Conventional semen analyses are used to evaluate male factor fertility/infertility in humans and other animals. However, their clinical value remains controversial. Therefore, new tools that more accurately assess male fertility based on sperm function and fertilization mechanism are of interest worldwide. While protein markers in spermatozoa that might help differentiate fertile and infertile sperm have been identified, studies are in their infancy, and the markers require validation in field trials. In the present study, to discover more sensitive biomarkers in spermatozoa for predicting male fertility, we assessed protein expression in capacitated spermatozoa. The results demonstrated that cytochrome b-c1 complex subunit 2 (UQCRC2) was abundantly expressed in high-litter size spermatozoa (>3-fold). On the other hand, equatorin, beta-tubulin, cytochrome b-c1 complex subunit 1 (UQCRC1), speriolin, Ras-related protein Rab-2A (RAB2A), spermadhesin AQN-3, and seminal plasma sperm motility inhibitor were abundantly expressed in low-litter size spermatozoa (>3-fold). Moreover, RAB2A and UQCRC1 expression negatively correlated with litter size, while UQCRC2 expression positively correlated with litter size. Finally, the putative biomarkers predicted litter size in field trials. Our study suggests that biomarkers present in spermatozoa after capacitation can help differentiate superior male fertility from below-average fertility with high sensitivity.

Online educational information is highly sought out by patients with infertility. This study aims to assess patient-reported usage and helpfulness of fertility educational material on a clinic website and social media accounts.

The xenoestrogen bisphenol-A (BPA) is a widespread environmental contaminant that has been studied for its impact on male fertility in several species of animals and humans. Growing evidence suggests that xenoestrogens can bind to receptors on spermatozoa and thus alter sperm function. The objective of the study was to investigate the effects of varying concentrations of BPA (0.0001, 0.01, 1, and 100 μM for 6 h) on sperm function, fertilization, embryonic development, and on selected fertility-related proteins in spermatozoa. Our results showed that high concentrations of BPA inhibited sperm motility and motion kinematics by significantly decreasing ATP levels in spermatozoa. High BPA concentrations also increased the phosphorylation of tyrosine residues on sperm proteins involved in protein kinase A-dependent regulation and induced a precocious acrosome reaction, which resulted in poor fertilization and compromised embryonic development. In addition, BPA induced the down-regulation of β-actin and up-regulated peroxiredoxin-5, glutathione peroxidase 4, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, and succinate dehydrogenase. Our results suggest that high concentrations of BPA alter sperm function, fertilization, and embryonic development via regulation and/or phosphorylation of fertility-related proteins in spermatozoa. We conclude that BPA-induced changes in fertility-related protein levels in spermatozoa may be provided a potential cue of BPA-mediated disease conditions.

A woman's ability to achieve her preferred family size is critical in addressing issues of high fertility in sub-Saharan Africa. The socio-cultural context in sub-Saharan Africa presents some difficulty for the attainment of preferred fertility for many women. Few studies in sub-Saharan Africa have examined the extent to which women are unable to achieve their preferred family sizes. This study, therefore, examines the factors that are associated with the non-attainment of women's preferred fertility by the end of their reproductive years.

The implementation of early detection protocols and advanced treatment strategies has significantly improved survival outcomes for gynecologic cancer patients. The improvement of oncological outcomes has led to an increased attention toward Quality of Life issues, including the childbearing potential for young women. Traditionally the surgical treatment of cervical, endometrial and ovarian cancers involves the removal of the uterus and adnexa, irrespective of the impact on fertility and parenthood and regardless of patient desires. For young women affected by gynecological malignancies at an apparently early stage, fertility-sparing procedures could be offered. The aim of our review is to going through the available evidence in the Literature and to evaluate the current state of art regarding fertility-sparing procedures for women with gynecological malignancies in terms of oncological and fertility outcomes.

The development of any society depends on proper planning in various fields such as population and birth control. Fertility control is designed to create a level of population growth appropriate to the resources available and to ensure a good life. Receiving information and education is one of the basic strategies to change the attitude toward fertility and awareness in most people in society. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the effect of education on knowledge of fertility counseling and attitudes toward fertility control in health workers.

