Eloiza Adriane Dal Molin, Virgínia Meneghini Lazzari, Fernanda Souza Peruzzato, Evelise Maria Nazari, Yara Maria Rauh Müller
{"title":"Biomarker candidates for oocyte and embryo quality assessment in assisted reproduction: A systematic review.","authors":"Eloiza Adriane Dal Molin, Virgínia Meneghini Lazzari, Fernanda Souza Peruzzato, Evelise Maria Nazari, Yara Maria Rauh Müller","doi":"10.5935/1518-0557.20250043","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5935/1518-0557.20250043","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In assisted reproductive technologies, a major challenge is the relatively low overall success rate, mainly due to the absence of reliable markers for assessing oocyte and embryo quality. This study focuses on identifying new biomarkers in follicular fluid and granulosa cells to better understand the factors essential for oocyte maturation. We followed the 2020 PRISMA guidelines to review recent studies from PubMed, Scopus, and Embase, dated 2014-2024. Our review included 3062 participants from 29 studies, which identified key biomarkers in follicular fluid, such as melatonin and interleukin-10, and in granulosa cells, including mitochondrial DNA and specific transcriptomic signatures. These studies also highlighted the importance of morphological variables and DNA methylation in oocyte quality assessment. Our findings suggest that oxidative stress evaluation in follicular fluid and transcriptomic analysis of granulosa cells are promising approaches for determining oocyte quality in assisted reproduction. This knowledge has the potential to enhance patient care and optimize treatment outcomes in this field.</p>","PeriodicalId":520656,"journal":{"name":"JBRA assisted reproduction","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145133370","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}
Rafaela Marra Santana Costa, Renata de Lima Bossi, Márcia Mendonça Carneiro, Marcos Sampaio, Selmo Geber
{"title":"Impact of embryo storage time after vitrification on pregnancy and implantation rates.","authors":"Rafaela Marra Santana Costa, Renata de Lima Bossi, Márcia Mendonça Carneiro, Marcos Sampaio, Selmo Geber","doi":"10.5935/1518-0557.20250053","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5935/1518-0557.20250053","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The study aimed to assess whether the storage time after vitrification affects clinical pregnancy and implantation rates.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This multicentric retrospective study involved 1568 cycles of autologous frozen embryo transfers between 2015 and 2019. The patients were divided into groups based on storage time to assess its impact on pregnancy and implantation rates. The variables analyzed were maternal age, cryopreservation stage, and embryo transfer\" stage. Logistic regression was used to investigate associations between storage duration, patient age, and transfer outcomes. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of UFMG and informed written consent was waivered.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The length of embryo storage showed an inverse association with pregnancy and implantation rates, correlating with patient age and embryo stage at the time of transfer. Patients aged 36 to 40, and 41 years or older had lower rates of clinical pregnancy compared to those under 35 years of age. Additionally, vitrified embryos transferred at the cleavage stage demonstrated lower rates of clinical pregnancy and implantation compared to those at the blastocyst stage. These results suggest that storage duration, patient age, and embryo stage significantly influence frozen embryo transfer (FET) outcomes.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Storage duration, patient age, and embryo stage can affect FET outcomes, with older women and embryos at the cleavage stage, possibly experiencing lower pregnancy and implantation rates after extended storage.</p>","PeriodicalId":520656,"journal":{"name":"JBRA assisted reproduction","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145133397","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}
Luiza Pretto, Eduarda Nabinger, Ivan Sereno Montenegro, Maria Teresa Vieira Sanseverino, Osvaldo Artigalás, Fernanda Sales Luiz Vianna, Eduardo Pandolfi Passos, Lucas Rosa Fraga
{"title":"Toward clarity: why we need to standardize the term 'recurrent pregnancy loss'.","authors":"Luiza Pretto, Eduarda Nabinger, Ivan Sereno Montenegro, Maria Teresa Vieira Sanseverino, Osvaldo Artigalás, Fernanda Sales Luiz Vianna, Eduardo Pandolfi Passos, Lucas Rosa Fraga","doi":"10.5935/1518-0557.20250158","DOIUrl":"10.5935/1518-0557.20250158","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is a complex reproductive condition that remains difficult to manage. Despite advances in identifying risk factors and treating cases with known causes, about half of the cases are still idiopathic, making effective treatment and prognosis challenging. In addition to clinical hurdles, a major issue in both the literature and medical community is the lack of standardization in terminology and precise definition for RPL. Here, we review the main discrepancies in current definitions and support adopting the term 'recurrent pregnancy loss' as the most appropriate and inclusive. We recommend recognizing RPL as a specific subtype of secondary infertility, characterized by two or more pregnancy losses. Standardizing this terminology is crucial for improving diagnosis, research comparison, and patient care in reproductive medicine.