• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.253-260
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• 2004

Objectives: Klinefelter syndrome is the most common genetic cause of male infertility and presents with 47, XXY mainly or 46, XX/47, XXY mosaicism. It is characterized by hypogonadism and azoospermia due to testicular failure, however, sporadic cases of natural pregnancies have been reported. With the development of testicular sperm extraction (TESE) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), sperm can be retrieved successfully and ART is applied in these patients for pregnancy. It has been suggested that the risk of chromosome aneuploidy for both sex chromosome and autosome is increased in the sperms from 47, XXY germ cells. Considering the risk for chromosomal aneuploidy in the offspring, preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) could be applied as a safe and more effective treatment option in Klinefelter syndrome. The aim of this study is to assess the outcome of PGD cycles by using FISH for sex chromosome and autosome in patients with Klinefelter syndrome. Materials and Methods: From Jan. 2001 to Dec. 2003, PGD was attempted in 8 cases of Klinefelter syndrome but TESE was failed to retrieve sperm in the 3 cases, therefore PGD was performed in 8 cycles of 5 cases (four 47, XXY and one 46, XY/47, XXY mosaicism). In one case, ejaculated sperm was used and in 4 cases, TESE sperm was used for ICSI. After fertilization, blastomere biopsy was performed in $6{\sim}7$ cell stage embryo and the chromosome aneuploidy was diagnosed by using FISH with CEP probes for chromosome X, Y and 17 or 18. Results: A total of 127 oocytes were retrieved and ICSI was performed in 113 mature oocytes. The fertilization rate was $65.3{\pm}6.0%$ (mean$\pm$SEM) and 76 embryos were obtained. Blastomere biopsy was performed in 61 developing embryos and FISH analysis was successful in 95.1% of the biopsied blastomeres (58/61). The rate of balanced embryos for chromosome X, Y and 17 or 18 was $39.7{\pm}6.9%$. The rate of aneuploidy for sex chromosome (X and Y) was $45.9{\pm}5.3%$ and $43.2{\pm}5.8%$ for chromosome 17 or 18, respectively. Embryo transfer was performed in all 8 cycles and mean number of transferred embryos was $2.5{\pm}0.5$. In 2 cases, clinical pregnancies were obtained and normal 46, XX and 46, XY karyotypes were confirmed by amniocentesis, respectively. Healthy male and female babies were delivered uneventfully at term. Conclusion: The patients with Klinefelter syndrome can benefit from ART with TESE and ICSI. Considering the risk of aneuploidy for both sex chromosome and autosome in the sperms and embryos of Klinefelter syndrome, PGD could be offered as safe and more effective treatment option.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.243-251
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• 2005

Objective: Low-dose aspirin have been proposed to improving endometrial receptivity and pregnancy rate in COH-IVF by increasing endometrial perfusion. However, the effect of low-dose aspirin in COH-IVF could be negligible because there have been large quantity of other important factors responsible for changing endometrial perfusion accompanied by COH procedure. In contrast, in frozen-thawed embryo transfer cycles which were not accompanied by COH procedure, the effects of low-dose aspirin in endometrial blood flow seems to be more certain than in COH-IVF cycles. In this study, we analyzed the effect of low-dose aspirin treatment on implantation and pregnancy rates in patients undergoing frozen-thawed embryo transfer Methods: From January 2003 to December 2003, total 264 cycles from 264 patients who attended infertility clinic at Samsung Cheil Hospital were enrolled in this study. All cases included in this study, embryos were frozen and thawed at the pronuclear stage and three days after incubation, at least 2 or more good quality embryos were transferred into uterus. In study group, low dose aspirin (100 mg/day) was administrated from the first or second date of menstrual day to 9 days after embryo transfer. On the other hand, control group did not take any medicine except estradiol valerate for endometrial priming. Several variables including implantation and pregnancy rates were compared in both groups. After then, each groups were stratified by endometrial thickness checked at embryo transfer (ET) day such as (28 mm versus <8 mm) and same variables above described were compared between study and control groups. Results: The mean age, infertility duration, endometrial thickness at embryo transfer day and mean number of transferred embryo were not significantly different in both groups. Also, implantation rates (study group: 15.8%, control group: 20.5%) and pregnancy rate (study group: 45.1%, control group: 43.5%) were not significantly different between two groups. (p>0.05) After we analyzed same variables stratified by endometrial thickness checked at embryo transfer day, we could not found any significant difference between study and control groups. Conclusions: Low-dose aspirin treatment seems to have no advantage of improving implantation and pregnancy rates in patients undergoing frozen-thawed embryo transfer.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.139-145
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• 2016

