In conclusion, several studies indicate that there is an association between cigarette smoking and adverse reproductive outcomes in women as well as men. Some studies indicate that alcohol consumption impairs the reproductive capacity of women. Exposures to PCE in the dry cleaning industry, toluene in the printing business, ethylene oxide and mixed solvents have been associated with decreased fecundity. Abnormalities in sperm production have been found in men exposed to radiant heat or heavy metals. Environmental exposure to chlorinated hydrocarbons (e.g., DDT, PCB, pentachlorophenol, hexachlorocyclohexane) has been associated with an increase in rates of miscarriage and endometriosis. Clinicians should counsel patients who are trying to achieve a successful pregnancy to stop smoking and limit alcohol intake. Clinicians can additionally counsel patients who are in contact with potentially harmful occupational and environmental toxicants to limit their exposure. It is important to recognize, however, that many of the studies to date are limited by small sample size, poor exposure assessment, poor outcome measurements, recruitment bias, or recall bias. Additional studies will be necessary to clarify the magnitude of risk associated with these factors.
(1) Background: Adenomyosis is a poorly understood entity which makes it difficult to standardize treatment. In this paper we review and compare the currently approved medical and surgical treatments of adenomyosis and present the evidence behind them. (2) Methods: A PubMed search was conducted to identify papers related to the different treatments of adenomyosis. The search was limited to the English language. Articles were divided into medical and surgical treatments. (3) Results: Several treatment options have been studied and were found to be effective in the treatment of adenomyosis. (4) Conclusions: Further randomized controlled trials are needed to compare treatment modalities and establish a uniform treatment algorithm for adenomyosis.
Semen analysis (SA) poorly predicts male fertility, because it does not assess sperm fertilizing ability. The percentage of capacitated sperm determined by GM1 localization (“Cap‐Score™”), differs between cohorts of fertile and potentially infertile men, and retrospectively, between men conceiving or failing to conceive by intrauterine insemination (IUI). Here, we prospectively tested whether Cap‐Score can predict male fertility with the outcome being clinical pregnancy within ≤3 IUI cycles. Cap‐Score and SA were performed (n = 208) with outcomes initially available for 91 men. Men were predicted to have either low (n = 47) or high (n = 44) chance of generating pregnancy using previously‐defined Cap‐Score reference ranges. Absolute and cumulative pregnancy rates were reduced in men predicted to have low pregnancy rates versus high ([absolute: 10.6% vs. 29.5%; p = 0.04]; [cumulative: 4.3% vs. 18.2%, 9.9% vs. 29.1%, and 14.0% vs. 32.8% for cycles 1–3; n = 91, 64, and 41; p = 0.02]). Only Cap‐Score, not male/female age or SA results, differed significantly between outcome groups. Logistic regression evaluated Cap‐Score and SA results relative to the probability of generating pregnancy (PGP) for men who were successful in, or completed, three IUI cycles (n = 57). Cap‐Score was significantly related to PGP (p = 0.01). The model fit was then tested with 67 additional patients (n = 124; five clinics); the equation changed minimally, but fit improved (p < 0.001; margin of error: 4%). The Akaike Information Criterion found the best model used Cap‐Score as the only predictor. These data show that Cap‐Score provides a practical, predictive assessment of male fertility, with applications in assisted reproduction and treatment of male infertility.
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