Families formed through assisted reproductive technology: Causes, experiences, and consequences in an international context

Kuhnt, Anne-Kristin; Passet-Wittig, Jasmin

doi:10.1016/j.rbms.2022.01.001

Cited by 14 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 86 publications

(91 reference statements)

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“…Factors contributing to ovulatory disorders include polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endocrine disorders, maternal age, lifestyle and environmental factors [ 6 , 7 ]. Couples’ experiencing infertility often resort to Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) leading to 3.2 million ART cycles performed annually at a 10% annual growth rate, and more than 9 million babies born using this technology [ 1 , 8 ]. Still, improvements are needed, as the success rate for each cycle is only approximately 25% [ 9 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

DNA methylation, but not microRNA expression, is affected by in vitro THC exposure in bovine granulosa cells

Floccari,

Sabry,

Choux

et al. 2024

BMC Pharmacol Toxicol

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Background A global increase in cannabis use has led to questions about its effects on fertility. The rise in consumption amongst women of reproductive age is a growing concern, as this group is vulnerable in terms of reproductive health. Ample evidence suggests that the psychoactive component of cannabis, Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), interacts with the endocannabinoid system (ECS), that helps regulate mammalian reproduction. This study aimed to research the epigenetic effects of THC in bovine granulosa cells (GCs) by (1) investigating global DNA methylation via measuring 5-mC and 5-hmC levels; (2) measuring key methylation regulators, including the methylating enzymes DNMT1, DNMT3a, DNMT3b and the demethylases TDG and TET1/2/3; and (3) assessing fertility-associated miRNAs key in developmental competency, including miR-21, -155, -33b, -324 and -346. Methods Bovine GCs were used as a translational model for reproductive toxicity in humans. To determine THC effects, GCs were isolated from Cumulus-Oocyte-Complexes (COCs) from bovine ovaries, cultured in vitro for 7 days, or until confluent, and cryopreserved at passage 1 (P1). For experimentation, cells were thawed, cultured until passage 2 (P2), serum restricted for 24-h and treated for 24-h in one of five groups: control, vehicle (1:1:18 ethanol: tween: saline) and three clinically relevant THC doses (0.032, 0.32 and 3.2 μM). Global methylation was assessed by measuring 5-mC and 5-hmC levels with flow cytometry. To assess mRNA and protein expression of methylation regulators and miRNA profiles, qPCR and Western Blotting were utilized. Shapiro-Wilk test was used to determine normality within datasets. One-way ANOVA was applied to determine statistical significance using GraphPad Prism 6.0.0. Results Results indicate a significant decrease (p = 0.0435) in 5-mC levels following low THC exposure, while no changes were observed in 5-hmC levels. A significant increase in DNMT1 following high THC exposure at the RNA level (p < 0.05) and a significant increase following low THC exposure at the protein level (p = 0.0048) were also observed. No significant differences were observed in DNMT3a/3b, TDG, TET1/2/3 mRNAs or in any of the miRNAs analyzed. Conclusions This research suggests that THC mainly affects DNA methylation, but not miRNA profiles, ultimately altering gene expression and likely impairing oocyte competence, maturation, and fertilization potential.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

DNA methylation, but not microRNA expression, is affected by in vitro THC exposure in bovine granulosa cells

Floccari,

Sabry,

Choux

et al. 2024

BMC Pharmacol Toxicol

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“…Comparing couples who become parents through MAR to couples who conceive naturally offers a way to evaluate whether infertility and the mode of conception moderate partnership dynamics among parents. Despite the growing numbers of couples who are giving birth after MAR, previous research on partnership stability around and following childbearing has paid only limited attention to this pathway into parenthood (Barbuscia 2017;Guzzo and Hayford 2020;Kuhnt and Passet-Wittig 2022). This is an important gap in knowledge given that nearly 500,000 children are born after infertility treatments every year, and a total of 10 million such births have been recorded since the first IVF baby was born in 1978 (ESHRE 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is having children associated with higher partnership stability? A novel perspective on childbearing and involuntary childlessness after medically assisted reproduction

Pelikh¹,

Remes²,

Metsä‐Simola³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Existing evidence shows that couples with children have, on average, lower separation rates than childless couples. Establishing whether this association is driven by selection into parenthood or by childlessness status is complicated by the difficulties involved in identifying involuntarily childless couples. We propose advancing this debate by focusing on couples who remain involuntarily childless after undergoing medically assisted reproduction (MAR). Using data on Finnish nulliparous couples from the years 1995-2017 (N=149,884) and event history models, we compare the separation risks of couples who remained childless after MAR (N=3,871), who had a child after natural conception without MAR (N=167,962) or with a prior history of MAR (N=2,273), and who conceived through MAR (N=14,474). The results show that couples who remained childless after MAR had a substantially higher risk of separation than couples who had a child through natural or MAR conception. The higher risk of separation decreased with increasing time since the discontinuation of the MAR treatments, but persisted over the longer term. In contrast, we find no differences in partnership stability between couples who had a child after MAR or who conceived naturally. The results suggest that involuntary childlessness might be associated with an increased risk of separation.

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“…The number of fertility treatment cycles undertaken increases every year around the world ( Wyns et al , 2022 ). While medically assisted reproduction (MAR) accommodates new ways of forming families, the leading cause behind the rise in infertility is the increasing age of parenthood in high income countries ( Kuhnt and Passet-Wittig, 2022 ). The chance of conception is largely (female) age dependent ( Raymer et al , 2020 ), but many individuals and couples feel shocked by a diagnosis of age-related infertility and regret not having been educated about this earlier on ( Lee, 2019 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fertility education: recommendations for developing and implementing tools to improve fertility literacy

Martins,

Koert,

Sylvest

et al. 2023

Human Reproduction

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Many recent societal trends have led to the need for fertility education, including the age at which individuals become parents, the development of new reproductive technologies, and family diversity. Fertility awareness has emerged as a concept very recently and is increasingly gaining recognition. However, fertility education is often neglected as there is no consensus on the appropriate content, target populations, or on who should provide it. This article attempts to provide an overview of the use of interventions to improve fertility education. We emphasize the importance of delivering evidence-based information on fertility and reproductive health through various methods while providing guidelines for their standardization and systematization. Recommendations are provided to aid the development and implementation of fertility education tools, including: the establishment of a comprehensive understanding of the target populations; the incorporation of theories of behavioural change; the inclusion of the users’ perspectives and the use of participatory research; and the use of specific guidelines for increasing engagement. By following these recommendations, it is expected that fertility education resources can contribute to improving fertility literacy, empowering individuals and couples to make informed reproductive decisions, and ultimately reducing the incidence of infertility and need for fertility treatment.

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Families formed through assisted reproductive technology: Causes, experiences, and consequences in an international context

Cited by 14 publications

References 86 publications

DNA methylation, but not microRNA expression, is affected by in vitro THC exposure in bovine granulosa cells

DNA methylation, but not microRNA expression, is affected by in vitro THC exposure in bovine granulosa cells

Is having children associated with higher partnership stability? A novel perspective on childbearing and involuntary childlessness after medically assisted reproduction

Fertility education: recommendations for developing and implementing tools to improve fertility literacy

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