A systematic review focused on lubricant use and sperm quality: Improving human reproductive success by informing lubricants toxicity.

Lubricants play a pivotal role in human reproductive health, particularly concerning their impact on sperm parameters. In this systematic review, we assess the implications of both synthetic and natural or organic lubricants on sperm health and fertility, based on a compilation of 20 distinct studies. Synthetic lubricants, including K-Y Jelly, Replens, and Astroglide, predominantly containing ingredients like methylparaben and glycerin, have been linked to detrimental effects on sperm motility and chromatin integrity. Chemical characteristics, notably osmolality and pH, are central to understanding these effects. Despite the World Health Organization's osmolality recommendation of 380 mOsm/kg, many commercial products surpass this. Natural solutions offer varied results, while olive oil exhibits unfavorable effects on sperm health, egg white proves non-toxic, potentially benefitting sperm health. Conversely, Pre-Seed, widely endorsed in the research community, generally demonstrates minimal adverse impact on sperm. The review highlights the significance of lubricant selection in evidence-based reproductive strategies.

Mining of variables from embryo morphokinetics, blastocyst's morphology and patient parameters: an approach to predict the live birth in the assisted reproduction service.

Based on growing demand for assisted reproduction technology, improved predictive models are required to optimize in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmatic sperm injection strategies, prioritizing single embryo transfer. There are still several obstacles to overcome for the purpose of improving assisted reproductive success, such as intra- and inter-observer subjectivity in embryonic selection, high occurrence of multiple pregnancies, maternal and neonatal complications. Here, we compare studies that used several variables that impact the success of assisted reproduction, such as blastocyst morphology and morphokinetic aspects of embryo development as well as characteristics of the patients submitted to assisted reproduction, in order to predict embryo quality, implantation or live birth. Thereby, we emphasize the proposal of an artificial intelligence-based platform for a more objective method to predict live birth.