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BACKGROUND: Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland and it has antioxidant properties. AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of melatonin on assisted reproductive technologies through a systematic review and a meta-analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Search strategies were used in PubMed and in other databases covering the last 15 years. After screening for eligibility, 17 articles were selected for the systematic review. For the meta-analysis statistics, two groups were formed, the treatment group (with melatonin) and the control group (without melatonin) for various assisted reproduction outcomes. RESULTS: The main results were that no statistical differences were found concerning the clinical pregnancy outcome (p = 0.64), but there was a statistical difference with respect to Mature Oocytes (MII) (p = 0.001), antral follicle count (p = 0.0002), and the fertilization rate (p ≤ 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Melatonin had beneficial effects such as the improvement in the fertilization rate, although the authors did not obtain significance in the clinical pregnancy rate.

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Non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) is the most severe form of male factor infertility. It results form from either primary or secondary testicular failure. Here, we report cases of two patients with NOA due to maturation arrest and increased serum FSH, treated with GnRH agonist and gonadotrophins. The two NOA patients underwent a pharmacological treatment consisting of pituitary desensibilization using a GnRH agonist and testicular stimulation using menotropin. Testicular stimulation started one month after the beginning of GnRH agonist treatment. The female partner underwent controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) followed by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). On the third day of the cycle, menotropin daily doses was administered. When at least one follicle ≥14 mm was visualized, pituitary blockage was performed using GnRH antagonist ganirelix. When three or more follicles attained a mean diameter of ≥17 mm, triptorelin acetate was administered to trigger final follicular maturation. Oocyte retrieval was performed 35 hours later. After treatment, male partner blood levels of the FSH, LH, decreased and total testosterone were increased. Spermatozoa was observed after semen collection in both cases. After COS, oocytes were retrieved and ICSI was performed. Embryos were biopsied for preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) and those considered euploidy were transferred resulting in positive implantation, ongoing pregnancy, and livebirth on both cases. In this report we present a successful strategy for hypergonadotropic hypogonadism AOA men, as an alternative approach to the surgical testicular sperm recovery. Nevertheless, prospective randomized trials are needed to confirm our findings.

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Assisted reproduction is a key aspect of modern animal breeding, providing valuable assistance in improving breeding programs. In this field, the administration of exogenous hormones, such as follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), plays a crucial role in the induction of multiple ovulations. However, commercial FSH used in veterinary practice has been derived primarily from pituitary glands, obtained mostly from pigs for nearly four decades. Although these hormones have contributed significantly to the advancement of assisted reproductive techniques, they have certain limitations that warrant further improvements. These limitations include contamination with luteinizing hormone (LH), the potential risk of pathogen contamination, the potential to trigger an immune response in non-pig species, and the short half-life in circulation, requiring the implementation of complex 8-dose superovulation schedules. Our research team has developed and characterized a new variant of bovine follicle-stimulating hormone (bscrFSH) to address these limitations. The new hormone is produced recombinantly in CHO cell cultures, with a specific productivity of about 30 pg/cell/day. The bscrFSH can be purified to a high purity of 97 % using a single step of immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC). N-glycan analysis of bscrFSH showed that approximately 74 % of the glycans corresponded to charged structures, including mono-, di-, tri-, and tetra-sialylated glycans. Superovulation trials conducted in cattle revealed that bscrFSH, administered at a total dose of about 0.5 µg per kg of body weight, using a decrescent schedule of 4 doses with 24-h intervals, resulted in an average yield of 8-12 transferable embryos per animal. Further research is required; however, the preliminary findings indicate that bscrFSH, currently packaged under the provisional brand name of Cebitropin B, holds potential as a commercial product for assisted reproduction in ruminants.

