Quality of life and psychosexual functioning of infertile women and men based on their specific diagnosis.

AIM: The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of a specific diagnosis of infertile women and men on their life quality and psychosexual functioning based on internationally validated questionnaires. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 853 couples seeking treatment for infertility completed the gender-specific batteries comprised of Fertility Quality of Life tool (FertiQoL), Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) in women, and Brief Sexual Function Inventory (BSFI) in men. Women were followed in the group of primary and secondary infertility and then with specific diagnoses - polycystic ovary syndrome, tubal factor, endometriosis, and idiopathic sterility. Men's categories reflected spermiogram results, i.e., normozoospermia, merged categories of milder disorders of a spermiogram (teratozoospermia, asthenozoospermia, oligozoospermia, and oligoasthenoteratospermia), oligoasthenoteratospermia (OAT) gravis, azoospermia, and when the man was not examined. RESULTS: When evaluating the quality of life in women, we found statistically significant differences between primary and secondary sterility. Primary infertile women scored worse especially in the social area. Worse assessment appeared also in mind-body (area evaluating affliction of the body). Emotional and relational domains included similar results in primary and secondary infertile women. With a specific diagnosis, statistically significant differences were not proved. Using the orientational cut-off score, FertiQoL stated that approximately 10% of women experienced adverse quality of life in relation to fertility. In the domain of sexual functioning, 30% of women demonstrated clinically significant dysfunctions. In men, respondents in the normozoospermic and non-diagnosed categories scored higher than those in the merged category and OAT gravis. Only 2% of men felt their quality of life was poor due to fertility, and clinically significant dysfunctions appeared only in 3% of them. CONCLUSION: In women, impaired fertility-related quality of life and psychosexual functioning are significantly linked to primary sterility, where specifically the social domain is affected. The impact of a specific diagnosis appears to be minimal. We found high levels of sexual dysfunctions in women. In men, we follow the link of evaluated quality of life in connection with their results of the spermiogram. With spermiogram defects, both areas of functioning can be affected.

Bloodless surgery and gynecological patients among Jehovahs Witnesses.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this research is to present our experiences with the surgical treatment of gynecological patients among Jehovahs Witnesses. Moreover, the medical, moral, and ethical problems in this regard have been highlighted. METHODS: 75 Jehovahs Witnesses patients were operated on for various benign and malignant gynecological diseases between 2007 and 2018. All of these patients were operated on according to the rules of blood-sparing surgery. RESULTS: The operations were assessed according to the dia-gnosis, mode of surgery, estimated blood loss, and disease outcome. Excessive blood loss did not occur during any of these operations, and the estimated blood loss for the same procedure was 10 to 550 mL. CONCLUSION: Jehovahs Witnesses gynecological patients is a group of high-risk patients because they refuse to undergo blood transfusion. Nevertheless, the principles of blood-sparing surgery should be applied to not only Jehovahs Witnesses patients but also to all patients in general. Even if a blood transfusion is the last resort to solve issues pertaining to excessive blood loss during complicated operations, the said procedure always carries certain risks. Therefore, blood transfusion should be performed only on rare occasions. Jehovahs Witnesses patients categorically refuse blood transfusion even if it is the only way to save ones life. Even though the legislation of the Czech Republic deals with this problem, there are other moral and ethical aspects that need to be addressed in this regard.