</p>","PeriodicalId":520656,"journal":{"name":"JBRA assisted reproduction","volume":"29 3","pages":"407-410"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12469224/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145126868","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":"Evaluation of the effects of the Stop GnRH agonist with the letrozole protocol in poor ovarian responders: ABOTH randomized controlled trial.","authors":"Nasrin Saharkhiz, Sedighe Hosseini, Mahsa Kazemi, Leila Majdi, Samaneh Esmaeili, Mitra Nemati, Maral Hosseinzadeh, Zahra Zarisfi","doi":"10.5935/1518-0557.20250036","DOIUrl":"10.5935/1518-0557.20250036","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a stop gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist with letrozole protocol in improving in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles in poor ovarian responders (PORs) and to suggest a suitable new ovulation stimulation protocol for this group of infertile women.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This randomized controlled trial was conducted at the Infertility Center of Taleghani Hospital, Tehran, Iran, from August 2024 to December 2024. The participants were 60 women who fulfilled the POSEIDON Group 4 criteria and had poor ovarian response in their previous IVF cycles. Participants were randomly assigned to the study and control groups and underwent a new IVF cycle. The study group underwent a new cycle with a stop agonist using the letrozole protocol, and the control group underwent the conventional stimulation protocol, which was the same as the previous cycle.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Compared with the conventional protocol, the stop-GnRH agonist and letrozole protocols resulted in a significantly greater number of follicles >13 mm on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) administration and a greater number of mature oocytes retrieved, with a significantly greater number of total embryos obtained at days 3 and 5 and a greater number of top-quality embryos. The mean biochemical and clinical pregnancy rates were similar between groups.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The stop-GnRH agonist and letrozole protocol is a short and original protocol that seems to yield better outcomes for patients and may offer promising results for treating POSEIDON Group 4 patients with previous failed IVF.</p>","PeriodicalId":520656,"journal":{"name":"JBRA assisted reproduction","volume":" ","pages":"499-506"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12469225/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144839890","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}
Jakub Wyroba, Maria Barszcz, Iwona Fajt, Joanna Kochan
{"title":"PGT-A in POSEIDON Patients - perspectives and limitations.","authors":"Jakub Wyroba, Maria Barszcz, Iwona Fajt, Joanna Kochan","doi":"10.5935/1518-0557.20250037","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5935/1518-0557.20250037","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The aim of this study was to determine the likelihood of being able to perform PGT-A, and its results, in each POSEIDON group compared to their age-matched non-POSEIDON group.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This was a retrospective study of 4 groups of POSEIDON patients (n=824) who underwent intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) The controls were non-POSEIDON patients in two age groups (<35 and ≥35 years old; n=360).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The non-POSEIDON <35Y group had the highest number of embryos at the blastocyst stage that could be used for PGT-A (5.1±2/cycle), and the POSEIDON IV group had the fewest (0.6±0.3/cycle). Significantly fewer blastocysts were PGT-A tested in the groups with no indications for PGT-A (i.e. POSEIDON I (26%) and III (28%) and non-POSEIDON <35Y (39%)), compared to the groups with indications (i.e. POSEIDON II (69%), and IV (67%) and non POSEIDON ≥35Y (72%)). The euploidy rate was similar between groups without PGT-A indications (59%-64%) and between groups with indications (35-41%), but was significantly lower in groups with indications (p<0.001).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>POSEIDON patients are as willing to undergo PGT-A testing as non-POSEIDON patients, despite the poor prognosis. However, the final PGT-A result is very low compared to that in non-POSEIDON patients of the same age. Failure is usually caused by the inability to perform the blastocyst biopsy due to a lack of oocytes or blastocyst-stage embryos, and to a low rate of euploidy in groups ≥35Y.</p>","PeriodicalId":520656,"journal":{"name":"JBRA assisted reproduction","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144839892","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":"Reproductive prognosis factors in women with infertility and polycystic ovary syndrome undergoing in vitro fertilization techniques.","authors":"Margarida Pinto Ribeiro, Carolina Lemos, Carla Leal, Márcia Barreiro, António Tomé, Emídio Vale-Fernandes","doi":"10.5935/1518-0557.20250040","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5935/1518-0557.20250040","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most prevalent endocrinopathy and is often associated with elevated levels of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and obesity. AMH may influence the reproductive prognosis of women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). This study aims to explore fundamental reproductive characteristics and intra-cycle variables related to IVF and their association with reproductive success in women with PCOS.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This retrospective study involved 393 women with PCOS who underwent IVF. It was designed to evaluate the relationship between AMH levels, body mass index (BMI), age, and the luteinizing hormone/follicle-stimulating hormone (LH:FSH) ratio, along with reproductive outcomes. The sample was categorized based on AMH percentiles, BMI classes, age, and LH:FSH ratio.