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Background: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a common reproductive disorder that frequently affects fertility. The TyG-BMI (Triglyceride glucose-body mass) index is a newly explored parameter that may be linked to reproductive results in individuals with PCOS. Nevertheless, its connection with outcomes in In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) procedures remains uncertain., Methods: This study included a total of 966 females who underwent IVF treatments for PCOS. At the baseline, the participants were categorized into four groups according to the quartiles of TyG-BMI measured prior to oocyte retrieval. Subsequently, the study compared the differences in clinical and laboratory outcomes among these four groups., Results: Patients in higher TyG-BMI quartiles exhibited a decreased number of retrieved oocytes, 2PN embryos, and available/high-quality embryos (P < 0.05 for Q1-Q4). Additionally, the multivariable regression analysis revealed that individuals in the top quartile of TyG-BMI had a lower count of accessible embryos (β = -0.224, P = 0.257) and a decreased number of high-quality embryos (β = -0.352, P = 0.028) in comparison to those in the lowest quartile. Nevertheless, there were no notable variances detected in the rates of pregnancy or live births among these quartiles. Furthermore, a linear correlation was noted between the TyG-BMI index and the quantity of accessible embryos (P-non-linear = 0.6, P-overall < 0.001), along with high-quality embryos (P-nonlinear = 0.026, P-overall = 0.006). In contrast, there was no notable linear correlation found between the TyG-BMI index and the available embryo rate (P-nonlinear = 0.60, P-overall = 0.8)., Conclusions: The results of this research emphasize the notable correlation between TyG-BMI and IVF results in females diagnosed with PCOS. The interplay of insulin resistance and disorders of lipid metabolism may indeed play a pivotal role in influencing the assisted reproductive outcomes of patients with PCOS. Considering these findings, TyG-BMI proves to be a valuable indicator for exploring this potential association., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: To evaluate if racial/ethnic differences in pregnancy outcomes persisted in frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycles on a national level., Design: Retrospective cohort study., Setting: Clinic-based data., Patient(s): A total of 189,000 Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology FET cycles from 2014-2016 were screened, of which 12,000 cycles had available fresh cycle linkage information and ultimately, because of missing data, 7,002 FET cycles were included. Cycles were stratified by race (White, Black, Asian, and Hispanic)., Intervention(s): None., Main Outcome Measure(s): The primary outcome was live birth rate. Secondary outcomes were implantation rate, clinical pregnancy rate, multiple pregnancy rate, and clinical loss rate (CLR)., Result(s): Live birth rate was significantly lower in the Black vs. White and Asian, but not Hispanic group. Implantation rate was also significantly lower and CLR higher in the Black group compared with all other groups (all P<.01). Black women had a lower risk of live birth (adjusted risk ratio, 0.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.73-0.92) and a higher risk of clinical loss (adjusted risk ratio, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.28-1.99) compared with White women. There was no significant difference between groups in clinical pregnancy rate or multiple pregnancy rate. When the analysis was limited to preimplantation genetic testing FET cycles, there remained a significantly lower implantation rate in the Black group compared with all other groups (all P<.01)., Conclusion(s): Black race remains an independent predictor of reduced live birth rate in FET cycles, likely because of higher CLR., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objective: To analyze the effect of human papilloma virus (HPV) sperm infection on sperm parameters and in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes., Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis., Setting: Not applicable., Patients: Men with HPV sperm infection and couples undergoing IVF., Interventions: Searches were conducted in the following databases: Medline(R), PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopos, and the Cochrane Library. We included studies examining sperm parameters and IVF results in patients with and without HPV sperm infection., Main Outcome Measures: Sperm analysis (concertation, count, volume, motility, morphology), according to the World Health Organization manual, pregnancy rate (PR), and miscarriage rate (MR)., Results: