.","authors":"Kevin Marron, Conor Harrity","doi":"10.1530/RAF-24-0034","DOIUrl":"10.1530/RAF-24-0034","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>Blood lymphocyte reference ranges in non-pregnant females are established, but changes in pregnancy are less well understood. The early identification of immunological markers that could suggest an increased risk of early pregnancy loss may allow for timely intervention to improve outcomes. A lymphocytic immunophenotype provides a broad assessment of important immune parameters and potential indicators, which may be of relevance to pregnancy outcome. Comparison of immunophenotype results on the day of a positive hCG after embryo transfer between successful and failed pregnancies allows for this assessment. Baseline non-pregnant lymphocyte percentage and cell/µL profiles were established with a comprehensive panel on 93 age-matched male factor controls. Sixty-five in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) patients had an immunophenotype assessment on the day of a positive hCG, followed by further hCG tests and ultrasound monitoring as required to ultimately evaluate success (live birth) or failure (miscarriage). Thirty-one pregnancies were viable, leading to a live birth, while 34 ended in miscarriage. Total CD56, pNK, NKT, CD4 and CD8 levels were equivalent between all groups. Regardless of the outcome, B lymphocytes increased in pregnancy compared to controls. Of interest, in the later miscarriage cohort, pNK-specific CD69 was reduced (1.6 vs 5.4%, P = 0.02), while CD57+ cells were increased (45.4 vs 38.9%, P = 0.025). Corresponding changes were observed in cell/µL concentrations. Low level CD69 activation and elevated CD56dim and CD57+ NK cells were identified as markers that could potentially identify a pregnancy at risk of miscarriage, with further study needed to explore whether these changes represent cause or effect.</p><p><strong>Lay summary: </strong>Unexplained infertility remains a difficult issue for patients and physicians alike, but despite recent diagnostic strides and innovative methods, there are no clear solutions on the horizon. Pregnancies can still occur in these challenging populations, either spontaneously or by interventions such as IVF. The early identification of various immune markers by blood sampling that may correlate with the subsequent outcome could be beneficial in identifying pregnancies at increased risk of miscarriage and perhaps allowing for timely and effective interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":101312,"journal":{"name":"Reproduction & fertility","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142831648","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exogenous progesterone supplementation: a strategy to enhance conceptus development in sheep and pigs?","authors":"Maria F Tyree, Claire Stenhouse","doi":"10.1530/RAF-24-0092","DOIUrl":"10.1530/RAF-24-0092","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>The inability of animals to get pregnant, pregnancy loss and weak or stillborn offspring are significant economic burdens to livestock producers worldwide. Progesterone, the hormone of pregnancy, has a crucial role in the establishment of pregnancy, and it has been suggested that progesterone supplementation may be a promising strategy to improve pregnancy outcomes and conceptus development. This review article describes the existing literature on progesterone supplementation in sheep and pigs in relation to pregnancy outcomes and conceptus development.</p><p><strong>Lay summary: </strong>Pregnancy loss and weak offspring are significant problems both in humans and in agriculturally relevant species. Progesterone (the hormone of pregnancy) is important for establishing pregnancy and regulating fetal and placental growth, and it is speculated that progesterone supplementation could be a promising method to improve pregnancy outcomes and both fetal and placental growth. This review article describes the existing literature on progesterone supplementation in sheep and pigs in relation to pregnancy outcomes and fetal and placental development.</p>","PeriodicalId":101312,"journal":{"name":"Reproduction & fertility","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142866913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Chronic pelvic pain treatment understanding what matters: a social media survey.","authors":"Selina Johnson, Emma Evans, Dharani K Hapangama","doi":"10.1530/RAF-24-0038","DOIUrl":"10.1530/RAF-24-0038","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is a debilitating condition that reduces quality of life (QoL). In the United Kingdom, there is currently no standardised treatment pathway for women suffering from CPP. Therefore, it is essential to understand individuals' concerns regarding CPP, their treatment experiences and what they seek from treatment. To do this, we conducted a two-month social media survey focused on the UK population to explore treatment experiences and identify the factors that people consider important to managing their condition. Of 1,279 respondents, women who completed ≥50% of the questions were included (n = 864; 68%). Results suggest that many women are living with moderate-intensity CPP and experience symptoms for 6 years (average) before receiving a diagnosis. Initially, most women see general practitioners and gynaecologists (90%), with varied care beyond these providers. Using an adapted STarT Back tool, 85% of respondents were classified as medium-high risk of poor outcomes based on physical, psychosocial, and psychological risk. Thematic analysis identified that people desire treatment validation/understanding, self-management, and support to manage pain and QoL. Notably, only 26% of respondents report satisfaction with their healthcare experience, suggesting that current treatment approaches do not address these themes. In conclusion, results suggest that treatment should focus on quality-of-life improvement to enhance CPP treatment outcomes and satisfaction. Findings endorse the need for improved and standardised treatment approaches that address patients' needs.</p><p><strong>Lay summary: </strong>CPP is persistent pain in the lower abdomen or pelvis for at least 6 months. It is common and affects approximately 1 in 6 women in the UK. To improve treatment, it is important to understand people's treatment experiences and treatment needs. We conducted a social media survey to understand how people with CPP experience treatment and what they would like from treatment. The survey was posted online for two months (May and June 2023) and received 897 responses. Responses suggested that people experience long waits before receiving help for their pain and that treatment journeys vary greatly. Overall, people reported low treatment satisfaction. People felt that effective treatment should improve pain and QoL. Themes of understanding their pain, knowing how to manage their pain and understanding treatments were identified as important. Clinicians should consider QoL and pain education as part of treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":101312,"journal":{"name":"Reproduction & fertility","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11795530/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143019416","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}