The TP53 gene, first described in 1979, was identified as a tumor suppressor gene in 1989, when it became clear that its product, the p53 nuclear phosphoprotein, was frequently inactivated in many different forms of cancers. Nicknamed "guardian of the genome", TP53 occupies a central node in stress response networks. The p53 protein has a key role as transcription factor in limiting oncogenesis through several growth suppressive functions, such as initiating apoptosis, senescence, or cell cycle arrest. The p53 protein is directly inactivated in about 50% of all tumors as a result of somatic gene mutations or deletions, and over 80% of tumors demonstrate dysfunctional p53 signaling. Beyond the undeniable importance of p53 as a tumor suppressor, an increasing number of new functions for p53 have been reported, including its ability to regulate energy metabolism, to control autophagy, and to participate in various aspects of differentiation and development. Recently, studies on genetic variations in TP53 among different populations have led to the notion that the p53 protein might play an important role in regulating fertility. This review summarizes current knowledge on the basic functions of different genes of the TP53 family and TP53 pathway with respect to fertility. We also provide original analyses based on genomic and genotype databases, providing further insights into the possible roles of the TP53 pathway in human reproduction.

The effect of chemotherapy exposure (CE) on ovarian function in young women with ovarian neoplasms undergoing fertility-sparing treatment (FST) remains unclear. We investigated whether CE is correlated with the outcomes (1) during-treatment and (2) post-treatment amenorrhea, (3) conception rate, (4) pregnancy outcome, and (5) spontaneous menopausal age.

Objective: To investigate the trend of changes in Age-Specific Fertility Rate (ASFR), Total Fertility Rate (TFR), and Cohort Fertility Rate (CFR) in rural areas of Fars province, southern Iran during 1988-2012. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted based on analyze fluctuations in fertility. Information about the number of births and mothers aged 15-49 years was collected. By calculating the ASFR, TFR, and CFR along with analyzing their patterns the trend of changes in fertility rate would be revealed. Finally, modeling and time series forecast of ASFR based on age groups was conducted using the SPSS software. Results: The TFR was estimated to be 4.21, 2.1, 1.76, 1.65, and 1.78 per thousand in 1992, 1997, 2002, 2007, and 2012, respectively. Moreover, CFR was 2.01, 1.54, 1.05, 0.54, and 0.13 for those born during 1972-1976, 1977-1981, 1982-1986, 1987-1990, and 1991-1995, respectively. Also the time trend of ASFR based on age groups showed a negative slope. Conclusion: The fertility followed a negative slope during 1992-2012, indicating their descending trend during these years. TFR = 2.1 was a standard population replacement rate in the societies. Therefore, continual decline of this rate during 1992-2012 could be a warning factor that requires planning for reform and precise evaluation.

Over the past decade, telomeres have attracted increasing attention due to the role they play in human fertility. However, conflicting results have been reported on the possible association between sperm telomere length (STL) and leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and the quality of the sperm parameters. The aim of this study was to run a comprehensive study to investigate the role of STL and LTL in male spermatogenesis and infertility. Moreover, the association between the sperm parameters and 11 candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), identified in the literature for their association with telomere length (TL), was investigated. We observed no associations between sperm parameters and STL nor LTL. For the individual SNPs, we observed five statistically significant associations with sperm parameters: considering a p < 0.05. Namely, ACYP2-rs11125529 and decreased sperm motility (p = 0.03); PXK-rs6772228 with a lower sperm count (p = 0.02); NAF1-rs7675998 with increased probability of having abnormal acrosomes (p = 0.03) and abnormal flagellum (p = 0.04); ZNF208-rs8105767 and reduction of sperms with normal heads (p = 0.009). This study suggests a moderate involvement of telomere length in male fertility; however, in our analyses four SNPs were weakly associated with sperm variables, suggesting the SNPs to be pleiotropic and involved in other regulatory mechanisms independent of telomere homeostasis, but involved in the spermatogenic process.