Sixteen studies were included in this meta-analysis. The presence of HPV had a significant association with impaired sperm parameters in terms of concentration (mean difference [MD] -4.48, 95% confidence interval [CI] - 6.12 to -2.83), motility (MD -11.71, 95% CI - 16.15 to -7.26), and morphology (MD -2.44, 95% CI - 4.08 to -0.79. A review of the literature regarding ART outcomes showed an association between HPV infection and decreased PR, and an even stronger association between HPV infection and increased MR., Conclusion: Our meta-analysis shows a negative effect of HPV on sperm concentration, motility, and morphology. Further subgroup and categorical analysis confirmed the clinical significance of impaired sperm motility in HPV-infected sperm, although the sperm count and morphology must be carefully analyzed. The studies reviewed reported lower PR and increased MR in couples with HPV-infected sperm. As most studies had a moderate risk of bias, these observations warrant further large, well-designed studies before introducing clinical management recommendations., Prospero Registration Number: CRD42019127419., (Copyright © 2020 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Despite the advances in in vitro fertilization (IVF), the implantation success rate for infertile women remains approximately only 15%. In this study, we sought to determine whether implantation failure after repeated IVF treatments is influenced by the presence of common variants in estrogen α, progesterone and follicle stimulating hormone receptor genes. The study population included three groups of women: group 1 were 50 women who had the transfer of ≥3 high-quality embryos during the IVF procedure without ever having had a clinical pregnancy; group 2 were 50 women who achieved a clinical pregnancy after ≤3 high-quality embryos transfers and group 3 were 50 control subjects who achieved a clinical pregnancy without any fertility therapy that resulted in a one live-born infant. Genotype analysis was performed using polymerase chain reaction and Sanger sequencing for rs6165, rs6166, rs2234693, rs9340799. While progesterone receptor single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)  was genotyped based on the amplicon size, the repeats for the ESR1 TA-repeat polymorphism were calculated based on the fragment length. A higher frequency of the heterozygote AG genotype was observed in the infertile groups when compared to controls. Significantly, an allele combination of T of rs2234693, A of rs9340799; S of ESR1 (TA), A of rs6166, G of rs6165 and del of PROGINS had a higher frequency in women who had a successful IVF outcome compared to women who had an unsuccessful IVF outcome, indicating a possible protective combined genotype that could reduce a negative outcome during IVF. This study has demonstrated that combining several candidate genes is needed to assess which may play a role in fertility., Abbreviations: CI: confidence interval; COH: controlled ovarian hyperstimulation; DNA: deoxyribonucleic acid; ESR: estrogen receptors; FSH: follicle stimulating hormones; FSHR: FSH receptor; IVF: in vitro fertilization; PGR: progesterone receptors; SNP: single nucleotide polymorphism.

Study Question: Is dairy food consumption associated with live birth among women undergoing infertility treatment?, Summary Answer: There was a positive association between total dairy food consumption and live birth among women ≥35 years of age., What Is Known Already: Dairy food intake has been previously related to infertility risk and measures of fertility potential but its relation to infertility treatment outcomes are unknown., Study Design, Size, Duration: Our study population comprised a total of 232 women undergoing 353 in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment cycles between February 2007 and May 2013, from the Environment and Reproductive Health study, an ongoing prospective cohort., Participants/materials, Setting, Methods: Diet was assessed before assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Study outcomes included ovarian stimulation outcomes (endometrial thickness, estradiol levels and oocyte yield), fertilization rates, embryo quality measures and clinical outcomes (implantation, clinical pregnancy and live birth rates). We used generalized linear mixed models with random intercepts to account for multiple ART cycles per woman while simultaneously adjusting for age, caloric intake, BMI, race, smoking status, infertility diagnosis, protocol type, alcohol intake and dietary patterns., Main Results and the Role of Chance: The age- and calorie-adjusted difference in live birth between women in the highest (>3.0 servings/day) and lowest (<1.34 servings/day) quartile of dairy intake was 21% (P = 0.02). However, after adjusting