• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• 제22권2호
• /
• pp.203-210
• /
• 1995

Many oocytes fail to fertilize and cleave in vitro and many embryos transferred back to uterus fail to implant or maintain implantation. Chromosomal abnormalities in the male and female gametes may contribute to this loss. The higher incidence of meiotic chromosomal abnormalities bas been found in oocytes than in sperm. The wide range of incidence of chromosomal abnormalities in unfertilized oocytes has been reported in human IVF program (26-63%). However, factors affecting chromosomal abnormalities are not well understood. The present study has been conducted to investigate effects of the method for ovarian hyperstimulation, women's age, and the number of oocytes retrieved per patients on the incidence of numerical chromosomal abnormalities. Five hundred eighty four unfertilized metaphase II oocytes were subjected to chromosomal analysis. Included unfertilized oocytes were from 220 patients (mean $age=32.7{\pm}3.0$) and three hundred thirty oocytes were legible for analysis. Two hundred fourty five oocytes out of 330 (73.3%) were normal, while 38 (11.5%) were hyperploidy, 35 (10.6%) were hypoploidy, and 12 (3.6%) were diploidy. Significant difference in chromosomal abnormalities was not found between two patient groups stimulated by follicular stimulating hormone/human menopausal gonadotrophin (FSH/HMG) (25.9%) and gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist/follicular stimulating hormone/human menopausal gonadotrophin (GnRHa/FSH/HMG) (28%). There was a tendency of increasing chromosomal abnormalities in unfertilized oocytes from older patients (<30 yrs: 20.3%, 30-34yrs: 26.9%, >34 yrs: 35.3%). The number of oocytes retrieved per patient had no effect the incidence of chromosomal abnormalities (1-5: 31. 4%, 6-10: 29.8%, 11-15: 28.6%, > 15: 16.5%). These results from the present study suggest that the chromosomal abnormalities observed in the unfertilized oocytes has not affected by the stimulation methods, patient's age, and the number of oocytes retrieved per patients.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• 제21권2호
• /
• pp.183-190
• /
• 1994

Purpose of the present study was to find the optimal culture conditions for the maturation and fertilization of immature oocytes by the use human body fluids and gonadotropins (Gn) in the mouse model. Cumulus-enclosed mouse immature oocytes were incubated in the medium containing various human body fluids with or without Gn in vitro, and examined to confirm nuclear maturation (NM) and fertilization. Female ICR mice were stimulated with 7.5 IU pregnant mares' serum gonadotropin (PMSG). Cumulus-enclosed immature oocytes were isolated at 48-52 hr post PMSG injection and cultured in TCM 199 supplemented with various concentrations (20, 50, and 70%) of human body fluids such as fetal cord serum (hCS), follicular fluid (hFF), peritoneal fluid (hPF) and amniotic fluid (hAF) in the presence or absence of 10 IU/ml PMSG and 10 IU/ml human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) for 18 hr. Fetal calf serum (FCS) was used as a control for the supplements. Matured oocytes were fertilized with sperm collected from the epididymis of male mice. Fertilization was conducted in T6 medium containing 15 mgl ml bovine serum albumin, and confirmed at 6 hr post-insemination. Evaluation of nucler maturation and fertilization was carried out by rapid staining using fuchin. There was no significant difference between the effects of human body fluids and FCS supplements on nuclear maturation of cumulus enclosed mouse immature oocytes. When maturation medium was supplemented with 20% hPF or 20% hAF, fertilization rates were significantly (P<0.01) lower than that of 20% FCS, hCS and hFF groups. However, higher concentrations of body fluids during IVM were not more beneficial on fertilizability of oocytes. The addition of Gn significantly increased the fertilization rates in hPF and hAF groups (hPF without Gn; 51.5%, compared with 85.1% for addition of Gn, and hAF without Gn; 30.1% compared with 85.8% for addition of Gn) at 20% concentration. These results suggest that human body fluids at 20% concentration and gonadotropins can be used as supplements for the maturation of mouse immature oocytes in vitro. When gonadotropins supplemented with the human body fluids in the maturation medium, fertilizability of mouse immature oocytes was increased in hPF and hAF groups. These results can be applied to maturation of human immature oocytes in vitro.

