Infertility

Use of glucocorticoids around the time of implantation has no effect on live birth rates and mimimal effect on pregnancy rates, confirms a new meta-analysis.

Because lead easily crosses the placenta, elevated lead levels in pregnancy have been associated with gestational hypertension, spontaneous abortion, low birth weight, and impaired neurodevelopment. In a new Committee Opinion, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has reviewed screening and management policies for elevated lead levels in pregnancy.

In women undergoing assisted reproductive techniques, intentional endometrial injury performed in the month prior to the embryo transfer cycle can increase the likelihood of clinical pregnancy and live birth, according to results of a new study.

The independent risk factors for spontaneous preterm birth with intact membranes and SPTB after prelabor rupture of membranes for healthy nulliparous pregnant women are markedlydifferent, according to results of a new study.

Week of August 3, 2012: A beloved ob/gyn is suspended, IUD use is on the rise, and the Affordable Care Act's provisions for women kick in.

A new study shows that subfertile women undergoing in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection to conceive can eliminate the daily shots of follicle-stimulating hormone and use long-acting FSH instead.

In a systematic review of UAE versus other surgical interventions for symptomatic uterine fibroids, researchers concluded that UAE offers substantial improvements in symptoms of uterine fibroids but may not help women who want to retain their reproductive potential.

Incidence of placenta accreta has increased five-fold since the 1980s. Recently, an ACOG committee opinion highlighted advances in the management of PA.

Although risks increase after an EP, a history of EP alone does not warrant closer-than-usual monitoring during a future pregnancy.

Scientists are testing a procedure that allows women with a genetic disorder conceive without passing the disease on to their children, and it involves using DNA from a "third parent." Is it ethical?

The number of cases of cephalosporin-resistant gonorrhea is increasing, according to a recent report issued by the World Health Organization. Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacteria that causes the infection, has already developed resistance to other common antibiotics, and cephalosporins have become the last line of defense against the infection.

In anovulatory women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), one-time use of progestin to induce withdrawal bleeding before ovulation induction may decrease the odds of conception and live birth, according to a new study conducted by researchers for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NIHCD) Cooperative Reproductive Medicine Network (RMN).

Two studies focusing on birth defects and fertility treatment techniques recently have been published. The finding of both studies show that certain fertility treatments are associated with increased risks of birth defects, but neither study revealed why this association occurs.

Emerging information on the link between ovarian cancer and endometriosis gives us an unprecedented opportunity to develop comprehensive screening plans for early detection and prevention of specific types of ovarian cancer.

Like many of my patients, my life revolves around information. Personally, I use the same technology as most of you to keep track of obligations and loved ones. Professionally, the Houston Fertility Center team uses technology and constant communication to manage our patients' treatment plans. In this era of digital info, we can all feel more empowered, more often, more quickly. It seems like there's always room for more information, doesn't it?

IVF has made great strides in assisting women with infertility problems. However, many women believe that achieving pregnancy in their 40s is as simple as going to a fertility clinic.

Here's a situation that illustrates how fantastic medical advances don't always translate to patients benefiting in the clinic. For that to happen, the science needs to be carried along a pipeline of practitioner communication, all the way to the patient.

I know what you're thinking: How can an issue like infertility teach us about customizing healthcare? And how can the assisted reproduction field help raise standards in women's healthcare? But it can, and it does… or it should.

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) appears in 3% to 8% of in vitro fertilization cycles. Now, new research shows that cabergoline, a dopamine agonist, can be effective in preventing OHSS in this patient population.

Women over the age of 50 who achieve a viable pregnancy via donor-egg in vitro fertilization (D-IVF) have no greater incidence of adverse outcomes than younger women,according to a new study published in the American Journal of Perinatology.

Ulipristal is a safe and effective option for women with uterine fibroids, according to two new studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine. In both studies, the oral selective progesterone receptor modulator was well-tolerated, rapidly reduced excessive bleeding, and decreased the size of uterine fibroids.

Your patient just received devastating news: she has cancer. As treatment options and anxieties swirl, more and more women are now faced with another issue: how will the cancer and its treatment impact their fertility?

Orthodox Jewish women may follow an ancient tradition that requires sexual abstention during her menses and for the seven days that follow. Once the woman has completed the period of sexual abstention she immerses in a ritual bath to purify her soul and then is encouraged to have intercourse with her husband but when your patient experiences infertility, how do you treat the infertility while maintaining respect for her religious traditions?

Two new studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine point to the importance of using bevacizumab in the treatment of ovarian cancer. Bevacizumab, a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody directed against the vascular endothelial growth factor, has shown single-agent activity in women with recurrent tumors.

Endometriosis affects as many as 6% of the general population. While some women with endometriosis remain asymptomatic, many women experience dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, non-cyclical pelvic pain, and subfertility. Now, new research indicates that patients with endometriosis are also more likely to develop inflammatory bowel disease.