{"title":"Late bloomers: exploring the reproductive potential of day 7 embryos.","authors":"Blake Vessa, Jason Franasiak","doi":"10.1097/GCO.0000000000001021","DOIUrl":"10.1097/GCO.0000000000001021","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>The purpose of this review is to evaluate the reproductive potential of day 7 embryos. With effective cryopreservation and subsequent frozen embryo transfers, extended blastocyst culture to day 7 is now possible. However, assessing the true reproductive potential of day 7 embryos is essential to adequately counsel patients on the expected pregnancy and live birth rates in comparison to embryos that reach the blastocyst stage on day 5 or day 6.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>Day 7 embryos have a lower blastulation rate and higher aneuploidy rate compared with day 5 and day 6 embryos. Although day 7 blastocysts comprise less than 10% of usable embryos for transfer, recent studies have repeatedly demonstrated lower, but not negligible, pregnancy and live birth rates with day 7 embryo transfers. Based on the current literature reviewed in this paper, the clinical pregnancy rates for euploid day 7 embryos appear to be between 16.7 and 52.6%, whereas the live birth rates are between 21.5 and 46%. Therefore, while the blastulation and pregnancy rates are lower and the aneuploidy rates are higher, euploid day 7 embryos have reproductive potential.</p><p><strong>Summary: </strong>While recent data supports reduced reproductive potential of euploid day 7 embryos when compared with the success rates of day 5 and 6 embryos, their associated pregnancy and live birth rates are nonzero and still represent a viable option for certain patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":55194,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Obstetrics & Gynecology","volume":" ","pages":"158-163"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143765646","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Gene editing using CRISPR-Cas9 technology: potential implications in assisted reproduction.","authors":"Gizem Nur Sahin, Emre Seli","doi":"10.1097/GCO.0000000000001022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/GCO.0000000000001022","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>This article reviews the mechanisms, advancements, and potential implications of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-associated (CRISPR-Cas) gene editing technology, with a specific focus on its applications in reproductive biology and assisted reproduction. It aims to explore the benefits and challenges of integrating this revolutionary technology into clinical and research settings.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>CRISPR-Cas9 is a transformative tool for precise genome editing, enabling targeted modifications through mechanisms like nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) and homology-directed repair (HDR). Innovations such as Cas9 nickase and dCas9 systems have improved specificity and expanded applications, including gene activation, repression, and epigenetic modifications. In reproductive research, CRISPR has facilitated gene function studies, corrected genetic mutations in animal models, and demonstrated potential in addressing human infertility and hereditary disorders. Emerging applications include mitochondrial genome editing, population control of disease vectors via gene drives, and detailed analyses of epigenetic mechanisms.</p><p><strong>Summary: </strong>CRISPR-Cas9 technology has revolutionized genetic engineering by enabling precise genome modifications. This article discusses its mechanisms, focusing on the repair pathways (NHEJ and HDR) and methods to mitigate off-target effects. In reproductive biology, CRISPR has advanced our understanding of fertility genes, allowed corrections of hereditary mutations, and opened avenues for novel therapeutic strategies. While its clinical application in human-assisted reproduction faces ethical and safety challenges, ongoing innovations hold promise for broader biomedical applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":55194,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Obstetrics & Gynecology","volume":"37 3","pages":"141-148"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144040848","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ludovica Picchetta, Katharina Spath, Antonio Capalbo, Christian Simon Ottolini
{"title":"The genetics of preimplantation embryonic arrest: the role of aneuploidies.","authors":"Ludovica Picchetta, Katharina Spath, Antonio Capalbo, Christian Simon Ottolini","doi":"10.1097/GCO.0000000000001020","DOIUrl":"10.1097/GCO.0000000000001020","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of the review: </strong>Aneuploidy is a major cause of embryonic arrest. While meiotic aneuploidies, especially maternal, are a well-documented cause of embryo and fetal arrest, increasing evidence highlights the crucial role played by mitotic aneuploidies. This review explores the molecular and cellular pathways underlying these abnormalities, focusing on abnormal cleavage, chromatin cohesion, spindle stability, maternal effect genes, and mitochondria.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>Approximately half of human embryos cease development in vitro or shortly after transfer to the uterus. Genetic investigation of these embryos has highlighted that 90% of these exhibit aneuploidies. Surprisingly, most of these arise from errors during the early mitotic divisions of preimplantation embryos. These findings strongly correlate with disruptions of early cleavage possibly due to faulty spindle assembly or mitochondrial dysfunction during the in-vitro development. Moreover, maternal effects, such as faulty meiotic recombination and variants in maternal effect genes involved in the subcortical maternal complex, may further predispose the embryo to high rates of chromosomal imbalance.</p><p><strong>Summary: </strong>Meiotic and mitotic aneuploidies play a significant role in embryo arrest, yet their molecular and cellular origin are not well understood. Investigating these pathways may lead to interventions that could be developed to improve success rates with IVF or even fertility rates in general.