• 대한한의학방제학회지
• /
• 제31권3호
• /
• pp.193-201
• /
• 2023

본 증례에서 기형정자증과 난관 주위 유착이 동시에 있는 난임(難姙) 부부에게 각각 투여한 한약의 임신 효과가 확인되었다. 이 결과는 남녀 한편으로 원인을 특정하기 어려운 난임(難姙)의 진단상황에서 남녀 모두에게 한약의 병행(竝行) 투여는 남녀 생식 생리 기능을 보완하거나 배가하여 임신 효과를 나타낼 수 있는 적절한 치료방식이 될 수 있다는 것을 시사한다.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• 제29권2호
• /
• pp.129-138
• /
• 2002

Objective: This study was to compare the characteristics between parthenogenetic mES (P-mES) cells and in vitro fertilization mES cells. Materials and Methods: Mouse oocytes were recovered from superovulated 4 wks hybrid F1 (C57BL/6xCBA/N) female mice. For parthenogenetic activation, oocytes were treated with 7% ethanol for 5 min and $5{\mu}g$/ml cytochalasin-B for 4 h. For IVF, oocytes were inseminated with epididymal sperm of hybrid F1 male mice ($1{times}10^6/ml$). IVF and parthenogenetic embryos were cultured in M16 medium for 4 days. Cell number count of blastocysts in those two groups was taken by differential labelling using propidium iodide (red) and bisbenzimide (blue). To establish ES cells, b1astocysts in IVF and parthenogenetic groups were treated by immunosurgery and recovered inner cell mass (ICM) cells were cultured in LIF added ES culture medium. To identify ES cells, the surface markers alkaline phosphatase, SSEA-1, 3,4 and Oct4 staining were examined in rep1ated ICM colonies. Chromosome numbers in P-mES and mES were checked. Also, in vitro differentiation potential of P-mES and mES was examined. Results: Although the cleavage rate (${\geq}$2-cell) was not different between IVF (76.3%) and parthenogenetic group (67.0%), in vitro development rate was significantly low in parthenogenetic group (24.0%) than IVF group (68.4%) (p<0.05). Cell number count of ICM and total cell in parthenogenetic b1astocysts ($9.6{\pm}3.1,\;35.1{\pm}5.2$) were signficantly lower than those of IVF blastocysts ($19.5{\pm}4.7,\;63.2{\pm}13.0$) (p<0.05). Through the serial treatment procedure such as immunosurgery, plating of ICM and colony formation, two ICM colonies in IVF group (mES, 10.0%) and three ICM colonies (P-mES, 42.9%) in parthenogenetic group were able to culture for extended duration (25 and 20 passages, respectively). Using surface markers, alkaline phosphatase, SSEA-l and Oct4 in P-mES and mES colony were positively stained. The number of chromosome was normal in ES colony from two groups. Also, in vitro neural and cardiac cell differentiation derived from mES or P-mES cells was confirmed. Conclusion: This study suggested that P-mES cells can be successfully established and that those cell lines have similar characteristics to mES cells.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• 제23권3호
• /
• pp.311-318
• /
• 1996

