• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• v.40 no.2
• /
• pp.83-89
• /
• 2013

Objective: To investigate outcomes of stimulated IVF cycles in which GnRH antagonist was omitted on the ovulation triggering day. Methods: A total of 86 women who underwent controlled ovarian hyperstimulation with recombinant FSH and GnRH antagonist flexible multiple-dose protocols were recruited and prospectively randomized into the conventional group (group A) or cessation group (group B). The GnRH antagonist, 0.25 mg/day of cetrorelix, was started when the leading follicle reached 14 mm in diameter and was continuously administered until the hCG triggering day (group A, 43 cycles) or until the day before hCG administration (group B, 43 cycles). The maturity of oocytes, fertilization rate, embryo quality, and implantation and clinical pregnancy rates were evaluated. Results: The duration of ovarian stimulation, total dose of gonadotropins, serum estradiol levels on hCG administration day, and number of oocytes retrieved were not significantly different between the two groups. The total dose of GnRH antagonist was significantly lower in group B than group A ($2.5{\pm}0.9$ vs. $3.2{\pm}0.8$ ampoules, p<0.05). There was no premature luteinization in any of the subjects. The proportion of mature oocytes and fertilization rate were not significantly different in group B than group A (70.7% vs. 66.7%; 71.1% vs. 66.4%, respectively). There were no significant differences in the implantation or clinical pregnancy rates. Conclusion: Our prospective randomized study suggested that cessation of GnRH antagonist on the hCG administration day during a flexible multiple-dose protocol could reduce the total dose of GnRH antagonist without compromising its effects on pregnancy rates.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
• /
• v.40 no.1
• /
• pp.187-195
• /
• 2000

The ejaculates from 67 HanWoo prove bull, bred in Livestock Improvement Main center of NLCF, were used to determine the correlation between the sperm motional characteristics and the pregnancy rate of artificial insemination(AI). The motional characteristics of sperm were analysed by Computer-assisted sperm analyser(CASA), thereafter inseminated equally 1,256 heads of cow regarding to parity, age, and live weight. There were no significant difference(p>0.05) in the pregnancy rate according to year from 1996 to 1998, but the LIN, ALH, STR, BCF, MAD and WOB of sperm in the year 1997, were highest pregnancy rate, were higher than those of sperm in the year 1998, were lowest pregnancy rate(p<0.05). The semen had no significant effect on pregnancy rate according to season(p>0.05). However spring, had a little higher pregnancy rate than that of autumn, were higher than autumn in VSL, VAP, LIN, ALH, BCF, MAD and WOB, but in DNM. The pregnancy rates of spring in the year 1996 and 1997 were higher than that of autumn in the year 1998(p<0.05). The spring in the year 1997, highest in pregnancy rate, were higher than the autumn in the year 1998 in VSL, VAP, LIN, STR, BCF, MAD and WOB, but in DNM(p<0.05). There were no the motion characteristic of sperm that was significant correlate with pregnancy rate of AI as the semen were analysed before artificial insemination and those, had some degree characteristics in motility, viability and abnormality, were used to AI. However there were a tendency that the higher the VSL, VAP, ALH, LIN, STR, BCF, MAD and WOB and the lower the DNM were, the higher the pregnancy rate of AI were.

• 대한생식의학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2003.12a
• /
• pp.119.1-119.1
• /
• 2003

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• v.39 no.1
• /
• pp.33-39
• /
• 2012

Objective: We devised a novel strategy, a GnRH antagonist protocol with a GnRH agonist trigger followed by frozen-thawed blastocyst transfers with long zona dissection (LZD). The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical outcomes of this new strategy according to age. Methods: Ninety women aged less than 35 (group A) and 32 women aged 35 to 39 (group B) underwent the GnRH antagonist protocol with a GnRH agonist trigger in order to obtain many oocytes and prevent early-onset ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). All oocytes were cultured to the blastocyst stage and all blastocysts grade 3BB or better were cryopreserved. Embryo transfers were only performed in freeze-thaw cycles to prevent late-onset OHSS and to overcome embryo-endometrium dyssynchrony. LZD was performed just after thawing to improve hatching and implantation rates. Results: The average numbers of retrieved oocytes and blastocysts grade 3BB or better were $12.8{\pm}5.5$ and $4.4{\pm}2.6$ in group A and $10.9{\pm}7.4$ and $2.5{\pm}2.2$ in group B, respectively, and OHSS did not occur in any of the women. Implantation rates were 46.7% in group A and 39.3% in group B. Cumulative clinical pregnancy rates per retrieval were 77.8% in group A and 62.5% in group B. Cumulative ongoing pregnancy rates per retrieval were 71.1% in group A and 53.1% in group B. Conclusion: GnRH antagonist protocol with GnRH agonist trigger followed by frozen-thawed blastocyst transfers with LZD can generate many blastocysts without OHSS and maximize cumulative pregnancy rates per retrieval. This strategy is more effective in young women aged less than 35 than in women aged 35 to 39.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.27-34
• /
• 1993