for additional covariates, this association was observed only among women ≥35 years (P, interaction = 0.04). The multivariable-adjusted live birth (95% CI) in increasing quartiles of total dairy intake was 23% (11, 42%), 39% (24, 56%), 29% (17, 47%) and 55% (39, 69%) (P, trend = 0.02) among women ≥35 years old, and ranged from 46 to 54% among women <35 years old (P, trend = 0.69). There was no association between dairy intake and any of the intermediate outcomes., Limitations, Reasons for Caution: The lack of a known biological mechanism linking dairy intake to infertility treatment outcomes calls for caution when interpreting these results and for additional work to corroborate or refute them., Wider Implications of the Findings: Dairy intake does not appear to harm IVF outcomes and, if anything, is associated with higher chances of live birth., Study Funding/competing Interests: This work was supported by NIH grants R01-ES009718 and R01ES000002 from NIEHS, P30 DK046200 from NIDDK and T32HD060454 from NICHD. M.C.A. was supported by a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award T32 DK 007703-16 from NIDDK. She is currently employed at the Nestlé Research Center, Switzerland and completed this work while at the Harvard School of Public Health. The other authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objective: To analyze whether cleavage stage at compaction, and not only kinetics, can serve as a reliable predictor for clinical outcome. Methods: A retrospective cohort study including 1194 embryos, classified by compaction initiation stage (Group 1: compaction at fewer than eight cells, Group 2: compaction at eight cells, Group 3: compaction at more than eight cells). Of these, 815 embryos were evaluated for morphokinetic preimplantation parameters, and 379 embryos were analyzed for clinical implantation following thawing and transfer of single blastocysts during the same period. Results: In total, 1194 embryos were analyzed. Embryos that underwent compaction from more than eight cells (Group 3) exhibited more synchronous cleavage compared with Groups 1 and 2 (at both S2 and S3; P < 0.001), and displayed a significantly lower fragmentation rate. The likelihood of obtaining top‐quality blastocysts decreased by 73% and 44% when comparing Group 3 embryos with those of Groups 1 and 2, respectively, (P < 0.03). Clinical validation of the results shows that while compaction from fewer than eight cells barely produced blastocysts for transfer, compaction at eight or more cells is crucial for implantation and birth (birth rates 11.1% and 18.5% for Groups 2 and 3, respectively). Conclusion: Cleavage stage at compaction has a direct effect on blastocyst quality and subsequent pregnancy, so can be included in newly developed deep learning models for embryo selection. Synopsis: Cleavage stage at compaction has a direct effect on embryo quality and subsequently on pregnancy outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: In in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles, the recommended dose of recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin (r-hCG), for triggering final follicular maturation is 250 µg, although there is some disagreement. Aims: The aim of our study was to assess the effect on the number of mature oocytes retrieved after triggering ovulation in IVF cycles using 250 µg or 500 µg of r-hCG. Settings and Design: Prospective, single-center, randomized study. Subjects and Methods: 100 women undergoing IVF with embryo transfer. The primary outcome measure was the total number of oocytes retrieved per follicle, number of mature oocytes, and number of embryos generated. The secondary outcomes included clinical and biochemical pregnancy rates and incidence of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Results: Mean number of oocytes retrieved (6.5 ± 4.0 vs. 6.4 ± 3.9, P = 0.3) and mean number of mature oocytes (4.0 ± 2.3 vs. 3.2 ± 2.3, P = 0.09) were similar in the two groups; however, mean number of oocytes retrieved per follicle was found to be higher with 500 µg r-hCG (67.4 ± 23.9 vs. 77.5 ± 23.3, P = 0.04). In the subgroup of poor responder women, there was a significant increase in the number of mature oocytes retrieved with double dose of r-hCG (2.2 ± 1.8 vs. 3.7 ± 1.9, P = 0.06), leading to improvement in fertilization and clinical pregnancy rates. Conclusions: Double dose of r-hCG for final follicular maturation in IVF cycles resulted in improvement in mean number of oocytes per follicle but did not result in improved pregnancy rates in the women. In the subset of poor responders, 500 µg r-hCG seems to be more advantageous than the lower dose, although larger randomized trials are needed to generalize this strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]