Mycoplasmas have long been suspected of contributing to involuntary infertility in couples. However considerable disagreement exits concerning the role of genital mycoplasma infection in human infertility. Several investigators have noted abnormalities in the semen analysis of men with positive mycoplasma cultures, and early epidemiologic studies indicated that Ureaplasma urealyticum was linked to human reproductive failure on the basis of higher frequencies of isolation from infertile versus fertile couples and successful pregnancies in infertile couples after doxycycline therapy. However, subsequent investigators have questioned these findings because there are many studies in which treatment for mycoplasma in the male or female did not demonstrate an improved pregnancy rate, and semen samples from unexplained infertile men containing ureaplasmas have not revealed poorer motility, fewer spermatozoa and more aberrant forms. The objective of this study were to investigate the incidence rate of mycoplasma in semen and to investigate whether the presence of mycoplasma in semen makes significant difference to the semen volume, sperm motility and sperm counts. The results were that the rate of isolation of mycoplasma species was 70.3%. Semen volume is $2.84{\pm}1.01ml$ for culture negative and $3.15{\pm}1.42ml$ for culture positive group. Sperm motility is $46.23{\pm}15.80%$ for culture negative and $50.09{\pm}15.69%$ for culture positive group, and sperm count is $95.47{\pm}47.14({\times}(P)10^6/ml)$ for culture negative and $86.73{\pm}47.59({\times}10^6/ml)$ for culture positive group. In conclusion, we suggest that the presence of mycoplasma in semen makes no significant differences to the sperm parameters.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• 제51권3호
• /
• pp.268-275
• /
• 2024

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) on clinical outcomes among high-risk patients. Methods: This retrospective study involved 1,368 patients and the same number of cycles, including 520 cycles with PGT-A and 848 cycles without PGT-A. The study participants comprised women of advanced maternal age (AMA) and those affected by recurrent implantation failure (RIF), recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), or severe male factor infertility (SMF). Results: PGT-A was associated with significant improvements in the implantation rate (IR) and the ongoing pregnancy rate/live birth rate (OPR/LBR) per embryo transfer cycle in the AMA (39.3% vs. 16.2% [p<0.001] and 42.0% vs. 21.8% [p<0.001], respectively), RIF (41.7% vs. 22.0% [p<0.001] and 47.0% vs. 28.6% [p<0.001], respectively), and RPL (45.6% vs. 19.5% [p<0.001] and 49.1% vs. 24.2% [p<0.001], respectively) groups, as well as the IR in the SMF group (43.3% vs. 26.5%, p=0.011). Additionally, PGT-A was associated with lower overall incidence rates of pregnancy loss in the AMA (16.7% vs. 34.3%, p=0.001) and RPL (16.7% vs. 50.0%, p<0.001) groups. However, the OPR/LBR per total cycle across all PGT-A groups did not significantly exceed that for the control groups. Conclusion: PGT-A demonstrated beneficial effects in high-risk patients. However, our findings indicate that these benefits are more pronounced in carefully selected candidates than in the entire high-risk patient population.

• 가정과삶의질연구
• /
• 제25권6호
• /
• pp.1-13
• /
• 2007

The purpose of this study is to examine the college students' and married adults' perceptions of the current low fertility and their motivations of parenthood. It also verifies the gender differences in the numbers of planned children between male and female college students. The sample population included 100 unmarried undergraduate students and 100 married adults. The measurements included in the questionnaire were based on recommendations from the literature review. The major findings of this study are as follows: Women reported higher levels of traditional-normal and altruistic-emotional motivations of parenthood than men did. College students reported higher levels of motivations of parenthood to strengthen biological family ties than married adults did, while adults reported higher levels of martial bond-strengthening, traditional-normal, and gene-preservative motivations of parenthood than students did. College students attributed the current low fertility to the tight labor market and high costs of childbirth and rearing while married adults attributed to gender-discriminating traditional family norms, increasing infertility, and poor conditions of pregnancy and childbirth. Female and adult respondents took the social problems caused by the current low fertility more seriously than their counterparts did.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• 제14권1호
• /
• pp.29-35
• /
• 1987