In vitro maturation (IVM) of human immature oocytes has been offered to women who are at risk of developing ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) caused by gonadotropin stimulation, such as PCO(S) patients or who have poor ovarian reserve. Cryopreservation of oocytes matured in vivo obtained in IVF cycles has improved after implementing the vitrification method and many successful results have been reported. Now, this procedure can be successfully offered to fertility preservation programs for patients who are in danger of losing their ovarian function due to medical or social reasons, and to oocyte donation programs. This vitrification technique has also been applied to cryopreserve oocytes obtained from IVM program. Some advantages of oocytes vitrification related with IVM are: (1) eliminating costly drugs and frequent monitoring; (2) completing treatment within 2 to 10 days (3) avoiding the use of hormones in cancer patients with hormone-sensitive tumors; and (4) retrieving oocytes at any point in menstrual cycle, even in the luteal phase. In addition, immature oocytes can also be collected from extracorporeal ovarian biopsy specimens or ovaries during caesarian section. Theoretically, there are two possible approaches for preserving immature oocytes: oocyte cryopreservation at the mature stage (after IVM) and oocyte cryopreservation at the Germinal Vesicle (GV)-stage (before IVM). Both vitrification of immature oocyte before/after IVM is not currently satisfactory. Nevertheless, many IVF centers worldwide are doing IVM oocyte cryopreservation as one of the options to preserve fertility for female cancer. Therefore, more studies are urgently required to improve IVM- and vitrification method to successfully preserve oocytes collected from cancer patients. In this review, present oocyte maturation mechanisms and recent progress of human IVM cycles will be discussed first, followed by some studies of the vitrification of human IVM oocyte.

The impact of inflammatory arthritis (IA) on male fertility remains unexplored. Our objective was to evaluate the impact of IA on several male fertility outcomes; fertility rate (number of biological children per man), family planning, childlessness and fertility problems.

What is the recommended management for women and transgender men with regards to fertility preservation (FP), based on the best available evidence in the literature?

Advances in multimodality cancer treatments have increased long-term survival rates for early onset cancer patients, with 5-year survival rates reaching 80% in Northern Europe. According to recent recommendations, clinicians should, as early as possible, inform cancer patients about the impact that cancer treatment may have on their fertility. Still, there is limited published data on fertility counselling (FC) and fertility preservation (FP) for cancer patients.

This panel study explored the effects of male, female, mixed, or idiopathic factor of infertility on the fertility quality of life (FertiQoL) in involuntarily childless males undergoing fertility workup for the first time. A convenience sample of 255 married males (age range = 22-51 years, mean = 30.24 years), 254 (99.6%) of whom suffered from primary infertility were assessed (1) at the baseline, before their initial fertility evaluation (T1); (2) before their second andrological appointment, 2-3 months after diagnostic disclosure (T2); and (3) before subsequent treatment-related/ follow-up appointments (T3, T4). The timing of psychological assessment was strictly related to andrological appointments and routine medical procedures. Respondents completed Emotional, Mind-Body, Relational, and Social subscales of the Polish version of FertiQoL and a baseline demographic survey. The research demonstrated that the FertiQoL scores across the Emotional, Mind-Body, and Relational subscales markedly decreased after the diagnostic disclosure, particularly in the subgroups with male and concurrent male and female factor. Social subscale scores in all subgroups remained stable after the diagnostic disclosure (at T2) but significantly decreased in the follow-up (at T3 and T4). Significant differences in FertiQoL scores associated with respondents' infertility factor could be demonstrated at each time point. The study identifies the FertiQoL in unintentionally childless males is significantly affected by their factor of infertility and evolves across the pathway of treatment-related/follow-up appointments.

Recent evidence indicates that reproductive-age people have inadequate fertility awareness (FA) concerning fertility, infertility risk factors, and consequences of delaying childbearing. However, no study has tried to summarize these studies and to clarify the variables associated with FA, namely the role of gender, age, education, and reproductive status on FA.

In the highly eusocial wasp, Vespula vulgaris, queens produce honest signals to alert their subordinate workers of their fertility status, and therefore they are reproductively suppressed and help in the colony. The honesty of the queen signals is likely maintained due to hormonal regulation, which affects fertility and fertility cue expression. Here, we tested if hormonal pleiotropy could support the hypothesis that juvenile hormone controls fertility and fertility signaling in workers. In addition, we aimed to check oocyte size as a proxy of fertility. To do that, we treated V. vulgaris workers with synthetic versions of juvenile hormone (JH) analogue and a JH inhibitor, methoprene and precocene, respectively. We dissected the treated females to check ovary activation and analyzed their chemical profile. Our results showed that juvenile hormone has an influence on the abundance of fertility linked compounds produced by workers, and it also showed to increase oocyte size in workers. Our results corroborate the hypothesis that juvenile hormone controls fertility and fertility signaling in workers, whereby workers are unable to reproduce without alerting other colony members of their fertility. This provides supports the hypothesis that hormonal pleiotropy contributes to keeping the queen fertility signals honest.

