Pregnancy and Birth

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A fact that makes reproductive medicine unique is a specific and quantifiable end point- a healthy baby. Each infertile couple and each and every assisted reproduction technology (ART) program are vitally interested in success rates. The stakes are high. Truly, success breeds success.

Polycystic ovary syndrome is characterized by enlarged ovaries, multiple peripherally arranged cysts and increased stromal density(1). Polycystic ovary syndrome is responsible for approximately 25-30% of infertility in women, which is mainly anovulatory(2). Ovulation can be induced with antiesterogens in many women but a proportion fail to respond and even in those who ovulate, the pregnancy rate is often low and the miscarriage rate is high.

Pregnancy loss is a frustrating and challenging problem for couples and clinicians alike. Although medical textbooks specifically target the recommended "work-up" towards those patients labeled as "recurrent" or "habitual aborters", it is important, in this author's opinion, to consider certain specific aspects of evaluation after any miscarriage.

In women with severe clomiphene-resistant PCOS, we proposed thatthe insulin-lowering agent troglitazone (Rezulin®) could have a positive impact on the ovarian microenvironment by supporting normal follicular growth, ovulation, and successful pregnancy.

So far medicine has had nothing to offer the man with azoospermia because of testicular failure, in the way of treatment. His only treatment choices were: adoption, or donor insemination.

One of the most publicized papers of the 1999 American Society of Reproductive Medicine/ Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society was the research presented by Dr. Oktay, Dr. Karkujaya, Dr. Gosden and Dr. Schwartz from Cornell University in New York and and from the University of Leeds in the UK. They successfully auto-transplanted frozen-banked ovarian tissue and demonstrated the resumption of ovarian function.

Ectopic pregnancy, or preembryo implantation outside the endometrial cavity (i.e., fallopian tube, cervix, abdominal or pelvic cavity), is a potentially fatal condition with an incidence of 1:150 diagnosed pregnancies.

Premature ovarian failure (POF) is a primary ovarian defect characterized by absent menarche (primary amenorrhea) or premature depletion of ovarian follicles before the age of 40 years (secondary amenorrhea).

Stein and Leventhal were the first to recognize an association between the presence of polycystic ovaries and signs of hirsutism, amenorrhea, oligomenorrhea and obesity. Subsequently, it was reported that after successful wedge resection of the ovaries in women diagnosed with Stein-Leventhal syndrome, menstrual cycles became regular and these patients were able to conceive.

The uterus can lie in different positions in the pelvis, and it may vary from one woman to another. Most commonly, the uterus lies horizontally over the bladder, as do the ovaries. As the uterus enlarges with pregnancy, or perhaps with a large fibroid, it will cause increasing pressure on the bladder, and this results in increasing urinary frequency, pressure symptoms, and perhaps lower abdominal protrusion.

A very common question of perimenopausal women is whether or not they are still able to get pregnant, and this inquiry may originate from one of two concerns. Some women in the perimenopausal range may still want to conceive, either to start a family or to add to an existing one, and are seeking information to help with that decision.

The majority of women in the perimenopausal period have completed their childbearing and resolutely do not want to conceive at this age. This gives rise to the question as to what contraceptive method they should use to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. At this stage in their lives, an unintended pregnancy would be devastating, and it is something they are usually very eager to avoid.

Progesterone is a natural hormone which is produced by the ovary during the second half of the menstrual cycle. It's biological function is to change the lining of the uterus so that the cells which line the uterus can provide nutrition to the developing embryo during the earliest phases of development after conception.

Hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus. This can be done through either an abdominal or a vaginal incision, and either with or without removal of the ovaries. Almost 600,000 hysterectomies are performed each year in the U.S. This makes hysterectomy the second most common major surgical procedure performed in this country, with the first most common being cesarean section.

Adenomyosis is a benign disease of the uterus in which components normally limited to the endometrium (the thin innermost uterine layer) are found within the myometrium (the middle muscular layer of the uterus). The exact prevalence of adenomyosis is not known because the diagnosis can be made only by microscopic examination of uterine specimens obtained during surgery or, less often, during biopsy.

If you have just been told that you may need to have a hysterectomy, what are you feeling? Frightened, uncertain, vulnerable, angry, out of control -- don't panic. I don't think anyone could have had any more of a negative reaction than I did when I was told, "you should probably think about having surgery."