Selected immunohistochemical prognostic factors in endometrial cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to assess the immunohistochemical expression of p53, bcl-2, c-erbB-2, Ki-67, estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptors, matrix metalloproteinase-7 and -26 (MMP-7 and MMP-26) in endometrial cancer patients and to assess the relation between steroid receptor positivity and other markers. DESIGN: Experimental prospective study. SETTING: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Genetics, Department of Pathology, Palacký University Medical School and University Hospital Olomouc. METHODS: We studied 144 cases of primary untreated endometrial carcinoma in which the p53, bcl-2, c-erbB-2, Ki-67, ER, PR, MMP-7, and MMP-26 antigens were investigated with the use of immunohistochemical methods. We evaluated the correlations among immunohistochemical staining and the age, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, grading, depth of invasion, and metastatic spread to lymph nodes. RESULTS: Mean age was 65.7 years (range, 34-90 years). p53, bcl-2, c-erbB-2, Ki-67, ER, and PR were positive in 35 (24.3%), 100 (69.4%), 41 (28.4%), 65 (45.1%), 115 (79.8%), and 127 (88.1%) cases, respectively. Matrix metalloproteinases were evaluated in a group of 70 patients, wherein MMP-7 was positive in 33 patients (47.1%) and MMP-26 was positive in 40 patients (57.1%). The expression of MMP-7 decreased with higher patient age. p53 and Ki-67 overexpression was found to be related to poor differentiation. Immunostaining for bcl-2 correlated with the positivity of steroid receptors status, whereas immunostaining for c-erbB-2 correlated inversely with ER-positive group of cases. CONCLUSIONS: The overexpression of p53 and Ki-67 seems to indicate a more malignant phenotype, whereas bcl-2 expression in dependence of steroid receptor positivity could contribute to the identification of high-risk tumors.

Comparison of ultrasound with hysteroscopic and histological findings for intrauterine assessment.

INTRODUCTION: Hysteroscopy with biopsy is a common diagnostic and therapeutic method in gynaecology. Its use is preceded by ultrasound examination. The success rate of predicting intrauterine findings based on ultrasound has not been assessed in the Czech Republic for a long time. In the meantime, there have been technological improvements in ultrasound devices. METHOD: Patients indicated for hysteroscopy underwent ultrasound examination and their medical history was recorded. The percentage agreement between ultrasound and histopathological findings was assessed. The secondary goal was to find an easier way of describing ultrasound findings in gynaecological practice. RESULTS: The study comprised 255 patients. In 15 cases, endometrial carcinoma was confirmed by hysteroscopy and histopathological examination. Of these, malignancies were suspected based on previous ultrasound scans in 11 patients. In 95 cases, intrauterine polyps were detected. The success rate for predicting polyps by ultrasound examination was 65.1%. The agreement between ultrasound and hysteroscopic/histopathological findings was 72%. The secondary goal of making the description of the uterine cavity easier was not fulfilled. The prediction percentages for the criteria were low. The incidence of pathological findings in ultrasound findings labelled as anechogenic was 4.8%, suggesting a high negative predictive value. CONCLUSION: In spite of the better resolution of new ultrasound devices, their predictive value remains limited. Findings that are suspicious in ultrasound should be confirmed by hysteroscopy with biopsy.

Vaginal use of micronized progesterone for luteal support.A randomized study comparing Utrogestan® and Crinone® 8.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Luteal phase physiology is distorted by in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles using gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists and antagonists, Controlled ovarian hyperstimulation leads to luteal phase defect and for this reason, luteal phase support is now an integral part of IVF/ICSI-ET programs. The support is provided by hCG, progesterone or GnRH-a. This study compared the efficiency, safety and tolerance of two vaginal micronized progesterones, Utrogestan and Crinone 8%. METHODS: 111 women, 18-40 years old, FSH < 10 IU/L and normal uterus findings were included. The efficiency of the two preparations to provide luteal support was evaluated by the fertilization, implantation, pregnancy and take-home baby rates. The safety was compared through the results of vaginal findings and vaginal inflammation markers before and after treatment. Comparison of tolerance was made by evaluating 21 subjective patient questionnaire parameters. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the preparations in terms of efficiency or safety though Crinone 8% was better tolerated. CONCLUSION: The outcomes of this study suggest that a vaginal gel with micronized progesterone (Crinone 8%) is the optimal choice at this time for luteal support.

