Active clinical trials for "Infertility"

This randomized controlled study aimed to specify whether the interventions based on Hypnofertility would lead to increased fertility preparedness and pregnancy outcomes, decreased cortisol levels of women undergoing In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatment.

The aim is to be able to predict the hormonal response according to gonadotropin receptor genotype and hormone type used for treatment of women undergoing in vitro fertilization or egg donation. Outcome will be measured as pregnancy success, live born babies and unwanted side effects.

Objective: To examine the effect of vitamin D supplements on the pregnancy and clinical pregnancy rate in embryo transfer cycles. Design: Experimental study with a pre- and post-test. Setting: In Vitro Fertilization Center Patients: Its sample consisted of 118 women, 58 in the experimental group and 60 in the control group. Intervention(s): At the beginning of the infertility treatment, the experimental group took vitamin D supplements, and the control group did not. Vitamin D supplementation for infertile women includes regulation of a diet rich in vitamin D, educational and motivational interviews about insolation, and taking vitamin D orally. Main Outcome Measure(s): 25(OH)D and beta HCG levels

Controlled ovarian hyperstimulation with gonadotropins is an integral part of the various stimulation protocols for patients undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and other Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The hormonal control of multiple follicular growth and maturation is a critical part of ART procedures since it maximizes the yield of embryos to be transferred, thus increasing the cumulative pregnancy rate. Recent studies have shown the efficacy of myo-inositol (MI) supplementation as a simple and highly effective treatment in order to improve oocyte quality in patients undergoing IVF. Indeed, it was previously shown that MI follicular fluid (FF) concentration is a reliable predictor of oocyte quality. High MI concentration in the FF directly correlates with high oocyte and embryo quality. Another stereoisomer of Inositol was successfully used into clinical practice D-chiro-inositol (DCI). In particular, DCI supplementation was used to restore ovulation in hyperglycemic PCOS patients. In the present study we aim to compare MI versus DCI supplementation on oocyte quality of women undergoing IVF-ET

Quality-controlled commercial media have been used in many in-vitro fertilization (IVF) laboratories. However, commercial media are costly and difficult to compare directly because their exact compositions are not clearly indicated. Although commercially available media have commonly been used in most IVF programs worldwide, there are several advantages to the use of in-house synthetic sequential media at IVF laboratories. First, the results of quality control should be reliable due to a stringent protocol setting-up. Second, any direct supplementations or deletions of specific components are feasible to obtain good quality embryos and high pregnancy rates since those components can be defined. Finally, dependence on commercially available media diminishes so that the laboratory can more easily accommodate unexpected situations or problems, such as a sudden increase in IVF patients. Therefore, the present study was conducted to compare the efficacy of in-house MRC media in the human IVF-embryo transfer (ET) program to that of commercially available media.

Many couples experience involuntary childlessness and seek treatment at fertility clinics. Going through treatment procedures can be very challenging, time consuming and emotionally demanding. Psychosocial intervention might have a soothing and healing effect on both behavior as well on physical matters. Hence, the investigators would like to investigate whether Expressive Writing Intervention (EWI) has an effect on stress management as well as on the pregnancy rate for couples who are going through fertility treatment.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of an online informational video in improving knowledge about infertility in couples experiencing problems conceiving. A pilot study will be conducted with first and second year medical students.

Worldwide, 1 in 12 couples experience difficulty in getting pregnant and seek the help of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) such as in vitro fertilization (IVF-egg is fertilized by sperm outside the body), ovarian stimulation (medications are used to stimulate egg development) and intra-cytoplasmic injection (ICSI-single sperm is injected directly into the egg). Regardless of the ART procedure being performed, the newly fertilized embryo must still implant into the mothers endometrium (inner lining of uterus). This implantation process in humans is surprisingly inefficient and accounts for up to 50% of ART failures. Intrauterine infusion of hCG prior to embryo transfer has recently been shown to increase pregnancy rates but the cellular mechanism for this increase is unknown. Successful implantation requires the newly fertilized embryo and the endometrium develop in a synchronized manner. This coordinated development is accomplished, in part, by proteins secreted by the embryo which circulate throughout the maternal bloodstream and alert the maternal body organs (i.e. ovary, endometrium, breast, ect) that fertilization has occurred. One of the earliest of these secreted proteins is human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which is the molecule detected in over-the-counter pregnancy tests. From previous studies, we know that hCG production by the embryo alerts the ovary to continue producing progesterone, a hormone required for pregnancy. However, very little is known about the direct effect of hCG on the endometrium during early pregnancy in humans. Using animal models, hCG has been shown to induce specific changes in the endometrium, suggesting that embryo-derived hCG may be "priming" the endometrium in anticipation of implantation. The goal of this research study is to examine the direct effect of hCG on the human endometrium and see if this "priming effect" is also present in humans. Findings from this research may reveal whether pre-treatment with hCG can enhance ART outcomes, especially pregnancy rates.

RATIONALE: Participating in a therapy program may enhance communication and intimacy between men with prostate cancer and their partners. PURPOSE: This randomized clinical trial is studying how well therapy enhances communication and intimacy for men with early stage prostate cancer and for their partners.

In this study, the investigators aimed to evaluate to the efficacy of the needle type used in follicular flushing in oocyte retrieval in the poorest responders undergoing IVF.