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A negative correlation was observed between AMH levels and age. There were no significant differences in BMI across AMH groups, except in the very high AMH group, where women were found to be overweight. The LH:FSH ratio increased with AMH levels. Notably, women over the age of 35 with elevated AMH levels exhibited lower live birth rates (LBR) and cumulative live birth rates (CLBR) compared to their younger counterparts within the same AMH percentile range. A decrease in the fertilization rate was noted among overweight women.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>While AMH measurement may assist in clinical decision-making, it should not be regarded as a sole predictor of IVF success. Age appears to have a more substantial impact on LBR compared to BMI. In practice, CLBR is the most informative metric to convey reproductive success to couples. Variations in results among studies could be attributed to differences in populations, sample sizes, and inconsistencies in the definitions of LBR and CLBR.</p>","PeriodicalId":520656,"journal":{"name":"JBRA assisted reproduction","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144839894","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}
Andreia Gomes, Cristina Nogueira-Silva, Pedro Brandão
{"title":"Comparison of Intrauterine Insemination Success Rates Using Donor Sperm Between Heterosexual and Female Couples: A Retrospective Cohort Study.","authors":"Andreia Gomes, Cristina Nogueira-Silva, Pedro Brandão","doi":"10.5935/1518-0557.20250021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5935/1518-0557.20250021","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To compare the success rates of intrauterine insemination with donated sperm between heterosexual and female couples.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This was a retrospective cohort study involving 519 women who underwent intrauterine insemination with donated sperm over a 5-year period. The sample included 193 women in heterosexual relationships and 326 women in female relationships. Participants were between 18 and 38 years old, undergoing their first reproductive treatment, and had no known female fertility disorders.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>No significant differences were found between the two groups in reproductive outcomes. Positive pregnancy test rates were 35.8% for heterosexual couples and 29.1% for female couples (p=0.12). Ongoing pregnancy rates were 31.6% and 27.3%, respectively (p=0.37). Live birth rates were 29.5% for heterosexual couples and 24.8% for female couples (p=0.2).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study found no significant differences in intrauterine insemination with donated sperm outcomes between heterosexual and female couples. These findings suggest that the absence of seminal fluid exposure in female couples may not negatively impact reproductive success. However, the role of immune tolerance in assisted reproduction outcomes remains unclear. Further multicenter studies with larger samples are needed to explore the potential influence of seminal fluid and possible clinical interventions that may replicate its effects.</p>","PeriodicalId":520656,"journal":{"name":"JBRA assisted reproduction","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144839889","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":"PLCZ1 gene mutation leads to fertilization disorder: a case report.","authors":"Yuxing Xiong, Yan Liu, Mei Tang, Sha Shi, Yu Wang","doi":"10.5935/1518-0557.20250028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5935/1518-0557.20250028","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Sperm-specific phospholipase C-zeta (PLCζ) is a sperm-derived oocyte activating factor, which can induce Ca2+ oscillation and initiate oocyte activation. The mutation of this gene will affect oocyte activation and lead to fertilization failure(FF). In this paper, we report a fertilization disorder caused by a PLCZ1 gene mutation. The patient's peripheral blood was collected for whole exon detection. The results showed that the patient had heterozygous mutations in PLCZ1 gene c.1733 C > T (p.M578L) and c.471 G > C (p.M157I), and the male's brother also carried heterozygous mutations in the gene. Finally, the patient obtained clinical pregnancy by in vitro fertilization with donor sperm. At the same time, the related literature on PLCZ1 gene mutation at home and abroad was reviewed and analyzed to improve the clinicians' understanding of the PLCZ1 gene and fertilization disorders.</p>","PeriodicalId":520656,"journal":{"name":"JBRA assisted reproduction","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144839893","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":"Oral Presentations - Abstracts of the 26th Annual Congress of the SBRA. São Paulo/SP - Brazil, 2022.","authors":"","doi":"10.5935/1518-0557.20220045","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5935/1518-0557.20220045","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":520656,"journal":{"name":"JBRA assisted reproduction","volume":" ","pages":"680-684"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2022-11-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9635613/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40455169","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":"Poster Presentations - Abstracts of the 26th Annual Congress of the SBRA. São Paulo/SP - Brazil, 2022.","authors":"","doi":"10.5935/1518-0557.20220044","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5935/1518-0557.20220044","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":520656,"journal":{"name":"JBRA assisted reproduction","volume":" ","pages":"685-738"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2022-11-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9635611/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40455170","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}