Active clinical trials for "Infertility, Female"

The behaviour of the endometrium during its receptive phase is highly dependent on the endometrial cell type composition. Each cell type has its role in the endometrial preparation for the invading embryo. Alteration in the immune cells dialogue could be the main reason for unsuccessful implantation in certain patients. Immune cell homeostasis is often improved by intrauterine administration of autologous PBMC. There have been numerous reports on the positive effects of the intrauterine administration of autologous PBMC on the IVF outcomes (embryo implantation and ongoing pregnancy success). However, there is little data on the direct effect of the PBMC administration on the cell composition of the endometrium. This study will focus on the changes in the endometrial cell populations by PBMC treatment that could lead to IVF outcome improvement. The aim of this project is to analyze the effect of intrauterine administration of autologous PBMC on the endometrial cell populations and on the IVF outcome parameters (implantation and ongoing pregnancy success as IVF outcome variables).

Plastic products have been used ubiquitously in the modern world for many decades - for example as packaging materials, textile fibers or molded parts. The general use and especially the improper disposal lead to enormous environmental pollution almost everywhere on earth. Microplastics mainly originate from fragmentation of larger plastic objects or can be produced directly for the use in e.g. cosmetics or industrial dyes. Microplastics have already been detected in fresh- and seawater, soil, food, but also in human blood and urine. The accumulation of microplastics in ovarian and testicular tissue in humans has not yet been investigated.

Female genital tuberculosis infection (FGTB) is an important cause of female infertility in TB-endemic areas. The pregnancy rate of assisted reproductive treatment (ART) in the infertile women with FGTB is still unsatisfied even after receiving standard anti-tuberculosis treatment. Moreover, recent years have witnessed an alarming increase in reports of FGTB-related maternal and neonatal complications after fertility treatments. These underscore that timely detection and treatment of FGTB before ART hold benefit for the mother and child.

This randomized double-blinded-controlled clinical trial consists of two protocols as follow: protocol 1: evaluation of the therapeutic effects of Vitamin D3 supplement when given alone and in combination with an ovulation-inducing agent (e.g., Clomiphene citrate or Letrozole) on ovarian functional status and hormonal and metabolic features of PCOS-Vitamin D-deficient infertile Saudi women; and protocol 2: evaluation of the effectiveness of Vitamin D3 supplement versus placebo on the clinical pregnancy rate, fertilization implantation rate, live birth rate, and other outcome parameters following in-vitro fertilization (IVF) application in these PCOS-Vitamin D-deficient infertile patients.

Smoking is associated with many adverse health effects like circulatory disorders, pulmonary diseases or heart diseases. It was also shown that smoking correlates with a significantly higher risk for miscarriage, preterm birth or a significantly decreased implantation rate or life birth rate, thus affects the chance to have children. Combustion of tobacco products results in more than 4.000 toxic and/or carcinogenic substances. Examples of such substances are the carcinogenic substance Benzo(a)pyrene or nicotine and its main degradation product cotinine. Although the adverse effects of these substances were analyzed in many biological systems (e.g. cell culture, mouse model systems), less is known about the bio-accumulation in human tissue, especially in ovarian tissue or the follicular fluid (FF). The aim of this study is therefore to analyze the bio-accumulation of nicotine, cotinine and Benzo(a)pyrene in the follicular fluid of women with the unfulfilled desire to have children undergoing an intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment. The analysis will be performed using a sensitive gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC) in a control group (non-smoker) and a study group (smoker). For each group, a correlation analysis between the amount of toxic and/or carcinogenic substances and the clinical outcome (e.g. clinical pregnancy rate, fertilization rate) will be performed. In combination with a patient questionnaire, it will be possible to analyze the risk of smoking, the bio-accumulation of toxic substances in the follicular fluid, and the chance to have children.

