• International Journal of Stem Cells
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.260-268
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• 2023

Intrauterine adhesion (IUA) can occur after trauma to the basal layer of the endometrium, contributing to severe complications in females, such as infertility and amenorrhea. To date, the proposed therapeutic strategies are targeted to relieve IUA, such as hysteroscopic adhesiolysis, Foley catheter balloon, and hyaluronic acid injection have been applied in the clinic. However, these approaches showed limited effects in alleviating endometrial fibrosis and thin endometrium. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can offer the potential for endometrium regeneration owing to reduce inflammation and release growth factors. On this basis, MSCs have been proposed as promising methods to treat intrauterine adhesion. However, due to the drawbacks of cell therapy, the possible therapeutic use of extracellular vesicles released by stem cells is raising increasing interest. The paracrine effect, mediated by MSCs derived extracellular vehicles (MSC-EVs), has recently been suggested as a mechanism for their therapeutic properties. Here, we summarizes the main pathological mechanisms involved in intrauterine adhesion, the biogenesis and characteristics of extracellular vesicles, explaining how these vesicles could provide new opportunities for MSCs.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.68-69
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• 2007

A 44-year-old female underwent three-phase bone scintigraphy for an evaluation of right hip joint pain. The blood-flow and blood-pool images show a pelvic blush with a photopenic center (doughnut) prior to bladder filling. On the three hour delayed image, the pelvic uptake disappeared. The scintigraphic findings indicated the possibility of an early pregnancy. However, plain radiography demonstrated an intrauterine device. A uterine doughnut developed as a result of photon attenuation of intrauterine device.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.247-252
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• 2016

Objective: Heparin can modulate proteins, and influence processes involved in implantation and trophoblastic development. This study aimed to assess the improvement of clinical pregnancy and implantation rates after local intrauterine injection of low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) in patients undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Methods: A randomised case/control design was followed in women scheduled for ICSI. The study arm was injected with intrauterine LMWH during mock embryo transfer immediately following the ovum pickup procedure, while the control arm was given an intrauterine injection with a similar volume of tissue culture media. Side effects, the clinical pregnancy rate, and the implantation rate were recorded. Results: The pregnancy rate was acceptable (33.9%) in the LMWH arm with no significant reported side effects, confirming the safety of the intervention. No statistically significant differences were found in the clinical pregnancy and implantation rates between both groups (p= 0.182 and p= 0.096, respectively). The odds ratio of being pregnant after intrauterine injection with LMWH compared to the control group was 0.572 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.27-1.22), while the risk ratio was 0.717 (95% CI, 0.46-1.13; p= 0.146). No statistical significance was found between the two groups in other factors affecting implantation, such as day of transfer (p= 0.726), number of embryos transferred (p= 0.362), or embryo quality. Conclusion: Intrauterine injection of LMWH is a safe intervention, but the dose used in this study failed to improve the outcome of ICSI. Based on its safety, further research involving modification of the dosage and/or the timing of administration could result in improved ICSI success rates.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.337-341
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• 2007

This study determined the effect of postpartum intrauterine infusion of povidone-iodine solution on the subsequent reproductive performance in dairy cows. Six hundred and fifty-eight dairy cows that were around week 4 postpartum were randomly divided into two groups: (1) Cows in treated group received an intrauterine infusion of 100 to 150 ml 2% povidone-iodine solution (treated group, n=269), or (2) Cows that received no treatment were served as the controls (control group, n=389). The cows were bred at observed estrus more than 50 days after calving. Artificial insemination (AI) was done according to the a.m.-p.m. rule. The conception to AI was determined per rectum 60 days after AI by both ultrasonographical observation and manual palpation. The intervals from calving to first service and conception ($94.2{\pm}2.7$ and $144.1{\pm}4.1$ days vs. $88.0{\pm,}2.1$ and $143.5{\pm}4.6$ days, respectively), number of services per conception ($2.0{\pm}0.1$ vs. $2.1{\pm}0.1$), and cumulative pregnancy rates within 90 and 150 days postpartum (31.9 and 61.7% vs. 29.7 and 62.1%) did not differ between the control and treated groups (P>0.05), while conception rate at first service was lower (P<0.05) in the treated group (40.5%) than in the control group (49.4%). Additionally, we could not find any effect of intrauterine infusion of povidone-iodine solution according to cow parity or calving season on the reproductive performance. These results indicate that intrauterine infusion of povidone-iodine solution at week 4 postpartum does not affect the subsequent reproductive performance in dairy cows.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.300-317
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• 2020

