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Shared motherhood IVF treatment is becoming increasingly accepted among assisted reproductive techique practitioners and patients in Europe, although data on its overall efficiency remain scarce. This 6-year retrospective study from a single, private, UK HFEA-regulated centre included consecutive lesbian couples (n = 121) undergoing shared motherhood IVF treatment (141 cycles). Recipients were more parous and had undergone more previous intrauterine insemination and IVF treatments than donor partners, who had slightly higher ovarian reserve markers than recipients. Indications in most cycles (60%) were non-medical. Most (79%) egg-providers were stimulated with gonadotrophin releasing hormone antagonist protocol, and no moderate or severe cases of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) arose. A total of 172 fresh and vitrified-warmed embryo transfers were carried out: 70% at the blastocyst-stage and 58% involved a single embryo. Cumulative live birth rate per receiver was 60% (72/120), and twin delivery rate was 14% (10/72). Perinatal outcome parameters were better for singleton than twin pregnancies, although the latter also achieved generally favourable outcomes. No significant difference in cumulative outcomes were found between synchronized and non-synchronized cycles. Shared motherhood IVF combines ovarian stimulation with single blastocyst transfer to provide a safe and effective treatment modality offering reassuring obstetrical and perinatal outcomes., (Copyright © 2017 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In vitro fertilization (lVF) has been associated with an increased risk of preterm delivery, caesarean delivery, low and very low birth-weight infants. The authors investigated the possible high risks of adverse health outcomes in infants conceived using IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The present study includes 443 infants born to 424 women who conceived naturally and 694 infants born to 536 women that had IVF or ICSI. The study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics at the Yu Huang Ding Hospital from 2008 to 2009. The main outcome measures were:gestational age, birth weight, mode of delivery, multiple pregnancy rates, and baby gender. The results showed significant differences between the neonatal and obstetric outcomes of IVF/ICSI and natural conception pregnancies. When referred to singletons only, there were no major differences seen in the neonatal and obstetric outcomes between the IVF and the control group.When the IVF group was divided into two sub-groups according to the patient's age (< 35 and > or = 35 years), there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in the observed outcomes.

Anovulatory women can prove extremely challenging patients in the fertility clinic, particularly if they are unresponsive to standard protocols of clomiphene citrate. Katayama and colleagues now report (in this issue) an intriguing option, which yielded surprisingly high success rates in 16 selected young (age <36years) patients. Very low-dose progressive stimulation (35 IU gonadotrophins per day for 7days, followed by 75IU per day for about 5days if necessary), combined with the direct transfer of unfertilized eggs and prepared spermatozoa, resulted in a birth rate of 50%. The authors note that, at the time of oocyte retrieval, no spontaneous ovulation had occurred in any patient., (2010. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)