There is increasing evidence that exposure to environmental factors in early development is associated with an increased risk of metabolic and other common diseases. These increased disease risks are likely due to environmental-induced epigenetic changes leading to dysregulation of genes and signaling cascades. The best studied epigenetic modification in this context is DNA methylation. Preliminary studies have already shown that an increased father age or intracytoplasmic sperm injection affects methylation pattern in sperm or umbilical cord blood of children. Unlike sperm, less is known about the methylation of human oocytes and their susceptibility to environmental factors. The aim of this study is to analyze the methylation pattern of immature oocytes of women with decreased fertility. Based on the results of a large number of oocytes from different women, risk assessments could be made for individual factors such as the age of the patient, as well as correlations between the occurrence of changes in gene expression and the unfulfilled desire to have children. In addition, the methylation patterns in sperm from 20 patients are to be examined as reference patterns.

Tubal factor infertility is known to be one of the most common indications for IVF treatment. Patients with hydrosalpinges have been identified to have poor pregnancy outcomes such as lower implantation and pregnancy rates & higher rates of spontaneous abortion and ectopic pregnancies. Surgical intervention can be recommended for patients with hydrosalpinx prior to IVF/ICSI. This study will be done at Ain Shams University Maternity Hospital, to compare laparoscopic salpingectomy & laparoscopic tubal disconnection as two surgical modalities of treatment of unilateral or bilateral hydrosalpinges in women older than 30 years and scheduled for IVF/ICSI, regarding implantation rates, clinical pregnancy rates, ongoing pregnancy rates, ectopic pregnancy rates, and operative complications.

Rationale: Due to accelerated germ cell loss, infertility is a major problem in girls with Turner syndrome (TS). Therefore, cryopreservation of ovarian tissue or oocytes before exhaustion of the ovarian reserve may preserve fertility in patients with TS. However, in the majority of females with TS , the ovarian reserve is exhausted before the age of menarche. Early markers indicating and predicting the ovarian reserve are necessary. During mid-childhood the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis is quiescent and gonadotropins are usually unmeasurable. Nonetheless, this axis is active during infancy. Therefore, gonadotropins are measurable with peak values at 3 months of age and with lower (but still measurable) values at 9 months of age, in a period called the minipuberty. The aim of this study is to find markers of ovarian capacity, during the minipuberty, in order to predict ovarian reserve in the future. Objective: The hormonal range of LH, FSH, AMH, inhibin B, testosterone and estradiol in girls with TS during the minipuberty and the relation of the hormone serum levels with the karyotype. Study design: A prospective, cohort study with a duration of 3 years. Study population: Girls with a pre- or perinatal diagnosis TS who are born in a medical centre in the Netherlands during the duration of the study Main study parameters/endpoints: Serum levels of FSH, LH, AMH, inhibin B, testosterone and estradiol at the age of 3 and 9 months.

Synthetic products used in industrial, pharmaceutical, agro-alimentary or agricultural fields are found in our environment. Thus, humans could be simultaneously exposed to several of these pollutants. Furthermore, these environmental agents exert or could exert adverse actions on fertility, by altering gamete and embryo quality through endocrine disruptor effects or through increase in oxidative stress in gonads (cellular pathway known to be involved in several human reproductive pathologies). In this context, the objectives of the present project are to obtain descriptive and analytical data on woman and oocyte exposure to several environmental agents (bisphenols, ethynylestradiol and glyphosate). The relation between these pollutant measures in follicular fluid and urine (from women receiving follow-up of in vitro fertilization (IVF) protocol in the University hospital of Tours, France) and the oocyte quality, the IVF and pregnancy successes will be studied. Several oxidative stress biomarkers in blood and follicular fluid will be also measured for these women, who will complete a questionnaire on their lifestyles. Finally, thanks to in vitro approaches, the effects and the mechanisms of action (including oxidative stress) of these pollutants (alone or in cocktails) will be studied on granulosa cells from these patients.

To goal of this study is to determine whether laparoscopic resection of colorectal endometriosis results in an increased cumulative live birth rate (CLBR) both spontaneous and after in vitro fertilization (IVF), and better patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) compared to an IVF treatment trajectory.