The present study was conducted to examine the reproductive performance of dairy cow at alpine area. 1,515 dairy cows were managemented at above 800m of sea level around the Dea-Gwan Ryeong in Kangweon-Do. The results at this study were as follows ; 1. The average first estrus was 105.0 days after pastruation. 2. The highest percentage ofpregnancy(26.4%) and parturation(27.6%) were obtained at September to November and June to August, respectively. 3. The rate of pregnancy was 61.0%. Pregnancy rates according to insemination times of 1, 2 and 3 were 60.8, 23.5 and 9.8%, respectively and insemination time per pregnancy was 1.64. 4. Ages of first inseminatin, pregnancy and parturition of heifer were 17.9, 18.6 and 27.7 months, respectively. 5. Time of postpartum pregnancy was 133.0 days after parturition, and pregnancy period and calving interval were 279.6 and 410.3 days, respectively. 6. Six ratio of offspring was 52.1% of female versus 47.9% of male, and the proportion of twins was 0.65%. 7. The proportions of normal parturition, stillbirth and abortion were 91.9, 2.2 and 5.9%, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
• /
• v.29 no.4
• /
• pp.589-599
• /
• 1989

A total of 13 synchronized dairy cattle(Holstein) were used to determine pregnancy rates in relation to plasma progesterone, estradiol-$17{\beta}$ levels and serum chemical values on the day of last $PGF_{2{\alpha}}$ injection and day of frozen/thawed bovine embryo transfer. The pregnancy rate of recipients with 1.0~4.0ng/ml of progesterone levels at the day of last $PGF_{2{\alpha}}$ injection was higher than that of recipients with below 1.0ng/ml or above 4.0ng/ml of progesterone levels. On the day of transfer, optimal progesterone levels were between 1.0ng/ml and 4.0ng/ml coinciding with a pregnancy rate of 88.9%. Pregnancy rate decreased when progesterone levels were below 1.0ng/ml(33.3%) or above 4.0ng/ml(0%). Corpus luteum grade did not affect pregnancy rate and this result revealed that manual palpation of corpus luteum was not valid criterion of corpus luteum function. Progesterone levels as well as pregnancy rate did not significantly differ whether the corpus luteum was on the right($1.62{\pm}1.33ng/ml$; 63.5%) or left ovary($1.99{\pm}0.61ng/ml$; 85.0%). Estradiol-$17{\beta}$ levels were not significantly different between pregnant and nonpregnant recipients, but estradiol-$17{\beta}$ levels($82.2{\pm}13.5$ VS. $72.3{\pm}10.1pg/ml$) were higher at below 1.0ng/ml of progesterone, and pregnancy rates(33.3 VS. 80%) tended to be lower than above 1.0ng/ml of progesterone. Total cholesterol levels on the day of last $PGF_{2{\alpha}}$ injection and day of transfer did not affect pregnancy rate. Calcium and inorganic phoshorus levels belonged to normal range in most of the recipients. These range did not affect pregnancy rate. In reviewing above results, plasma progesterone levels(1.0~4.0ng/ml) at the time of transfer are diagnostic value for screening recipients prior to transfer of frozen/thawed bovine embryos.

• Current Research on Agriculture and Life Sciences
• /
• v.4
• /
• pp.109-113
• /
• 1986

In order to study the changes of pregnancy rates according to the factors, age, season, repeated utilization, synchrony, of recipients (29 holstein heifers, one Korean native heifer and 3 holstein cows) were transfered one embryo (from morulae stage to advanced blastocyst) to each, and the results are as follows ; 1. The effect of age of recipient on pregnancy rate in cows and 18-24months of aged group are 100% and 78%, respectively. Under 14months of aged group recorded the worst, 67%. 2. In winter (Nov.-Jan.) and spring (Feb.-Apr.), the pregnancy rate were better than others 100%, 83%, respectively. In the autumn (Aug.-Oct.), it was only 50%, the worst. 3. Among 31 recipients which were utilized at the first, 25 were pregnanted (80.7%), but in the second utilization after the failure of the first transfering, 2 heifers, none of pregnancy was obtained. 4. Pregnancy rates related to synchronization of estrus between donor and recipients are;-(before donor)12hrs. (100%), -6hrs. (86%), +( after donor)6hrs. (67%), + 12hrs. (79%), and +over 12hrs. (50%), respectively. 5. Differences in the pregnancy rate of the recipients +over 12hrs. were significantly large, so in order to ger good pregnancy rate in embryo transfer, the differences of the synchronization must be reduced inner ${\pm}12hrs$. In general, recipients estrus before donor showed better pregnancy rate than estrus after donor.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.106-113
• /
• 2022

