Journal of Reproduction & Infertility
Year:2011 | Volume:12 | Issue:1 (46)|Papers Count:8

It is already three decades since the birth of the first “test-tube baby” in 1978 and such methods have found their due place in most countries. In Denmark alone, more than 6% of children are born through assisted reproduction technologies (ARTs).In the United States, more than 50,000 babies are born through IVF annually and there are more than 4 million people born through such methods around the world...

Background: Active immunization against GnRH decreases the secretion of gonado-tropins and causes cessation of gonadal function, thereby, inducing infertility. Based on the immunoenhancing activity of Kamdhenu ark (distilled cow urine), this study was performed to evaluate its effects on the gonadosomatic indices (GSI) and sperm parameters in male mice receiving a GnRH contraceptive vaccine.Methods: Sixty adult male mice of Parke’s strain were divided into three groups of twenty. Group I served as the controls, while group II was immunized by GnRH-BSA conjugate (50/0.2/35 µg/ml/g BW) by four intraperitoneal injections at different inter-vals on days 1, 30, 60 and 90. However, group III was supplemented daily by oral Kamdhenu ark (100 ppm) along with GnRH-BSA immunizations. The animals were sacrificed after 30, 60, 90 and 120 days and their testis and epididymis were dissected outweighed and semen analysis was performed.Results: GSI values, sperm motility, sperm count and sperm morphology in male Mus musculus were decreased significantly in all the experimental groups as compared to the control group (p<0.01). Kamdhenu ark significantly enhanced the effect of GnRH vaccine on the aforesaid parameters especially in 90 and 120 days treated groups (p<0.05).Conclusion: The changes witnessed in sperm parameters suggested that the GnRH-BSA immunization suppressed the activities of gonadotropins and testosterone direct-ly through hypothalamo-hypophysial-gonadal axis and indirectly by acting on the testes which may modulate the sperm morphology, sperm count and motility. How-ever, Kamdhenu ark seems to have enhanced these effects because of its immune-modulatory properties too.

Background: Tuberculous endometritis is often a diagnostic dilemma for gynecologists in the evaluation of infertility. This study evaluated and compared different diagnostic methods in tuberculous endometritis.Methods: 100 infertile women were investigated for tuberculous endometritis. The endo-metrial samples obtained by curettage were evaluated by Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) staining of the smears for acid-fast bacilli (AFB), the samples were also cultured on Lowenstein-Jensen medium, and histopathological examination and nested PCR targeting ‘hupB’ gene (Rv 2986c in M. tuberculosis and Mb3010c in M. bovis) which can differentiate between M. tuberculosis and M. bovis were performed. Antibodies against 38-kDa and 16-kDa mycobacterial antigens were detected in serum using ELISA. Statistical analysis was done by online GraphPad Prism software, version 5.0. McNemar’s test was applied and Kappa agreement coefficient was calculated for agreement between various methods. A p-value < 0.05 was considered significant.Results: Among the 100 evaluated endometrial samples, one was AFB smear positive, none was positive by culture, four were positive by histopathology and 13 were positive by PCR. Of the 13 PCR-positive cases, 38.4% were positive for M. tuberculosis, 23.07% for M. bovis, and 38.4% showed co-infection with both species. 40% of the patients had raised IgG against M. tuberculosis 38-kDa antigen. McNemar’s test was applied to PCR and the conventional methods of TB diagnosis (AFB, Culture and histopathology) and the p-value was <0.001 (highly significant) for PCR. Detection by PCR showed a fair agreement with detection by Mantoux test and ELISA.Conclusion: In paucibacillary endometrial tuberculosis, the positive detection rate was found to be significantly higher for PCR compared to other methods. The ‘in-house’ nested PCR assay targeting the hupB gene and used in this study, can serve as a rapid diagnostic aid for tubercular endometritis. It can also differentiate between members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, namely M. tuberculosis and M. bovis.

