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Abstract Background In natural cycles, women conceive when intercourse takes place during a six-day period ending on the day of ovulation. The current practice in intrauterine insemination (IUI) cycles is to perform the IUI 24-36 hours after the hCG administration, when the ovulation is already imminent. In this study hCG was administered after the IUI, which more closely resembles the fertilisation process in natural cycles. Methods All the IUIs performed since the beginning of 2007 were analysed retrospectively. Our standard protocol has been to perform the IUI 24-32 hours after hCG administration. From the end of 2008, we started to inject hCG after the IUI at random. The main outcome measure was the result of a urinary pregnancy test. Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) was used to identify independent factors affecting the cycle outcome. Results The analysis included 228 cycles with hCG administered before and 104 cycles hCG administered after the IUI. The pregnancy rates were 10.9% and 19.6% (P = 0.040), respectively. Independent factors (OR, 95% CI) affecting the cycle outcome were sperm count (2.65, 1.20-5.81), number of follicles > 16 mm at IUI (2.01, 1.07-3.81) and the time of hCG administration (2.21, 1.16-4.19). Conclusion Improved pregnancy rate was observed with administration of hCG after IUI.

Abstract Objective To evaluate whether endometrial or ovarian parameters as measured using 3D power Doppler ultrasound would predict the outcome in frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles. Methods Thirty women with no known gynecological pathology undergoing FET were recruited. The FET was carried out in the natural menstrual cycle 3-4 days after the first positive LH test result. Blood samples for hormonal analysis were collected, and three-dimensional (3D) ultrasonographic examination was performed on the day of the FET and repeated with analysis of the total hCG one week later. Results The demographic, clinical, and embryological characteristics were similar between the pregnant (15/30) and nonpregnant groups (15/30). There were no differences between the groups in endometrial/subendometrial thickness, volume, or vascularization index (VI). The endometrial triple-line pattern was more often present in the pregnant group on the day of the FET (93.3% vs. 40.0%, 95% CI 25.5-81.2%). No differences in the ovaries were observed on the day of the FET. At the second visit, the triple-line pattern was still more often present in those patients who had conceived (91.7% vs. 42.9%, 95% CI 18.5-79.1%), and their corpus luteum was more active as judged by the rise in 17-hydroxyprogesterone and estradiol levels. No differences were observed in the dominant ovarian vasculature. Conclusions According to our results, measurement of power Doppler indices using 3D ultrasound on the day of the FET does not provide any additional information concerning the outcome of the cycle. The existence of the triple-line pattern on the day of the FET seems to be a prognostic sign of a prosperous outcome after FET. The dominant ovary in the pregnant group seems to be already activated one week after the FET.

Background: We wished to investigate the correlation between a new Down screening marker ADAM12 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase-12) and pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) and free beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (fbeta-hCG) during the first trimester of pregnancy. Methods: ADAM12, PAPP-A and fbeta-hCG were measured in 225 serum samples of randomly chosen pregnancies with completely normal outcome. The samples were taken between pregnancy weeks 9+0 and 12+6. Results: The ADAM12 levels tended to increase with advanced gestational age and the highest levels were detected at pregnancy week 12. The ADAM12 levels correlated with PAPP-A levels. After weight correction and logarithmic transformation the multiples of median (MoM) of ADAM12 still correlated with the MoMs of PAPP-A and also with the MoMs of fbeta-hCG. Smokers had lower ADAM12 levels than non-smokers. Conclusion: The secretion of ADAM12 seems to resemble the secretion of PAPP-A in the end of the first trimester. Accordingly ADAM12 appears not to be a separate marker independent of PAPP-A. It remains to be assessed whether adding ADAM12 in Down screening risk calculation will reduce the false positive rate during the first trimester of pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]