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OBJECTIVE: The safety of assisted reproductive technology can be assessed by examining birth weight as an outcome measure. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of endometrial thickness during embryo transfer on newborn birth weight and preterm labor. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study at the infertility department of a teaching hospital affiliated with a university of medical sciences. Eligible women were ≥18 years old and conceived a singleton pregnancy with embryo transfer and an endometrial thickness of ≥7 mm. None of the patients had diabetes, blood hypertension, and polycystic ovarian syndrome. We assessed maternal and newborn characteristics and perinatal pregnancy outcomes. RESULTS: In total, 100 eligible patients with a mean (SD) age of 32.8 (6.2) years were included. The mean endometrial thickness during embryo transfer was 9.1 (1.2) mm, and the mean birth weight was 3040.7 (565.3)g. There were no statistically significant associations between endometrial thickness and preterm labor (p=0.215) and between endometrial thickness and stillbirth or intra-uterine fetal death (p=0.880). However, after adjusting for confounding factors, the association of endometrial thickness with birth weight was statistically significant [b=124.6 (51.6), p=0.018]. CONCLUSIONS: Within the range of ≥7mm, endometrial thickness during embryo transfer is a predictor of newborn weight; however, it is not related to the risk of preterm labor, stillbirth, or intra-uterine fetal death.

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OBJECTIVE: This systematic literature review aims to assess the impact of COVID-19 on male fertility. DATA SOURCES: The study draws upon data extracted from PubMed, SciELO, and LILACS databases. STUDY SELECTION: The review incorporates cross-sectional studies, cohort studies, and clinical trials, encompassing investigations related to the subject matter. The studies included were published between June 2020 and March 2023, and encompassed content in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. Exclusion criteria encompassed review articles, case reports, abstracts, studies involving animal models, duplicate articles, and letters to the editor. DATA COLLECTION: Data extracted included the author's name and publication year, the number of patients studied, patient age, the presence of COVID-19 in semen, observed hormonal changes, and alterations in seminal quality. CONCLUSIONS: While hormonal changes and a decline in seminal quality were observed in COVID-19 patients, the virus itself was not detected in semen in the analyzed articles, which contradicts certain findings in the existing literature. It is essential to note that methodologies in the studies were diverse, and, due to the novelty of this infection, it is premature to definitively ascertain its long-term effects on male fertility or whether fertility can recover after a period of convalescence. This underscores the necessity for further research, utilizing more robust methodologies such as cohort studies.

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Following the advancement of medically assisted reproduction (MAR) technology, and the rationale to extend the culture to the blastocyst stage, performing elective single embryo transfer (eSET), gamete quality and assessment have acquired large relevance in ART. Embryo quality is strictly correlated with gametes quality and culture conditions. Oocyte maturity assessment is therefore imperative for fertilization and embryo evolution. Mature oocytes at the metaphase II stage result in a higher fertilization rate compared to immature oocytes. Indeed, oocyte morphology evaluation represents an important and challenging task that may serve as a valuable prognostic tool for future embryo development and implantation potential. Different grading systems have been reported to assess human embryos, however, in many cases, it is still a major challenge to select the single embryo to transfer with the highest implantation potential. Further, eSET has conferred a challenge to embryologists, who must try to enhance embryo culture and selection to provide an adequate success rate, whilst reducing the overall number of embryos transferred. Above the standard morphological assessment, there are several invasive or non-invasive approaches for embryo selection such as preimplantation genetic testing, time-lapse technology, proteomics and metabolomics, as well as oxygen utilization and analysis of oxidative stress in culture medium. This short review is not designed to be a comprehensive review of all possible features that may influence oocyte quality. It does give, however, a brief overview and describes the prognostic value of the morphological characteristics of human oocytes on their developmental capacity following ART treatments.

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Sperm capacitation involves biochemical and physiological changes that enable sperm to fertilize the oocyte. It can be induced in vitro under controlled conditions that simulate the environment of the oviduct. While extensively studied in mammals, its approach in lizards remains absent. Understanding the mechanisms that ensure reproduction is essential for advancing the implementation of assisted reproductive technologies in this group. We aimed to perform a sperm analysis to determine if capacitation-related changes were induced after incubation with capacitating media. Fifteen males of Sceloporus torquatus were collected during the early stage of the reproductive season. The sperm were isolated from the seminal plasma and then diluted up to a volume of 150 µL using BWW medium to incubate with 5% CO2 at 30 °C for a maximum duration of 3 h. A fraction was retrieved hourly for ongoing sperm assessment. The sperm analysis included assessments of its motility, viability, the capacitation status using the chlortetracycline (CTC) assay, and the acrosome integrity with the lectin binding assay to detect changes during incubation. We found that total motility was maintained up to 2 h post incubation, after which it decreased. However, sperm viability remained constant. From that moment on, we observed a transition to a deeper and less symmetrical flagellar bending in many spermatozoa. The CTC assay indicated a reduction in the percentage of sperm showing the full (F) pattern and an increase in those exhibiting the capacitated (B) and reactive (RA) patterns, accompanied by an elevation in the percentage of damaged acrosomes as revealed by the lectin binding assay. In mammals, these changes are often associated with sperm capacitation. Our observations support the notion that this process may also occur in saurian. While sperm analysis is a valuable method for assessing certain functional changes, additional approaches are required to validate this process.

