Reproductive outcome after early-onset pre-eclampsia.

BACKGROUND: Early-onset pre-eclampsia is an important cause of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality and is believed to have a significant impact on future maternal physical and psychological health. However, structured follow-up data of women with a history of early-onset pre-eclampsia are lacking. This study aims to present comprehensive data of a large cohort of women with a history of early-onset pre-eclampsia with respect to future reproductive health, family planning and subsequent pregnancy rates. METHODS: A tertiary referral cohort of 304 women entered the follow-up study at 6-12 months after their first delivery. Detailed data on maternal and neonatal outcomes, family planning and subsequent pregnancies were recorded. In addition, data on perspectives, major concerns and decision-making of women who had not achieved a second pregnancy were collected by questionnaire and structured interviews. Data were compared with a population of 268 low-risk primiparous women with an uncomplicated delivery. RESULTS: At a mean of 5.5 years after first delivery, 65.8% of women with a history of early-onset pre-eclampsia had achieved a second pregnancy compared with 77.6% of healthy controls. At follow-up, 19.1% of women with a history of early-onset pre-eclampsia had an active wish to become pregnant, whereas 15.1% of women did not wish to achieve a future pregnancy. In the latter group, decision-making was most commonly influenced by fear of recurrent disease (33%) and fear of delivering another premature child (33%) among others reasons, e.g. post-partum counseling and concerns of the partner. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of women with a history of early-onset pre-eclampsia achieve or wish to achieve a second pregnancy within a few years of their delivery. Nonetheless, first pregnancy early-onset pre-eclampsia appears to have a significant impact on future reproductive health and decision-making, emphasizing the importance of careful post-partum counseling.

Role of semen analysis in subfertile couples.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the associations between the results of the male partner's semen analysis (classified according to the World Health Organization [WHO] criteria) and fathering a child without any treatment. DESIGN: Prospective multicenter cohort study. SETTING: Twenty subfertility centers in The Netherlands. PATIENT(S): A total of 3,345 consecutive couples presenting for subfertility. INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Associations between the results of the male partner's semen analysis, classified according to the WHO criteria, and fathering a child without any treatment within a time horizon of 1 year. Subsequently, we redefined semen quality criteria and reevaluated the associations. RESULT(S): Follow-up data of 3,129 couples (94%) were available, of which 517 (17%) had a healthy pregnancy without treatment. The 1-year pregnancy rate in men with WHO normozoospermia did not differ significantly from that in men with WHO impaired semen (24% vs. 23%). In contrast, we observed lower chances of fathering a child for sperm concentrations <40 × 10(6)/mL, total sperm count <200 × 10(6), and sperm morphology <20% normal forms. With a multivariable regression model based on the redefined male semen subfertility criteria we were able to make a finer differentiation between subfertile men, with probabilities of fathering a child ranging from 7% to 41%. CONCLUSION(S): The current WHO criteria for semen quality do not discriminate between fertile and subfertile men. Our redefined and graded semen criteria have strong predictive value. If interpreted correctly, the fast and inexpensive semen analysis remains the gold standard for defining a man's role in subfertility.

Follow-up of prolapse surgery in rural Nepal.

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a significant problem in Nepal. Surgical treatment is scarcely available and little is known of the results of POP surgery on women living under burdensome circumstances. The aim of our study was to set up a follow-up program in rural Nepal and evaluate POP surgery. In 2004 and 2006, 74 women with a POP from remote areas around Dhulikhel Hospital underwent prolapse surgery. Together with local contacts men, a plan was made to implement a follow-up program. All the operated patients were invited to a follow-up visit in March 2007. Thirty-three (45%) patients attended the follow-up: 85% (n = 28) found the effect of the procedure an improvement. A satisfactory anatomic outcome was found in 93% (n = 32). A remarkable finding was the reduction in physical labour after the surgical procedure in 50% of the follow-up cases. Some adjustments in the follow-up program may contribute to a higher participation.

Obesity and Clomiphene Challenge Test as predictors of outcome of in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

One hundred and sixty-two consecutive patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) or IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) were studied to determine the effect of obesity on the outcome of this treatment and to evaluate the prognostic value of the Clomiphene Challenge Test (CCT) in controlled ovarian hyperstimulation. In this prospective clinical study, we assessed the mean number of stimulation days, the mean gonadotropin level/day, cancellation rate, the mean thickness of the endometrium, the mean number of oocytes retrieved, the fertilization rate, the clinical pregnancy rate/embryo transfer and the abortion rate. Obese women had a doubled risk of cancellation due to poor response, although this was not statistically significant. Furthermore, they showed up to 45% lower fertilization rates compared to women of normal weight. The CCT was a good predictor of IVF and IVF/ICSI outcome. Women with an abnormal CCT needed more days of stimulation and higher doses of gonadotropins to reach an adequate stimulation, but still overall results were less than in women with a normal CCT. We conclude that obesity negatively affects IVF and IVF/ICSI outcome, and that CCT is a useful prognosticator of response to ovarian stimulation. Obese patients show a tendency to experience more cancellation due to poor response and lower fertilization rates. Obese women should be counseled on their possible poor performance in IVF and IVF/ICSI programs.