Purpose: Hysteroscopy can be used both to diagnose and to treat intrauterine pathologies. It is well known that hysteroscopy helps to improve reproductive outcomes by treating intrauterine pathologies. However, it is uncertain whether hysteroscopy is helpful in the absence of intrauterine pathologies. This study aimed to confirm whether hysteroscopy improves the reproductive outcomes of infertile women without intrauterine pathologies. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of 11 studies retrieved from Ovid-MEDLINE, Ovid-Embase, and the Cochrane Library. Two independent investigators extracted the data and used risk-of-bias tools (RoB 2.0 and ROBINS-I) to assess their quality. Results: Diagnostic hysteroscopy prior to in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) was associated with a higher clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) and live birth rate (LBR) than non-hysteroscopy in patients with recurrent implantation failure (RIF) (odds ratio, 1.79 and 1.46; 95% confidence interval, 1.40-2.30 and 1.08-1.97 for CPR and LBR, respectively) while hysteroscopy prior to first IVF was ineffective. The overall meta-analysis of LBR showed statistically significant findings for RIF, but a subgroup analysis showed effects only in prospective cohorts (odds ratio, 1.40 and 1.47; 95% confidence interval, 0.62-3.16 and 1.04-2.07 for randomized controlled trials and prospective cohorts, respectively). Therefore, the LBR should be interpreted carefully and further research is needed. Conclusion: Although further research is warranted, hysteroscopy may be considered as a diagnostic and treatment option for infertile women who have experienced RIF regardless of intrauterine pathologies. This finding enables nurses to educate and support infertile women with RIF prior to IVF/ICSI.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.65-69
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• 1992

The sucess of intrauterine inseminations with washed human spermatozoa was evaluated in 92 patients. In according to indication of insemination, intrauterine inseminations of women with hostile cervical mucus yield a 35.3% and 12.8% with male factors and 27.3% with unexplained infertility. In ovulation induction group with variable agents including clomiphen, human menopausal gonadotropin (HMG) and GnRH analog, the pregnancy rate was 27.8% (22/79) and in natural cycle group, 15.4% (2/13). The fetal loss rate in insemination group was 12.5% (3/24). Multiple pregnancies were 7 cases and ovulation induction were performed in 6 cases among them. Intrauterine insemination with washed human spermatozoa therefore represents an effective and safe procedure selected infertile couples.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.57-63
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• 1993

From September 1988 to August 1992, two different methods of preparing human sperm before intrauterine insemination(IUI) were compared using the semen samples of seventy-three infertile couples. The sperms were prepared by a swim-up after sperm washing or by a continuous percoll gradient technique. Fourteen of 35 women conceived during IUI cycles using a sperm washing and swim-up method (40%), and 12 of 38 women conceived during IUI cycles using a percoll gradient technique(31.6%). Among the group with male infertile etiologic factor only, one of 5 women conceived during sperm washing and swim-up cycles(20%); one of 4 women conceived during percoll gradient cycles(25%). On the contrary, among the group with cervical factor only, six of 10 women conceived during sperm washing and swim-up cycles (60%) ; Five of 17 women conceived during percoll gradient cycles(29.4%). It is suggested that sperm separation by sperm washing ar -up is a useful technique for intrauterine insemination in cervical infertility, and sperm separation in percoll gradient appears to be more valuable for intrauterine insemination of male subfertility.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.89-94
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• 1991

Thirty five couples were treated by intrauterine insemination with sperm prepared by a washing and swim-up method. Fifteen women conceived(42.9%). Sperm washing and swim-up was found to significantly improve sperm motility for men of infertile couples and the increment of percent sperm motility after sperm preparation allowed significant differentiation of pregnant and nonpregnant patients in asthenozoospermia(submotile) group (p<0.01). The author suggest that the increment of percent sperm motility after sperm washing and swim-up could be a useful screening tool for in vitro procedure proposed to improve fertility in the intrauterine insemination of asthenozoospermia.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.158-166
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• 2017

Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to report the spontaneous pregnancy of Jokyung-san-gagam treatments on two infertile patients who were failed to in intrauterine insemination (IUI) by three times. Methods: Two patients, in this case, were who failed three times IUI were treated with Jokyung-san-gagam, acupuncture and moxibustion. Results: The two infertile women achieved spontaneous pregnancy after taking Jokyung-san-gagam without assisted reproductive technology. Conclusions: These cases suggest that Jokyung-san-gagam is effective in treating infertile female after failure in IUI and can be an effective option for patients who were failed in IUI. For further study, the clinical approach on infertile patients that is based on Korean medicine treatment including Jokyung-san-gagam would be sustained.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.335-339
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• 1994

Combined intrauterine and extrauterine pregnancy is rare, occuring 1 in 30,000 pregnancies. The early diagnosis of combined pregnancy is very difficult, and so there is a higher maternal morbidity and fetal loss. Recently the incidence of combined pregnancy is increased. We experienced a case of combined intrauterine and right tubal pregnancy, and this case was presented with a brief review of the literatures.