Obesity and Infertility: A Metabolic Assessment Strategy to Improve Pregnancy Rate.

BACKGROUND: The metabolic global approach is a multidisciplinary intervention for obese women before undergoing assisted reproductive techniques, with the goal of improving fertility and decreasing adverse pregnancy outcomes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the metabolic global approach on pregnancy rate. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included 127 women and was conducted at the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal fertility center. Eligibility included BMI at initial consultation of ≥30 kg/m 2. Fertility treatments were considered when a weight loss of minimum 5% and normal metabolic indices were achieved. The p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Median baseline and last clinical assessment BMIs were 38.2 kg/m 2 and 35.8 kg/m 2 respectively (p<0.001), representing a median weight loss of 5.1%. At baseline, at least one metabolic parameter was abnormal in 66% of women. Total pregnancy rate was 53%. The majority of women (63%) who achieved pregnancy did so with weight loss and metabolic stabilization alone (11%) or combined with metformin (36%) and/or oral ovulation drugs (16%). Normal vitamin D (p<0.001) and triglyceride levels (p<0.05) as well as lower BMI after weight loss (p<0.05) were associated with an increased relative risk of pregnancy. CONCLUSION: Replete vitamin D status, weight loss of 5% and lower BMI as well as normal triglyceride level are significant and independent predictors of pregnancy in obese women presenting to our fertility center. The metabolic global approach is an effective program to detect metabolic abnormalities and improve obese women's pregnancy rate.

Detection of nascent and/or mature forms of oviductin in the female reproductive tract and post-ovulatory oocytes by use of a polyclonal antibody against recombinant hamster oviductin.

Oviductins belong to a family of glycoproteins that have been suggested to play several roles during the early processes of reproduction. Recently, a polyclonal antibody was raised against recombinant hamster oviductin (rhaOv(m)). Here the anti-rhaOv(m) antibody was used to investigate the sites of localization of oviductin in the female golden hamster. In the hamster oviduct, immunolabeling was restricted to the content of the Golgi saccules and secretory granules of the non-ciliated oviduct cells. After its release into the lumen, oviductin becomes associated with the zona pellucida of post-ovulatory oocytes. In unfertilized oocytes, oviductin was also detected in membrane invaginations along the oolemma and in some vesicles within the ooplasm. Furthermore, oviductin was detected over the microvilli and within multivesicular bodies of uterine epithelial cells. Western blotting analysis revealed the presence of oviductin in the hamster oviduct but not in the uterus or ovary. In the oviduct, the anti-rhaOv(m) antibody detected a polydispersed band corresponding to native oviductin (160-350 kD) and several lower molecular weight bands (<100 kD) corresponding to nascent and partially glycosylated forms of oviductin. The anti-rhaOv(m) antibody provides an additional tool for investigation into the cytochemical and biochemical properties of different forms of hamster oviductin in the female reproductive tract.

Evidence for the regulation of glycosylation of golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) oviductin during the estrous cycle.

The oviduct contributes to the reproductive environment by secreting various factors, including a family of glycoproteins termed oviductins. Although many studies have demonstrated that ovarian hormones modulate oviductin gene expression in several mammalian species, there has been controversy surrounding the regulation of golden hamster oviductin. The current study was undertaken to investigate the transcriptional and translational modifications of hamster oviductin during the estrous cycle. First, we verified that hamster oviductin mRNA expression remains constant throughout the estrous cycle by semiquantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. We then developed a polyclonal antibody against recombinant hamster oviductin (rhaOvm). The anti-rhaOvm antibody was subsequently used in conjunction with quantitative immunocytochemistry to investigate the oviductin levels in the hamster oviduct during the estrous cycle. Quantification of immunolabeling revealed a high, consistent level of glycoprotein throughout the estrous cycle. Therefore, it appears that the production of oviductin is not regulated differentially during the estrous cycle. Size variations in hamster oviductin expression were also investigated by Western blot analysis. The oviduct contains several forms of oviductin at each stage of the estrous cycle, the native glycosylated form(s) of 160-350 kDa, and several precursor forms of 70-100 kDa. Although variations in the intensities of the polydispersed band were not evident during the estrous cycle, additional bands ranging from 90 to 100 kDa were detected in the estrus, metestrus, and diestrus 1 stages. The results from the present investigations suggest that whereas ovarian hormones do not appear to influence the hamster oviductin mRNA and protein expressions, glycosylation of hamster oviductin appears to be differentially regulated during the estrous cycle.