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Although the term homosexuality was removed from the International Classification of Diseases and trans identities from mental disorders, these classifications promote the pathologizing of homosexuality. The direct consequence is discrimination, which adds to the difficulty in carrying out accurate information related to the LGBT population and makes it very difficult to organize public policies suited to their needs. An important issue is related to the limited access of that population to assisted reproduction techniques, when compared to traditional families. The desire for same sex couples and transgender persons to have biological children is reportedly the same as for cisgender persons, but parenthood can be a much greater endeavor both medically and psychologically for them. The right to health includes freedom to control one's health and body, including sexual and reproductive issues. Despite these difficulties, we are living in a period of great social progress that increases access to assisted reproduction among novel patient populations. With legalization of gay marriage, individuals and couples who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, may seek to begin or expand their families with assisted reproduction technologies. Therefore, the aim of this review was to assist in the restructuring of healthcare services, routines and procedures, mainly related to reproductive medicine, in order to promote changes in values based on respect for differences. In conclusion, the healthcare personnel of fertility centers should undergo specific training and preparations to meet the specific demands of the LGBT patient population and to overcome communication barriers.

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The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different concentrations of antifreeze protein (AFP) extracted from the larva of the beetle, Tenebrio molitor (TmAFP), on vitrification of in vitro-produced bovine embryos. In vitro-produced blastocysts were divided into three experimental groups and vitrified using a cryotop. TmAFP was added to the equilibrium solution (ES) and vitrification solution (VS) at a concentration of 0 ng/mL (control), 500 ng/mL (500TmAFP), or 1000 ng/mL (1000TmAFP). Vitrification was carried out by first placing the blastocysts in ES for 2 minutes (7.5% ethylene glycol [EG] and 7.5% dimethyl sulfoxide [DMSO]). The blastocysts were then transferred to VS (15% EG and 15% DMSO) and promptly deposited on a cryotop stem and submerged in liquid nitrogen. Warming was carried out in three steps with decreasing sucrose concentrations. After warming, the blast cells were cultured for 24 hours for subsequent survival analysis and ultrastructural evaluation. There was a significant difference in the survival rate and expansion in the 500TmAFP group compared with the other groups. The ultrastructural analysis revealed intracellular lesions in all vitrified embryos; however, the embryos of the 500TmAFP and 1000TmAFP groups showed fewer cytoplasmic lesions compared with the control group. Taken together, addition of TmAFP can mitigate cellular changes that involve organelles and cellular components essential for proper functioning and improve the viability of warmed and vitrified in vitro-produced bovine embryos.

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SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of seasons (winter vs. summer) on oocyte quality in infertile women undergoing ovulation induction for in vitro fertilization. METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional study assessed 155 cycles of in vitro fertilization-induced ovulation in women, with 71 and 84 cycles occurring in the summer and winter, respectively. Oocytes were evaluated for quality, with 788 and 713 assessed during summer and winter, and classified according to Nikiforov's categories: (a) category I, good quality; (b) category 2, medium quality; and (c) category 3, low quality. RESULTS: Thickened zona pellucida (p<0.001), increased perivitelline space (p<0.001), oocyte shape abnormalities (p=0.01), and the presence of refractile bodies (p<0.0001) were more frequent in the summer cycles, whereas cytoplasmic granularity (p<0.001) was more frequent in the winter cycles. In winter, we observed a higher frequency of category 3 (p<0.001) and category 2 (p<0.001) oocytes and a lower frequency of category 1 (p<0.001) oocytes. CONCLUSION: Oocyte dysmorphisms were found in 70-80% of cases and were more common in winter. The main features include a thickened zona pellucida, enlarged perivitelline space, irregular shape, and cytoplasmic granularity. This implies better-quality oocytes in the summer than in the winter. However, retrospective studies have limitations due to data collection biases and potential confounding variables such as diet and exercise. Future research is needed to confirm these findings and explore the underlying mechanisms.