Selected pregnancy variables in women with placental abruption.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate risk factors for placental abruption and to determine if anamnestic variables such as inherited thrombosis or recurrent fetal loss might be used as a predictor for placental abruption. METHODS: A retrospective case-control study at the University Hospital, Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic. One hundred and eighty women with placental abruptio out of 20,175 deliveries (0.79 %) who were compared to 196 unselected pregnant women. A detailed anamnesis was taken. RESULTS: Compared to controls, women with placental abruptio had a 12-fold increased prevalence of prior recurrent fetal loss and a 6-fold increased prevalence of inherited thrombosis. CONCLUSIONS: We found that recurrent fetal loss, and inherited thrombosis may be significant risk factors for placental abruptio.

Systemic Inflammatory Response After Open, Laparoscopic and Robotic Surgery in Endometrial Cancer Patients.

AIM: To study inflammatory response and nutritional biomarkers in operated endometrial cancer (EC) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total 109 consecutive EC patients undergoing open laparotomy (LT), laparoscopic (LS) or robot-assisted surgery (RS) were studied. Twenty four patients served as controls. Pre- and postoperative levels of inflammatory and nutritional biomarkers were analyzed prospectively. RESULTS: The estimated blood loss was significantly lower in RS compared to all other groups. C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) correlated with each other and exhibited positive correlation with age, body-mass index (BMI), leukocyte count, platelet count, kynurenine, kynurenine/tryptophan ratio and urinary neopterin and a negative correlation with vitamin D and retinol. Hemoglobin, retinol, alpha-tocopherol, vitamin D and citrulline concentrations decreased and inflammatory biomarkers increased after surgery to a different extent in LT, LS, RS and control groups. CONCLUSION: The present data demonstrate a differential response to surgical trauma in patients with endometrial carcinoma.

A randomized, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging trial comparing fulvestrant with goserelin in premenopausal patients with uterine fibroids awaiting hysterectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the use of a new antiestrogen fulvestrant with goserelin in reducing uterine fibroid growth before hysterectomy. DESIGN: An international, multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled study. SETTING: Departments of obstetrics and gynecology. PATIENT(S): Premenopausal women (n = 307) diagnosed with uterine fibroids requiring hysterectomy. INTERVENTION(S): Over a 12-week period, patients received fulvestrant (50 mg, 125 mg, or 250 mg) as an i.m. injection, goserelin (3.6 mg) as a s.c. injection, or an injection-matched placebo once every 4 weeks. Patients underwent a hysterectomy at week 13. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Efficacy endpoints included changes in fibroid growth, endometrial thickness, and uterine volume. The excretion of urinary markers of bone resorption was also examined. RESULT(S): Goserelin significantly reduced fibroid growth and endometrial thickness compared with placebos. Fulvestrant did not significantly alter fibroid volume or endometrial thickness or change endpoints such as endometrial histology or vaginal bleeding. Fulvestrant was associated with fewer postmenopause-related adverse events than goserelin. Goserelin, but not fulvestrant, significantly increased markers of bone resorption. CONCLUSION(S): At doses equivalent to those used for the treatment of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, fulvestrant did not significantly inhibit fibroid growth and, of particular note, did not lead to bone resorption.

Frequency of selected thrombophilias in women with placental abruption.

OBJECTIVE: There is a growing view that inherited or acquired thrombophilia may predispose a woman towards an adverse pregnancy outcome. The aim of this study was to investigate whether risk factors for placental abruption because of such thrombophilias (such as carriership of factor V Leiden (FVL), prothrombin G20210A gene mutation and homozygous MTHFR C677T) might be used as a predictor for placental abruption. METHODS: A retrospective case-control study conducted at the University Hospital, Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic. One hundred and eighty women with placental abruption out of 20,175 deliveries (0.79%) were compared to 196 unselected gravidae. A detailed medical history was taken with special reference to factors related to hypercoagulation and blood was drawn for polymerase chain reaction analysis. The prevalence of FVL, prothrombin G20210A and MTHFR C677T was related to placental abruption. RESULTS: The heterozygous form of FVL was present in 20of 142 cases (14.1%) in the placental abruption group, compared to ten of 196 (5.1%) in the control group (odds ratio 3.0, 95% confidence interval 1.4-6.7). CONCLUSIONS: We found that factor V Leiden is a significant risk factor for placental abruption.