Measurements of ovarian reserve play an important role in predicting the clinical results of assisted reproductive technology (ART). The ideal markers of ovarian reserve for clinical applications should have high specificity in order to determine genuine poor responders. Basal follicle-stimulating hormone levels, antral follicle count, and serum anti-$M{\ddot{u}}llerian$ hormone (AMH) levels have been suggested as ovarian reserve tests that may fulfill this requirement, with serum AMH levels being the most promising parameter. Serum AMH levels have been suggested to be a predictor of clinical pregnancy in ART for older women, who are at a high risk for decreased ovarian response. We reviewed the prognostic significance of ovarian reserve tests for patients undergoing ART treatment, with a particular focus on the significance of serum AMH levels in patients at a high risk of poor ovarian response.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.175-190
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• 2007

Purpose: Ovarian cysts are fluid-filled sacs or pockets within or on the surface of an ovary. Most cysts present little or no discomfort and are noncancerous and harmless. So non-surgical treatments with herbal medicine or acupuncture and moxa therapy are important and suitable in this pathology. But there are few RCT articles about ovarian cyst in Korean Medicine(KM) clinical and research field. Methods: To review treatment method and other research tendency about ovarian cyst in journals related with KM and Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) through web-searching. Searching was done through web site #http://omis.ksucc.ac.kr# and pub-med(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez) with key words #ovarian cyst#, #TCM#, #herb#, #CAM#, and #acupuncture#. Results: Seven articles were searched in journals related with KM, then six of them were simple case report and the other one was about diagnosis for ovarian cyst and another gynecologic disease such as uterine myoma and infertility through the iris diagnosis. And two articles were searched in journals related with TCM, then one of them was simple case report but the other is RCT article. Conclusion: KM and TCM therapies have some beneficial effect to resolve cyst, but objective power as a evidence is weak in the viewpoint of EBM. So continuous clinical trials such as RCT and multi center trials are needed.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.96-108
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• 2018

Purpose: This study the mediating effects of marital intimacy the relationship between depression and marital satisfaction of infertile women. Methods: 165 infertile women visiting a hospital in Gyeonggi-do and Busan, Korea from January 2016 to April 2016. The data was analyzed the SPSS WIN 22.0 program. Results: Depression, marital satisfaction, and marital intimacy averaged $1.51{\pm}.32$ (range of scale 0~3), $3.50{\pm}.56$ (range of scale 1~5), and $3.74{\pm}.65$ (range of scale 1~5), respectively. Depression had a negative correlation with marital satisfaction (r=-.361, p<.001) and marital intimacy(r=-.183, p<.001). Marital intimacy also had a positive correlation with marital satisfaction (r=.637, p<.001). Marital intimacy partial mediating effects between depression and marital satisfaction (${\beta}=.591$, p<.001). Conclusion: the intimacy of couple can alleviate the causal consequences that lead to a decrease in the marital satisfaction due to depression. Therefore, healthcare providers for infertile women should screen depressed women and help support infertile women from negative values for marriage depression. In addition, it is necessary to include interventions for maintaining and enhancing the intimacy of couples during infertility treatment.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.169-172
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• 2010