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Abstract Background: Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland and it has antioxidant properties. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of melatonin on assisted reproductive technologies through a systematic review and a meta-analysis. Materials and methods: Search strategies were used in PubMed and in other databases covering the last 15 years. After screening for eligibility, 17 articles were selected for the systematic review. For the meta-analysis statistics, two groups were formed, the treatment group (with melatonin) and the control group (without melatonin) for various assisted reproduction outcomes. Results: The main results were that no statistical differences were found concerning the clinical pregnancy outcome (p = 0.64), but there was a statistical difference with respect to Mature Oocytes (MII) (p = 0.001), antral follicle count (p = 0.0002), and the fertilization rate (p ≤ 0.0001). Conclusions: Melatonin had beneficial effects such as the improvement in the fertilization rate, although the authors did not obtain significance in the clinical pregnancy rate.

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The elimination of pathogenic and infectious agents is desirable from both an animal welfare and scientific perspective. Furthermore, subclinical infections can increase the variability of experiments, which can lead to an increase in the number of animals used. Decontamination of mice can be accomplished primarily by embryo transfer, hysterectomy, medicated diet, or by cross-fostering neonates to foster mothers. Therefore, this work aims to describe techniques used to decontaminate colonies and the criteria to evaluated their choice, in addition to highlighting the importance of maintaining certified and controlled sanitary animals. This work is a literature review based on the search, through the adoption of methodological criteria, of scientific articles available in the databases: PubMed, Scopos and ScienceDirect. For this, the descriptors selected through the tool were used: “Descriptors in Health Science - DeCS”, comprising the following terms: rederivation, colony decontamination, embryo transfer, assisted reproduction and cleaning colonies crossed with each other using the Boolean operator “AND”. After bibliographical research, the different mouse colony decontamination techniques were subdivided into modules with information, guidelines and methodologies, to be used in production, maintainance and experimental facilities for creation, maintenance and scientific research. Therefore, it is concluded that the success of a decontamination program depends on the choice of technique according to the infectious agents found and their viability, as well as the implementation of continuous and effective monitoring of agents in colonies and the environment.

A eliminação de agentes patogênicos é desejável tanto do ponto de vista do bem estar animal quanto da perspectiva científica. Além disso, as infecções subclínicas podem aumentar a variabilidade dos experimentos o que pode acarretar no aumento do número de animais utilizados. A descontaminação de camundongos pode ser realizada principalmente por transferência de embriões, histerectomia, dieta medicamentosa ou por adoção cruzada de neonatos para mães adotivas. Dessa maneira, este trabalho tem o objetivo de descrever as técnicas utilizadas para descontaminação de colônias e os critérios a serem avaliados para sua escolha, além de ressaltar a importância da manutenção de animais sanitariamente certificados e controlados. Este trabalho trata-se de uma revisão de literatura baseada na busca, mediante a adoção de critérios metodológicos, de artigos científicos disponíveis nas bases de dados: PubMed, Scopos e ScienceDirect. Para isso, foram utilizados os descritores selecionados por meio da ferramenta: “Descritores em Ciência da Saúde - DeCS”, compreendendo os seguintes termos: rederivation, colony decontamination, embryo transfer, assisted reproductione e cleaning colonies cruzados entre si por meio do operador booleano “AND”. Após pesquisa bibliográfica, foram subdivididos em módulos quanto as diferentes técnicas de descontaminação de colônia de camundongos com informações, orientações, experimentações e metodologias, para serem usados em biotérios de criação, manutenção e pesquisas científicas. Dessa forma, conclui-se que o sucesso de um programa de descontaminação depende da escolha da técnica de acordo com os agentes infecciosos encontrados e a sua viabilidade, assim como a implementação de um monitoramento contínuo e eficaz dos agentes nas colônias e ambiente.

