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Fertility Clinics (fertility + clinic)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Medical Sciences66%

Selected Abstracts

Fertility treatment in male cancer survivors

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANDROLOGY, Issue 4 2007
Kirsten Louise Tryde Schmidt
Summary The present study reviews the use of assisted reproductive technology in male cancer survivors and their partners. As antineoplastic treatment with chemotherapy or radiation therapy, has the potential of inducing impairment of spermatogenesis through damage of the germinal epithelium, many male cancer survivors experience difficulties in impregnating their partners after treatment. The impairment can be temporary or permanent. While many cancer survivors regain spermatogenesis months to years after treatment, some become infertile with a-, oligo- or azoospermia. An option to secure the fertility potential of young cancer patients is to cryopreserve semen before cancer treatment for later use. A desired pregnancy may be obtained in couples where the husband has a history of cancer, using assisted reproductive technology with either fresh or cryopreserved/thawed semen. Successful outcomes have been obtained with intrauterine insemination (IUI) as well as in vitro fertilization (IVF) with or without the use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). In conclusion, male cancer survivors and their partners who have failed to obtain a pregnancy naturally within a reasonable time frame after end of treatment should be referred to a fertility clinic. [source]

REPRODUCTIVE TOURISM IN ARGENTINA: CLINIC ACCREDITATION AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR CONSUMERS, HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND POLICY MAKERS

DEVELOPING WORLD BIOETHICS, Issue 2 2010
ELISE SMITH
ABSTRACT A subcategory of medical tourism, reproductive tourism has been the subject of much public and policy debate in recent years. Specific concerns include: the exploitation of individuals and communities, access to needed health care services, fair allocation of limited resources, and the quality and safety of services provided by private clinics. To date, the focus of attention has been on the thriving medical and reproductive tourism sectors in Asia and Eastern Europe; there has been much less consideration given to more recent ,players' in Latin America, notably fertility clinics in Chile, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. In this paper, we examine the context-specific ethical and policy implications of private Argentinean fertility clinics that market reproductive services via the internet. Whether or not one agrees that reproductive services should be made available as consumer goods, the fact is that they are provided as such by private clinics around the world. We argue that basic national regulatory mechanisms are required in countries such as Argentina that are marketing fertility services to local and international publics. Specifically, regular oversight of all fertility clinics is essential to ensure that consumer information is accurate and that marketed services are safe and effective. It is in the best interests of consumers, health professionals and policy makers that the reproductive tourism industry adopts safe and responsible medical practices. [source]

Measuring the intensity of pregnancy planning effort

PAEDIATRIC & PERINATAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 1 2003
Pascale Morin
Summary This study validated a measure of pregnancy planning effort based on Miller's conceptual framework in two clinical settings. The questionnaire's main items deal with general behaviour with regard to pregnancy, timing and proception (proception being the reverse of contraception). Values for these three items are added to yield a continuous score ranging from 0 to 12. The study population comprised 448 women of different cultural backgrounds recruited in prenatal, fertility and family planning clinics in Quebec and North Carolina. The results indicate that the internal consistency between the three items pertaining to pregnancy planning was excellent (Cronbach's alpha of 0.83). Test,retest reliability after a 4-week interval was excellent, with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.86 for the planning score. The planning score median for women attending family planning clinics (1.00) was significantly lower than that for those recruited in fertility clinics (11.00), confirming the discriminant ability of the instrument. Path analysis shows that the conceptual model corroborates the observed data and explains 53% of the pregnancy planning variability. In conclusion, this is the first questionnaire specifically designed to assess the intensity of pregnancy planning effort, a potentially important variable in epidemiological studies and clinical practice. [source]

The influence of body weight on response to ovulation induction with gonadotrophins in 335 women with World Health Organization group II anovulatory infertility

BJOG : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 10 2006
AH Balen
Objective, To assess the influence of body weight on the outcome of ovulation induction in women with World Health Organization (WHO) group II anovulatory infertility. Design, The combined results of two studies in which either a highly purified urinary follicle-stimulating hormone or highly purified urinary menotrophin were compared with recombinant follicle-stimulating hormone. Setting, Thirty-six fertility clinics. Population, A total of 335 women with WHO group II anovulatory infertility failing to ovulate or conceive on clomifene citrate. Methods, Ovarian stimulation using a low-dose step-up protocol. Main outcome measures, The effects of body weight on ovarian response, ovulation rate and pregnancy rate after one treatment cycle. Results, With increasing body mass index (BMI), a higher threshold dose of gonadotrophins was required and there were more days of stimulation; yet, despite a greater concentration of antral follicles, there were fewer intermediate and large follicles. There was no difference in the rates of ovulation and clinical pregnancy in relation to body weight. Conclusions, Body weight affects gonadotrophin requirements but not overall outcome of ovulation induction in women with anovulatory polycystic ovary syndrome and a BMI of less than 35 kg/m2. [source]

Fertility outcomes in women with hypopituitarism

CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 1 2006
R. Hall
Summary Background, Women with hypopituitarism are known to have a poor outcome once pregnancy has been achieved by ovulation induction. There are no data, however, recording the efficacy of ovulation induction and pregnancy rates in this group of subfertile women. Methods, The outcome of fertility treatments in all 19 women with hypopituitarism attending the fertility clinics of University College London Hospitals over the past 20 years was audited. Results, Ovulation was achieved in almost all women (95%) but occurred in only 60% of treatment cycles. Pregnancy was achieved in 47% of women or 11% of cycles resulting in a live birth rate of 6·7% per cycle. Seven of the 18 pregnancies (39%) miscarried. Only 42% of women treated achieved a live birth. Conclusion, Ovulation induction in women with hypopituitarism yields relatively low pregnancy rates in comparison to other causes of anovulation and a high miscarriage rate. Pituitary hormone deficiency beyond gonadotrophins has a major adverse effect on achieving pregnancy. [source]