Endocrine Abstracts

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Sperm dysfunction is the single most common cause of infertility and affects approximately 1:15 men. Studies using semen assessment as the criteria for sub fertility (sperm concentration <20×106/ ml) show that 1:5 18 year olds are classed as sub-fertile. Thus, male sub-fertility is a very significant global problem and, what is most worrying, is that the recent reports suggesting that its prevalence is increasing. There is an urgent requirement to develop new a...

In the past decades postponement of childbearing has led to increased rates of age related female subfertility. Reproductive ageing in the female is almost exclusively based on changes in the ovaries. The decrease in follicle numbers and reduction of oocyte quality dictate the occurrence of menopause and natural loss of fecundity, respectively. The decline in fertility with age has been clearly shown in assisted reproduction technology (ART) programs. The rate of ovarian agein...

Historically, the sole desired outcome of IVF is that of a pregnancy. The worlds first successful IVF pregnancy was Louise Brown who was born in 1978. Over the last 34 years IVF has changed immeasurably, not only in becoming significantly more successful, but also that the desired outcome is now not just a pregnancy, but that of a healthy pregnancy both for mother and baby. Unusually in medicine, most patients requiring IVF are otherwise healthy, and therefore the notion of pr...