A recent controlled clinical trial highlights that the underlying mechanism for the positive effect of endometrial biopsy on improved implantation rate in IVF cycles could be attributed to an injury-induced inflammatory response. The findings, published in the journal Fertility and Sterility further suggest that the increased expression of the macrophage inflammatory protein 1B (MIP-1B) could serve as a marker for predicting implantation competence. Continue Reading

Zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT), which involves the combination of IVF with gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) methods, is not commonly used as it is one of the more invasive ART procedures. A report by the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) showed that ZIFT was used in <1% of the total cycles performed (n=140,795) across all the SART member clinics during the year 2008. Now, a recent prospective randomized trial published in Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, has reported increased rates of pregnancy and implantation in patients suffering from nontubal infertility with the use ZIFT compared to uterine embryo transfer (UET). Continue Reading

A recent study by a team of Swedish researchers reports that extended embryo culturing to blastocyst stage raises the risk of preterm birth and congenital malformations among singletons. The findings of the study are published in the recent issue of Fertility and Sterility. Continue Reading

Understanding the unique molecular mechanisms underlying preimplantation development, which includes a series of events such as final oocyte maturation, fertilization, and the oocyte to zygote transition, is crucial for improving ART success rates. Maternal transcripts and proteins stored in the oocytes during folliculogenesis have been proposed to play a crucial role in the regulation of embryogenesis. In a recent study published in the journal Reproduction, a group of US researchers have reported that diverse mammalian oocyte stored factors, termed as maternal effect structures (MESs), assist in the oocyte to embryo transition. Continue Reading

A recent prospective clinical study reports that a reduction in the proportion of CD4⁺CD25 (high) regulatory T cells (Treg) and forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) expression in the peripheral blood and decidua could play a role in the pathogenesis of unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortions (URSA). The findings of the study are published in the recent issue of the journal Fertility and Sterility. Continue Reading

Considerable amount of evidence has implicated prostaglandins (PG) to play a vital role in implantation and decidualization. A recent case-control study has linked defective endometrial prostaglandin (PG) synthesis in IVF patients with repeated embryo implantation failure, suggesting that the reduced synthesis of PG could result in poor endometrial receptivity. The findings of the study are published in the recent issue of the journal Fertility and Sterility. Continue Reading