Association between the body mass index of women undergoing IVF and the gender of the offspring.

RESEARCH QUESTION: Is there an association between women's body mass index (BMI) and the gender of offspring generated from fresh or frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycles? DESIGN: Between 2018 and 2021, 2670 cycles were performed, comprising 786 fresh embryo transfers and 1884 FET cycles. The study analysed the relationship between the BMI of women undergoing IVF and the sex of the newborn and the male-to-female live birth ratio (secondary sex ratio [SSR]). RESULTS: After 2670 single-embryo transfers, 483 (50.31%) male and 477 (49.69%) female infants were born, with an SSR of 101.3. In the fresh embryo transfer group, the SSR ranged from 350 (95% CI 82.67-1481.65) in underweight women (although this was based on very small numbers) to 109.7 (95% CI 67.73-176.61) in overweight women, while in the FET group, SSR values varied correspondingly from 130.8 (95% CI 64.47-265.26) to 63.0 (95% CI 46.02-86.24). Results from Bayesian multinomial logistic regression showed that for each unit increase in BMI within the fresh embryo transfer group, the odds of a boy's birth decreased by 6% (odds ratio [OR] 0.94, 95% CI 0.90-0.99) and the odds of a girl's birth by 5% (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.90-0.99). Within the FET cohort, the odds of a boy's birth decreased by 4% (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.92-0.99), while the odds of a girl's birth increased by 3% (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.00-1.06). CONCLUSIONS: An increase in BMI is associated with the birth of fewer boys in fresh or frozen embryo transfer cycles, and a significant increase in the birth of girls in FET cycles.

Thyroid dysfunction during severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. A case report.

Thyroid disorders, both in women who wish to conceive and in gravidas, has become a topic of much interest to numerous researchers. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is a potentially life-threatening condition among women undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH). We present a case of thyroid dysfunction in severe OHSS in a patient diagnosed with subclinical hypothyroidism before COH. The dose of L-thyroxine (L-T4) was increased before the procedure in order to reach TSH levels below 2.5 mU/L, and from day 1 of the stimulation the dose of L-T4 was increased by 33%. The patient remained clinically and biochemically euthyroid until day 8 after the embriotransfer (ET). Then, the woman developed severe OHSS, with fluid in the pleural and peritoneal cavity and laboratory evidence of severe OHSS. Laboratory thyroid function tests revealed overt hypothyroidism. L-T4 dose was not increased due to serious clinical condition of the patient. Iodine supplementation was initiated instead. After the symptoms subsided, a period of clinical and laboratory euthyroid state was observed, followed by gestational hyperthyroidism. The L-T4 dose was reduced and iodine supplementation was temporarily ceased. The thyroid function stabilized, while maintaining the L-T4 and iodine supplementation, at 20 weeks of gestation. The patient gave birth by a caesarean section at 37 weeks of gestation and returned to the pre-pregnancy dose of L-T4. To the best of our knowledge, this has been the first report about a patient with thyroid dysfunction in severe OHSS in the Polish literature. On the basis of the presented case and a review of the literature on thyroid dysfunction in women undergoing COH and OHSS, we conclude that clinical signs and biochemical parameters need to be taken into consideration while making therapeutic decision in women with thyroid dysfunction in the course of OHSS. Also, further studies are necessary to elucidate the matter.

Numerical and Physical Simulation of MAG Welding of Large S235JRC+N Steel Industrial Furnace Wall Panel.

This paper presents the results of a study on the development of a Metal active gas (MAG) welding technology for an industrial furnace component made of steel S235JRC+N with respect to the minimizationof welding deformation. A numerical simulation of the welding process was performed in the first phase of the research. The numerical simulation was carried out with the SYSWELD software. For the numerical simulation of the welding process, the FEM method was used. In the simulation, four variants of restraint of the industrial furnace wall panel elements during the execution of the welding process were investigated. They differed in the number of restraints (model 1-4). It was found that the difference between the maximum mean strain in model 1 and the lowest mean strain in model 4 was only 11%. A physical simulation of the welding process was then performed with a restraint variant according to model 1. The displacement results obtained from the physical simulation of the welding process were compared with the displacement results from the numerical simulation. Discrepancies between numerical and physical simulation displacement values were found. The quality of selected welded joints was also evaluated. Visual testing (VT) and measurements of weld geometries were performed for this purpose. Metallographic tests and hardness measurements were performed to determine of influence of the welding process on the microstructure of the welded joint area, especially the heat affected zone (HAZ). The results obtained confirm the correctness of the assumptions made regarding the technology of manufacturing the furnace wall panels.

[Endometrial carcinoma during the IVF program]. / Ca endometrii w trakcie przygotowania do programu IVF.

The paper presents a case of abnormal endometrium proliferation detected during routine examinations before the final stage of the in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer program (IVF-ET). Diagnostic excochleation of the uterus histopathologically revealed Ca endometrium.