Background: In recent years concerns have been raised about human reproductive disorders, specially the effects of environmental factors on human fertility and pregnancy outcome. Therefore, the present study was designed to assess the effects of maternal caffeine consumption on ovarian follicles development in rat offspring.Methods: 60 pregnant female rats were randomly divided into a control and two experimental groups. The rats in the two experimental groups received caffeine via drinking water during gestation (26 and 45 mg/kg) and lactation (25 and 35 mg/kg). The ovaries of the offspring were removed at 7, 14, 28, 60, 90 and 120 days after birth, and fixed in Bouin’s solution. By preparing serial tissue sections, structural changes in ovarian follicles and corpora lutea were studied during postnatal development.Results: The weight of ovaries decreased significantly (p<0.05) in the high dose caffeine-treated group at all stages of postnatal development. Significant (p<0.05) decreases were seen in the number of primordial follicles from day 7 to 120 after birth in the high dose caffeine-treated group. Moreover, the number of primary and secondary follicles decreased significantly on days 7, 14 and 28 as did the number of antral follicles on days 14 and 28 after birth (p<0.05) in the high dose caffeine-treated group. The diameter of secondary and antral follicles decreased significantly (p<0.05) in high dose caffeine-treated group on the early days of postnatal development. No statistically significant differences were seen in the number of corpora lutea between the groups.Conclusion: The present study shows that caffeine consumption during gestation and lactation affects the early stages of ovarian follicle development and reduces reproductive efficiency in the offspring of Wistar rats.

Background: This study evaluated the reproductive health rights, women empowerment and gender equity in a rural area of Bangladesh.Methods: Three hundred married women of reproductive age (15-49 years) in Meherpur District, Bangladesh were interviewed using a structured questionnaire and purposing sampling techniques. The logistic regression analysis was used to determine the dominating factors affecting reproductive health rights. To fulfill the objectives of the study the two main factors, age at marriage and family planning acceptance of the respondents, were regarded as the determinants.Results: The study results revealed that almost all the respondents were housewives (82.3%), one-third (31.0%) did not avail any modern facility, and their yearly income was very low. Moreover, about half of the women (52.7%) were very young (30 years), most of them (79.0%) had married early (<18 years) and about half of them (53.3%) had taken contraceptives based on their husbands’ choice. Finally, multivariate analysis identified the relationship between the profession of the respondents, yearly income, number of family members, and the availability of modern facilities with age at marriage (Model 1). The study also identified the relationship between the age of respondents, education, occupation, yearly income, and the total number of family members with family planning acceptance (Model 2). Conclusion: Regarding the results of this study, women’s reproductive health rights, marriage after the age of 18 and family planning acceptance among couples needs to be enhanced in Mehrpur District in Bangladesh.

Background: Recent advances in cancer treatment have resulted in an increased number of cancer survivors. Fertility might be impaired by cancer itself or through gonadal damage as a consequence of radio-chemotherapy. Damages to reproductive organs are seen in minimally up to 30% of cancer patients. The aim of the present study was evaluate the attitude of Iranian oncologists toward fertility preservation.Methods: Thirty oncologists filled an author-designed questionnaire which included five multiple choice questions at Mahak hospital, Tehran in 2009.  The data were collected and analyzed by SPSS 11.5 software.Results: More than half of the oncologists believed that radio-chemotherapy has destructive effects on reproductive organs. This study showed that as high as 67% of the respondants believed fertility preservation should be offered to all patients at risk, but 40% of them insisted that the patients should bring up the topic themselves. Only 46% of the oncologist knew about fertility preservation techniques. The greatest barriers for accepting fertility preservation by the parents of children undergoing cancer treatment were: lack of information (41%), hopelessness from treatment prognosis (33%), fear of delay in starting the treatment (15%) and the priority of child survival (11%).Conclusion: The specific challenges of counseling are time pressure between diagnosis and start of treatment, little knowledge about fertility preservation both by treating oncologists and parents; therefore a team consisting of oncologists, infertility special-ists and social workers is recommended in these settings.

Background: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is an uncommon disease that affects women in the last month of pregnancy or within the first five months postpartum, occurring in about 1 in 3500 live births. The disease bears potentially devastating effects both on mother and the fetus if not treated early in its course. Case Presentation: The case was a 34-year old woman with a triple pregnancy who presented to the ward immediately after cesarean section with signs of dyspnea, cyanosis and pulmonary edema. She was diagnosed with PPCM upon echocardiography. The patient improved remarkably despite the PPCM’s devastating complications. This case report aims to describe a female patient who developed PPCM after a triple delivery.Conclusion: Regarding the high risks of developing PPCM in subsequent pregnancies and avoiding multiparty, especially in older age, a reliable contraception in childbearing women would be helpful. The best prevention of PPCM is to avoid subsequent pregnancies.

Sperm cells are one of the most stellar and fascinating cells in all species. One of the most distinctive characteristic of these cells is their movement dynamics which can be observed through a light microscope. The first paper regarding sperm cell biology that appeared on PubMed was presented by Dr. W.F. Whitney. There, he showed the staining properties of spermatozoa and it was published in the Boston Society of Medical Sciences Journal in 1897...