</p>","PeriodicalId":55194,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Obstetrics & Gynecology","volume":" ","pages":"123-129"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143756070","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Advancing human reproduction: challenges and innovations.","authors":"Juan A Garcia-Velasco, Emre Seli","doi":"10.1097/GCO.0000000000001024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/GCO.0000000000001024","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":55194,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Obstetrics & Gynecology","volume":"37 3","pages":"121-122"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144000241","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Impact of body weight on IVF: pathophysiology, outcomes, and clinical considerations.","authors":"Nicole M Sekula, Murat Basar, Lubna Pal","doi":"10.1097/GCO.0000000000001023","DOIUrl":"10.1097/GCO.0000000000001023","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>This study aimed to examine if excess body weight impacts the outcomes of IVF treatment cycles.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>While data on the effect and/or association of excess weight on IVF outcomes continue to produce mixed results, recent studies stratifying analyses by age are yielding clarity on a detrimental potential of obesity on IVF outcomes. Specifically, IVF outcomes in the third decade of life are susceptible to adverse implications of excess weight, as reflected in lower clinical pregnancy and live birth rates. Plausible pathogenic mechanisms underlying the detrimental impact of excess weight on IVF outcomes include inflammation, DNA repair, insulin resistance, and the targets of such mechanisms that include the spectrum of players critical to reproductive success, including the oocyte, sperm, embryo, and uterine receptivity.</p><p><strong>Summary: </strong>The detrimental implications of excess weight on IVF outcomes are more pronounced by age, and inflammatory processes seem to be particularly relevant to the interplay of weight excess, adiposity, and IVF cycle outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":55194,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Obstetrics & Gynecology","volume":" ","pages":"130-140"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143765632","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Katy B Kozhimannil, Julia D Interrante, Alecia J McGregor
{"title":"Access to maternity care: challenges and solutions for improving equity across US communities.","authors":"Katy B Kozhimannil, Julia D Interrante, Alecia J McGregor","doi":"10.1097/GCO.0000000000001003","DOIUrl":"10.1097/GCO.0000000000001003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>Improving maternal health is a clinical and policy priority in the United States. We reviewed recent literature on access to maternity care and impacts on racial and geographic equity.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>New research indicates a wide range of consequences of obstetric unit closures, as well as health challenges for lower-volume obstetric units and those who travel long distances to care.</p><p><strong>Summary: </strong>As maternal mortality rates rise, maternity care access is declining in the US, especially in rural areas and communities with a higher proportion of Black, Latinx, or Indigenous residents. Lack of resources and financial strain are challenges for low-volume and Black-serving obstetric units, and targeted investments may help improve safety and access.</p>","PeriodicalId":55194,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Obstetrics & Gynecology","volume":" ","pages":"43-48"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142607516","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"GLP-1 receptor agonists for weight loss for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women: current evidence.","authors":"Hana Mikdachi, Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su","doi":"10.1097/GCO.0000000000001015","DOIUrl":"10.1097/GCO.0000000000001015","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) have emerged as a leading pharmacologic for managing weight gain across most populations, including peri and postmenopausal women who frequently suffer from weight gain. There is a paucity of data about this specific population and how they respond to these medications. This review aims to discuss the data available about the use and effects of GLP-1 RAs in the peri and postmenopausal populations.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>GLP-1 RAs are consistently the most effective pharmacologic for weight loss and can be a valuable tool for use in peri and postmenopausal women.</p><p><strong>Summary: </strong>Additional research is needed to determine the risks and benefits and ideal use of GLP-1 RAs in peri and postmenopausal women.</p>","PeriodicalId":55194,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Obstetrics & Gynecology","volume":" ","pages":"97-101"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143460837","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fernanda B Musa, Kathleen N Moore, Vivek Podder, Brian M Slomovitz
{"title":"State of the art endocrine treatments for patients diagnosed with endometrial cancer in 2025.","authors":"Fernanda B Musa, Kathleen N Moore, Vivek Podder, Brian M Slomovitz","doi":"10.1097/GCO.0000000000001008","DOIUrl":"10.1097/GCO.0000000000001008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>Endometrial cancer (EC) is rising in incidence, particularly in younger, premenopausal women, due to increasing rates of obesity and delayed childbearing. This review evaluates current and emerging endocrine therapies, with a focus on fertility-preserving approaches for early-stage EC and treatment options for advanced or recurrent disease.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>Fertility-sparing endocrine therapies, such as medroxyprogesterone acetate, megestrol acetate, and levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine devices, achieve high response rates but carry recurrence risks. Biomarkers, including progesterone receptor status and molecular subtyping, are improving patient selection and outcomes. In advanced EC, single-agent and combination endocrine therapies with agents like selective estrogen receptor modulators, selective estrogen receptor down-regulators (SERDs), and aromatase inhibitors show efficacy, especially in hormone receptor-positive disease. Newer agents, including next-generation SERDs and proteolysis-targeting chimeras, hold potential for treating resistant cases.</p><p><strong>Summary: </strong>Endocrine therapy offers a well tolerated alternative to chemotherapy in selected EC patients, particularly those with hormone-sensitive tumors. Advances in molecular profiling and the development of novel endocrine agents are refining treatment strategies, supporting endocrine therapy's continued role in managing EC across various stages.</p>","PeriodicalId":55194,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Obstetrics & Gynecology","volume":" ","pages":"111-119"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142959183","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}