The usefulness of this review is to highlight how a fertility preservation (FP) approach is currently feasible for patients diagnosed with uterine cervical cancer. To this regard, a fertility sparing surgery has just overcome its traditional limits, gained acceptance within the major gynecologic oncology societies thanks to the ability to identify the "ideal" candidates to this conservative treatment. On the other hand, the use of other FPs for oocyte and ovarian cortex cryopreservation is still extremely debated. In fact, the existing risk of tumor spreading during oocyte retrieval necessary for oocyte cryostorage for patients' candidates for neo-adjuvant therapy, as well as the potential hazard of cancer cell dissemination after ovarian tissue replacement in cases of non-squamous type cervical carcinomas should not be underestimated. Therefore, in consideration of the encountered limitations and the need to ensure adequate reproductive health for young uterine cervical cancer survivors, translational research regarding the FP has progressively collected innovative insights into the employment of stemness technology. In this context, the property of ovarian stem cells obtained from the ovarian cortex to generate functional oocytes in women could represent a promising therapeutic alternative to the current procedures for a novel and safer FP approach in cancer survivors.

(1) Background: although most patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) undergo radical surgery, patients with early-stage disease, borderline ovarian tumor (BOT) or a non-epithelial tumor could be offered fertility-sparing surgery (FSS) depending on histologic subtypes and prognostic factors. (2) Methods: we conducted a systematic review to assess the safety and fertility outcomes of FSS in the treatment of ovarian cancer. We queried the MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Cochrane ("Cochrane Reviews") databases for articles published in English or French between 1985 and 15 January 2021. (3) Results: for patients with BOT, FSS should be offered to young women with a desire to conceive, even if peritoneal implants are discovered at the time of initial surgery. Women with mucinous BOT should undergo initial unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, whereas cystectomy is an acceptable option for women with serous BOT. Assisted reproductive technology (ART) can be initiated in patients with stage I BOT if infertility persists after surgery. For patients with EOC, FSS should only be considered after staging for women with stage IA grade 1 (and probably 2, or low-grade in the current classification) serous, mucinous or endometrioid tumors. FSS could also be offered to patients with stage IC grade 1 (or low-grade) disease. For women with serous, mucinous or endometrioid high-grade stage IA or low-grade stage IC1 or IC2 EOC, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and uterine conservation could be offered to allow pregnancy by egg donation. Finally, FSS has a large role to play in patients with non- epithelial ovarian cancer, and particularly women with malignant ovarian germ cell tumors.

Precise estimation of ram fertility is important for sheep farming to sustain reproduction efficiency and profitability of production. There, however, is no conventional method to accurately predict ram fertility. The objective of this study, therefore, was to ascertain proteomic profiles of ram sperm having contrasting fertility phenotypes. Mature rams (n = 66) having greater pregnancy rates than average (89.4 ± 7.2%) were assigned into relatively-greater fertility (GF; n = 31; 94.5 ± 2.8%) whereas those with less-than-average pregnancy rates were assigned into a lesser-fertility (LF; n = 25; 83.1 ± 5.73%; P = 0.028) group. Sperm samples from the outlier greatest- and least-fertility rams (n = 6, pregnancy rate; 98.4 ± 1.8% and 76.1 ± 3.9%) were used for proteomics assessments utilizing Label-free LC-MS/MS. A total of 997 proteins were identified, and among these, 840 were shared by both groups, and 57 and 93 were unique to GF and LF, respectively. Furthermore, 190 differentially abundant proteins were identified; the abundance of 124 was larger in GF while 66 was larger in LF rams. The GF ram sperm had 79 GO/pathway terms in ten major biological networks while there were 47 GO/pathway terms in six biological networks in sperm of LF rams. Accordingly, differential abundances of sperm proteins between sperm of GF and LF rams were indicative of functional implications of sperm proteome on male fertility. The results of this study emphasize there are potential protein markers for evaluation of semen quality and estimation of ram sperm fertilizing capacity.