Week 2 RNU Lectures Flashcards
How common is infertility?
Roughly 1 in 7 heterosexual couples (can be as high as 1 in 3)
What is the definition of infertility?
1 year of unprotected vaginal intercourse in the absence of known causes of infertility in women of reproductive age
What is parity?
The number of times a woman has been pregnant
Under what age is the chance of a women conceiving better?
Under 35
What information is gathered in the history for ART/ infertility?
FEMALE
- female age
- parity
- date of last menstrual period + info on periods
- date and result of last smear
- past/ personal and family history - anything that points to infertility?
What information is gathered in the history for ART/ infertility?
MALE
- Age
- Occupation
- Children from any previous relationships
- Injuries (to genital region)
What lifestyle factors are gathered from both sexes?
- Smoking
- Alcohol
- recreational drugs
- STIs
- Driving
- Toxins, radiation - any cancer treatment
- Tight garments
- Weight - severely under or overweight can cause issues
What is the triad of reproductive physiology?
Ovary
Uterine tube
Uterus
What are the different groups of an irregular menstrual cycle?
- Group 1 - amenorrhea - low gonadotrophin and oestrogen activity
- Group 2 - ovulation isn’t happening (e.g. PCOS) but hormones are normal – they can be suitable for menstruation induction
- Group 3 - oocyte donation is often only option as the ovaries have stopped producing eggs
What issues could there be with the uterine tube?
- Hydrosalpinx • Chlamydia – can often go unnoticed - Pelvic adhesions - Pelvic inflammatory disease • Infection - Endometritis – inflammation/swelling
what is hydrosalpinx?
the uterine tube fills with fluid near the ovary and the blocked tube becomes distended and gives it a sausage shape – often bilateral – can destroy the egg or block the eggs passage.
What tests are done to check the uterine tube?
- Initial test will be to check for tubal patency
• HyCoSy – (hysterosalpingography)
• HSG (Hysterosalpingogram)
• Laparoscopy and dye test
What tests do most clinics do after the group of menstrual irregularity has been determined?
- FSH/LH
- Oestradiol
- Testosterone / DHEA /Free androgen index
- 17-hydroxyprogesterone (CAH)
- Thyroid function tests
- Sex hormone binding globulin
- Antral follicle count
- Anti-Mullerian Hormone
What is anti-Mullerian hormone a good indicator of?
a good indicator of ovarian reserve
What is the movement of healthy sperm described as?
Progressive motility - swims forward/ in the right direction
What are the reference values for healthy sperm?
semen volume - 15ml
- Total sperm number (million per ejaculate) = 39
- sperm concentration (million per ml) = 15
- Progressive motility (%) = 32
- Sperm morphology (normal %) = 4
- Vitality (live sperm %) = 58
What is oligospermia?
low sperm count
What is azoospermia?
The semen doesn’t contain any sperm
What happens if male infertility is suspected?
- Clinical examination to look for blockage
- CF screening/Y chromosome deletion/ karyotyping
- FSH levels
- IVF with ICSI (if sperm are available)
- Surgical sperm retrieval from testes or epididymis to use in ICSI
What is ICSI?
intracytoplasmic sperm injection
What are ART techniques?
- IVF
- Selective salpingography
- clipping/ salpingectomy
- IUI
- IVF with ICSI
What is a selective salpingography?
proximal tubal blockage – blocks uterine tube that is unhealthy
What is IUI?
intra uterine insemination – sperm put into uterus and hopefully healthy eggs will be fertilised
What is IVF?
In vitro fertilisation
When is IUI appropriate?
- Under 35
- Have functioning uterine tubes
- Mild endometriosis
- Single women
- Same sex couples
How is IUI carried out?
- Sperm (partner or donor) is washed and prepared
- Introduced via a catheter into the uterus at the optimum time
- Pregnancy test after 2 weeks
What are the steps of IVF?
- Ovarian stimulation hormone therapy
- Egg pick up
- Sperm preparation
- Egg fertilisation
- Embryo development
- Embryo transfer
What is ovarian hyperstimulation?
Hormones can be used to cause more than one dominant oocyte to be produced
How is ovarian stimulation carried out?
- Predict the patient’s response (age, antral follicle count, FSH levels)
- Suppression of the natural cycle – essentially put woman into menopause
• GnRH agonist or GnRH antagonists - Gonadotrophin (FSH) injections added gradually to stimulate growth of smaller follicles
• Close monitoring of serum oestradiol levels and follicular growth by ultrasound
How is ICSI carried out?
When the sperm count is not high enough, a single sperm is injected into the egg rather that in IVF when the sperms are left to fertilise the eggs naturally. The sperm is put near the nucleus of the egg
What are the risks of IVF?
- Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is a potentially serious complication of fertility treatment
• Mild, moderate and severe (1%) - Due to the administration of gonadotrophins
• Higher risk if women has PCOS, is under 30, multiple pregnancy - Can lead to an increased risk of pre-eclampsia
Where do the testes develop?
Beside the mesonephros as an intra-abdominal organ
Why must the testes descend?
Normal body temperature is harmful to spermatogenesis
What temperature do the testes require?
A temperature 2oC lower than normal body temperature
What anchors each testis at its upper pole?
A cranial suspensory ligament
What is each testis anchored to at its lower pole?
The gubernaculum
What are the cranial suspensory ligament and the gubernaculum derived from?
Urogenital mesentery
When do the testes arrive in the scrotum?
A few weeks before birth, sliding down the processus vaginalis
What is the processus vaginalis?
An extension of the peritoneal cavity accompanied by muscular and fascial layers of the body wall forming the inguinal canal
When does the abdominal phase of testicular formation take place?
Weeks 8-15
What makes up the walls of the inguinal canal?
Upper wall: 2 Muscles:
· internal oblique Muscle
· transverse abdominus Muscle
Anterior wall: 2 Aponeuroses:
· Aponeurosis of external oblique
· Aponeurosis of internal oblique
Lower wall: 2 Ligaments:
· inguinal Ligament
· lacunar Ligament
Posterior wall: 2Ts:
· Transversalis fascia
· conjoint Tendon
What condition is commonly found in the inguinal canal?
Hernias
What divides each testis into lobules?
The tunica albuginea
What forms the blood-testis barrier?
Sertoli cells
What do Leydig cells secrete?
Testosterone
What is the function of the spermatic cord?
Transmits important structures to and from the testis - vas deferens, arteries (testicular ductus and cremaster), pampiniform plexus of up to 12 veins, nerves (genital branch of the genitofemoral nerve), lymphatic vessels and the fibrous remnant of processus vaginalis
What is a varicocele?
basically big squidgy veins at the back of the testicle
What is orchitis?
caused by infection – big swollen testes
What is epididymitis?
swollen epididymis – infection – this can lead on to cause orchitis. (posterolateral border)