Retrograde ejaculation is a condition that causes male infertility. Infertiltiy treatment is usually based on assisted reproductive technology with the use of sperms recovered from the bladder after ejaculation. Many pregnancies have been tried by artificial intrauterine insemination with the husband's sperm recovered from voided urine. In this case, ovulation was induced by clomiphene citrate and human menopausal gonadotropin, pH and osmorality of urine was controlled by modified Ham's F-10 contained 10% serum substitute supplement and immediately semen collection, to improve sperm motility. We had experienced a successful pregnancy case by above method, and reported with brief review of literature as well.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.29-32
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• 2013

Objective: To investigate the influence of laparoscopic surgery on the natural conception rate in infertile women with endometriosis during the first year after the operation. Methods: We retrospectively studied 43 infertile women with surgically proven endometriosis. The natural conception rate was investigated for the 12 months after the laparoscopy. Results: The overall pregnancy rate was 41.9% (18/43). 66.7% (12/18) and 94.4% (17/18) of the patients conceived within postoperative 3 months and 6 months, respectively. The spontaneous pregnancy rate was not associated with the severity of endometriosis or laparoscopic findings or the type of surgery. The pregnancy rate for stage IV was relatively low (20.0%) compared to stage I, II, and III (35.7%, 44.4%, and 53.3%, respectively), although it did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion: Conservative surgical treatment with laparoscopy and a prompt attempt at natural conception may be effective for infertile patients with endometriosis.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.800-807
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• 2006

This study examined the possibility of using a tissue cultured root of wild Panax ginseng (tcwPG) as a fertility agent. The effect of tcwPG on spermatogenesis was studied using male rats. The tcwPG crude powder was administered orally to 7-week-old rats over a 6-week period. The number of sperm in the testes and epididymides was significantly higher than the control. A histological examination did not reveal any morphological changes in the testes from the tcwPG powder treated rats. Moreover, there were no significant differences in the weights of the heart, spleen, liver, kidney, brain, testes and epididymides. Oligospermia was also induced by administering 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodaibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) to the rats in order to estimate the feasibility of using tcwPG as treatment for infertility caused by spermatogenic disorders. After exposing the rats to TCDD, the tcwPG saponin fraction treated rats showed some improvement in the body weight, sperm number and testis morphology. It was estimated that tcwPG had feasibility as a therapeutic agent on spermatogenic disorder.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.174-182
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• 2015

Objectives : AMH (Anti-Müllerian Hormone) is considered a sensitive marker of ovarian reserve, and it tends to be included among basic fertility tests. This paper is to report four pregnancies which were achieved by subfertile women with low AMH level after Korean medical treatments. Methods : Four cases of pregnancy by subfertile women, aged 34 to 37, with low AMH level (0.04 to 0.76 ng/mL), after Korean medical treatments between July 2012 and May 2015, were analysed. The patients were diagnosed as Kidney deficiency (腎虛), Blood extravasation (瘀血) and/or Liver Qi stagnation (肝氣 鬱結). Herbal medicine, acupuncture, pharmacopuncture and moxibustion treatments were applied. Results : The four subfertile women with low AMH level achieved pregnancy after Korean medical treatments. Conclusions : The case report suggests that Korean medical treatment can be an effective option for subfertile women with low AMH level before Assisted Reproductive Technology.

• Journal of TMJ Balancing Medicine
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.24-34
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• 2019

It was observed in the Subfertility Cases that Customized yinyang Balance Appliance (CBA) and Balancing Upper Cervical Alignment Technique of functional cerebrospinal therapy (FCST) for meridian and neurologic yinyang balance are theraputic. Four Subfertility cases were managed with the CBA, combined with acupuncture and herb-medicine. The other cases were managed with the Balacing Upper Cervical Alignment Technique, combined with acupuncture and herb-medicine. Clinical outcome measurement was based on subjective measures and clinical observations. Patients showed positive changes in subjective symptoms after the treatment and these effects maintained over the follow-up period. And each patient gave a birth to a male/female child. Further clinical and biological research with FCST therapy on hormone-related disordres is expected.