To save content items to your account,
please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies.
If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account.
Find out more about saving content to .
To save content items to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org
is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings
on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part
of your Kindle email address below.
Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations.
‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi.
‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Ovarian stimulation aims at the development of one or more of the ovarian follicles to reach the stage of maturity culminating in the release of one or more mature oocytes ready for fertilization. Ovarian follicular development is under the control of local factors inside the ovaries (most of it is poorly understood), as well as hormones produced from extraovarian sources, mainly pituitary gonadotropins. Other hormones may play a role in ovarian follicular development; the extent and details of such a role are not fully understood.
Human reproduction is the most basic of human functions and is the foundation of our very existence. When considering the bodily mechanisms involved, from the delicacy of the interacting endocrine network to the wonder of the cyclical changes in the ovary and uterus and the mechanism of sperm production, it is a constant source of amazement that the integration needed to produce another human being does not go wrong more often.
One of modern healthcare's most controversial areas, reproductive medicine is an emerging discipline that fosters hugely divergent opinions on topics such as laboratory techniques, clinical management and ethical considerations. Highlighting over 50 contentious topics in reproductive medicine, this book presents expertly argued opinions are presented for and against, often with diametrically opposing views about management. Debates such as these are being increasingly used as learning tools, helping participants develop their critical thinking skills and showing that context is vital when making decisions. Issues discussed include limits on IVF provision, ethical queries about sex selection, embryology, and ovarian stimulation. Authors are authorities in their field, combining years of experience with fresh and innovative ideas to structure their arguments. Readers will gain an insight into topical controversies, critically evaluating the different sides to enhance their own clinical practice.
This chapter reviews pharmacological agents with a focus on the clinical aspects of their use. There are two groups of pharmacological agents for ovarian stimulation: the first group includes injectable gonadotropins and the second group includes oral agents that are estrogen modulators. Enclomiphene is the more potent antiestrogenic isomer and the one primarily responsible for the ovulation-stimulation actions of clomiphene citrate (CC). It is important to stress the two main prerequisites for the success of CC ovarian stimulation: presence of reasonable estrogen levels in the body and an intact hypothalamic/pituitary axis capable of producing endogenous gonadotropins. Aromatase activity is present in many normal tissues, such as the ovaries, the brain, muscle, liver, breast tissue, as well as in pathological tissues such as malignant breast tumors. The short half-life of letrozole and absence of estrogen receptor antagonism result in a very favorable profile for infertility treatment compared with CC.
This chapter discusses the potential role of the new group of medications called aromatase inhibitors in assisted reproduction. When an aromatase inhibitor is applied during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COO), estrogen production per growing ovarian follicle has been found to be significantly lower than when aromatase inhibitors are not used. The use of aromatase inhibitors for in vitro maturation is an exciting application that can involve a brief aromatase inhibitor-induced rise in endogenous gonadotropin secretion leading to multiple ovarian follicles, followed by retrieval of immature oocytes. Both lowering supraphysiological levels of estrogen during COH and improving response to COH by enhancing endogenous gonadotropin production and increasing the ovarian follicular sensitivity to gonadotropin stimulation could be of benefit in particular groups of patients, for example, poor responders, endometriosis-associated infertility, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and survivors of estrogen-dependant malignancies, for example, breast cancer.