Alternative methods were used in the field of infertility as the latest means for the treatment of misconception. Artificial insemination, which has been commonly used already, IVF-ET and GIFT are also used as artificicial method for conception presently. Appling such methods to the patient, following three categories should be considered; first, there should be an understanding and an agreement from the patient, second, if possible, reduce the cost of hospital expense and relieve physical and emotional problems of the patient, and third, increcrsing the pregnancy rate. Under these considerations, complication and pitfalls of artifical inseminations are a big burden to the physian and the patient. Though the conicicental complications are relatively very rare, detailed laboratoy tests, carefull examinations, and follow-up studies are necessary. In the distribution of the age groups, 40.3% was in the 25 to 29 years group, 30 to 34 years was 45%. 35 to 39 years was 8% and only 3.2% was above the 40 age groups. The range of infertile periods were from 1 to 17 years, and half of the patients were over 5 years, the other group 20% in 3 years and 2 to 4 years were 10%. Among 159 cycles of artificial insemination, there were complications such as infection(1.9%) and discomfort(5%) and abnormal bleeding (0.6%). During pregnancy, clinical abortion (1.9%) and toxemia (2.5%) were shown. Sex of new born infants were, male (68%) and female (31%). Fortunately, there were no cases of psychological complication and genetic abnormality. Indications of artificial insemination for male factors were aspermia (2.5%), azoospermia (28.8%), oligospermia (26.4%) and asthenozoospermia (1.8%), for female factors were irregular cycle (11.7%) and dysmucorrhea.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• 제24권3호
• /
• pp.301-309
• /
• 1997

본 연구에서는 체외수정, 난자내 정자 직접주입, 난자내 정자 두부 미두 주입 후의 핵과 미세소관의 변화를 관찰하였다. 핵과 미세소관의 움직임은 형광염색을 실시한 후 공초점주사현미경을 이용하여 관찰하였다. 체외수정에서 관찰된 바와 동일하게 정자를 난자에 직접주입 한 직후 정자 중편부에서 성상체가 형성되었고, 이 성상체에 의해 자성 웅성 전핵이 융합되는 것으로 관찰되었다. 그러나 난자내 정자를 직접주입하였을 경우 웅성전핵으로 발달하는 비율이 낮았다. 이는 주입된 정자가 원형질막과 perinuclear theca에 싸인 체 난자내로 들어가 난자내의 sperm nucleus decondensing factor와 정자 핵과의 반응이 억제되기 때문으로 생각된다. 정자 두부 만을 주입하였을 경우 성상체가 형성되지 않았지만 자성 웅성 전핵 사이 또는 그 주위에서 두터운 미세소관층이 관찰이 되었다. 따라서 소에 있어서는 정자의 중편부에 위치하여 microtubule organizing center (MTOC)의 역할을 하는 중심립 또는 중심체 없이도 모계에서 유래된 미세소관이 형성되어 이것이 전핵의 융합과 세포분열에 관여하는 것으로 생각된다. 정자의 미부 만을 주입하였을 경우 성상체가 형성이 되지 않았으며, 자성핵 사이에 형성된 미세소관과 떨어져서 관찰되었다. 따라서 주입된 정자의 꼬리는 미세소관형성과 관련이 없는 것으로 생각된다. 이러한 결과는 소에 있어서, 수정 시 정자로부터 유래되는 중심립 또는 중심체가 없이도 미세소관을 형성하여 미세소관에 의해 이후의 배발달이 정상적으로 일어남을 보여주고 있다.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• 제42권4호
• /
• pp.136-142
• /
• 2015

Objective: Smoking has been reported to harm nearly every organ of the body, but conflicting results have been reported regarding the effects of smoking on assisted conception. In this prospective cohort study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of positive urinary cotinine tests in infertile couples and whether cotinine positivity was associated with infertility treatment outcomes. Methods: A qualitative urinary cotinine test was administered to 127 couples who underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF, n=92) or intrauterine insemination (IUI, n=35). Results: The overall prevalence of positive urinary cotinine test was 43.3% (55/127) in the male partners and 10.2% (13/127) in the female partners with similar prevalence rates in both genders in the IUI and IVF groups. Semen characteristics, serum markers of ovarian reserve, and number of retrieved oocytes were comparable among cotinine-positive and cotinine-negative men or women (with the exception of sperm count, which was higher among cotinine-positive men). The results of urinary cotinine tests in infertile couples were not associated with IVF and IUI outcomes. Conclusion: The presence of cotinine in the system, as indicated by a positive urinary cotinine test, was not associated with poorer outcomes of infertility treatment.