Objectives: Herbal medicine is a worldwide health topic. Vitex agnus-castus L. (VAC) is a popular plant used for gynecologic problems due to its hormonal effects. The aim of this study is to reveal VAC extract effect on fetus when this herb is used started from antenatal period or during pregnancy. Methods: Performed from starting day of January 2019 till February 2019, 48 rats were assigned in randomly divided eight-member six groups: control (C1), treated group with 365 mg/kg VAC from initiation of insemination (T1) and 30 days prior to pregnancy (T2), control that underwent caesarean section on 15^th day of gestational age (C2) and treated group with 365 mg/kg VAC from initiation of insemination (T3) and 30 days prior to pregnancy (T4) that underwent caesarean section. Weight, sex and number of fetuses, abortion and still birth rate and estradiol level were evaluated using t-test by SPSS software. Results: We showed increased weight among T1 group considering totally and sex-dependent which is significant (all p-value < 0.05). We also detected significantly decreased weight in T2 in total (p-value < 0.0001) and when considering female fetuses (0.043) but not males (0.17). Although the results showed slightly non-significant increased weight among fetuses of T3 (totally or based on the fetus sex) compared to the control group (C2), T4 group had statistically decreased weight compared to control group. Pregnancy rate and pregnancy outcome were affected by VAC usage. The time of VAC initiation also affected live birth and abortion rates. Conclusion: VAC extract may affect pregnancy rate, live birth rate, abortion and stillbirth rates. Its effect on the weight and the sex showed dual pattern depends on the time of initiation and pregnancy trimester of evaluation. Prescribing this medicinal plant for patients being prone to pregnancy should be with caution. Further study is recommended.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.211-220
• /
• 1995

Though the endometriosis is not always related with infertility, endometriosis causes infertility in some patients. There are many treatment modalities of infertile patients who have endometriosis. In recent years, Assisted Reproductive Technology(ART) have been widely accepted as being a useful tool for the treatment of infertile endometriotic patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the outcome of ART in infertile endometriotic patients who have been carried out IVF-ET from Jan, 1992 to Dec, 1994 and to compare the results between COH/IUI and IVF-ET in the patients with endometriosis stage I. Tubal disease only patients were grouped(308 patient, 956 cycles) as a control. Endometriosis group was subdivided into 4 groups according to American Fertility Society classification; endometriosis stage I (45 patients, 61 cycles), stage II (26 patients, 39 cycles), stage III (26 pateitns, 37 cycles), stage IV (33 patients, 50 cycles). The outcomes of IVF-ET in endometriosis patients were as follows; The oocyte recovery rates were significantly lower in stage III, IV endometriosis. In case of stage III endometriosis, the fertilization rate was significantly lower than other stages of endometriosis. Clinical pregnancy rates per cycle were not different between the tubal group(22%) and the endometriosis group(25%). According to endometriosis stage, the implantation rate and clinical pregnancy rate were significantly lower in stage IV (5.6%, 16%) compared with other stages (I; 10.0%, 26%, II;9.8%, 31%, III;12.6%, 32%). It suggests that some factor like autoantibodies may inhibit implantation of embryos in stage IV endometriosis. To evaluate the possibility that simply increasing the number of gametes at the site of fertilization might account for pregnancies attributed to IVF-ET, the authors retrospectively analyzed the outcome of couples undergoing IUI during hMG cycles and CC cycles between 1992 and 1994 in the women with endometriosis stage 1. In case of stage I endometriosis, though the COH/IUI group showed lower FSH level and lesser age profile than IVF-ET group, IUI group has resulted in lower pregnancy rates(19.2%) compared with the IVF-ET group(26.2%). In conclusion, endometriotic infertile patients can get comparable pregnancy rates with the tubal factor infertility patients during IVF-ET program. Moreover even in stage I endometriosis, IVF-ET may be an more effective treatment modality than COH/IUI.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.37-42
• /
• 2008

This study was performed to improve the pregnancy rates of recipients following transfer of bovine embryos produced in vivo. Superovulation response didn't showe significant differences between each season (4.18 in spring; 4.36 in summer; 5.50 in fall; 4.38 in winter). Pregnancy rate was significantly different (p<0.05) between fresh (43.4%) and frozen embryos (17.2%). In administration of hCG to recipients, the pregnancy rate of fresh embryos (45.7%) was slightly higher than that of control (35.3%), but the pregnancy rates of frozen embryos in control group (25.0%) was higher than that of hCG group (16.0%). When synchrony of recipient and embryo was -2, -1, 0 and 1, the pregnancy rates were 20.0, 45.0, 30.3 and 26.3%, respectively. The pregnancy rates of recipients synchronized by naturally or $PGF_{2{\alpha}}$, CIDR/$PGF_{2{\alpha}}$ and E/P/CIDR/$PGF_{2{\alpha}}$/E treatments were 35.3, 48.0, 29.0 and 40.0%, respectively. Gestation lengths and birth weights of female and male calf were 288 and 290.5 days, 28.3 and 30.0 kg, respectively. The results were showed that the superovulation response was not affected by seasons, and also pregnancy rate didn't increase by administration of hCG, synchrony of embryo and recipients, synchrony methods. Further study and concern should be focused on improving the embryo freezing and pregnancy rate for commercial embryo transfer.