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Brazil follows the trend of countries that went from high fertility to below replacement level; in many countries, fertility rates continue to fall, often to levels well below population replacement, especially in Europe and Eastern Asia. Since 2006, Brazil has presented rates below the population replacement level, with regional variations. The shift to a pattern of late motherhood is central to understanding this phenomenon, as well as the increased use of reproductive technologies and the global market for assisted reproduction. Demand for services based on Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) has increased in European countries and the United States. Also, in Brazil, there is a growing demand for assisted reproduction services, which private clinics offer at a significantly high cost. This article provides an overview of these issues. It raises new questions and dimensions of analysis by problematizing the socio-demographic, legal, and ethical aspects of assisted reproduction, which need to be explored in future population studies.

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The establishment and maintenance of a pregnancy that goes to term is sine qua non for the long-term sustainability of dairy and beef cattle operations. The oocyte plays a critical role in providing the factors necessary for preimplantation embryonic development. Furthermore, the female, or maternal, environment where oocytes and embryos develop is crucial for the establishment and maintenance of a pregnancy to term. During folliculogenesis, the oocyte must sequentially acquire meiotic and developmental competence, which are the results of a series of molecular events preparing the highly specialized gamete to return to totipotency after fertilization. Given that folliculogenesis is a lengthy process in the cow, the occurrence of disease, metabolic imbalances, heat stress, or other adverse events can make it challenging to maintain oocyte quality. Following fertilization, the newly formed embryo must execute a tightly planned program that includes global DNA remodeling, activation of the embryonic genome, and cell fate decisions to form a blastocyst within a few days and cell divisions. The increasing use of assisted reproductive technologies creates an additional layer of complexity to ensure the highest oocyte and embryo quality given that in vitro systems do not faithfully recreate the physiological maternal environment. In this review, we discuss cellular and molecular factors and events known to be crucial for proper oocyte development and maturation, as well as adverse events that may negatively affect the oocyte; and the importance of the uterine environment, including signaling proteins in the maternal-embryonic interactions that ensure proper embryo development. We also discuss the impact of assisted reproductive technologies in oocyte and embryo quality and developmental potential, and considerations when looking into the prospects for developing systems that allow for in vitro gametogenesis as a tool for assisted reproduction in cattle.

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Advancements in assisted reproduction (AR) methodologies have allowed significant improvements in live birth rates of women who otherwise would not be able to conceive. One of the tools that allowed this improvement is the possibility of embryo selection based on genetic status, performed via preimplantation genetic testing (PGT). Even though the widespread use of PGT from TE biopsy helped to decrease the interval from the beginning of the AR intervention to pregnancy, especially in older patients, in AR, there are still many concerns about the application of this invasive methodology in all cycles. Therefore, recently, researchers started to study the use of cell free DNA (cfDNA) released by the blastocyst in its culture medium to perform PGT, in a method called non-invasive PGT (niPGT). The development of a niPGT would bring the diagnostics power of conventional PGT, but with the advantage of being potentially less harmful to the embryo. Its implementation in clinical practice, however, is under heavy discussion since there are many unknowns about the technique, such as the origin of the cfDNA or if this genetic material is a true representative of the actual ploidy status of the embryo. Available data indicates that there is high correspondence between results observed in TE biopsies and the ones observed from cfDNA, but these results are still contradictory and highly debatable. In the present review, the advantages and disadvantages of niPGT are presented and discussed in relation to tradition TE biopsy-based PGT. Furthermore, there are also presented some other possible non-invasive tools that could be applied in the selection of the best embryo, such as quantification of other molecules as quality biomarkers, or the use artificial intelligence (AI) to identify the best embryos based on morphological and/or morphokitetic parameters.

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BACKGROUND: Infertility is an increasingly prevalent disease in society and is considered by the World Health Organization to be a public health problem. An important ethical issue arises from the clarification of reproductive rights in a fair and equal way. The objective of this study was to deepen and update the knowledge and discussion about the difficulty of accessing infertility treatments in Brazil. METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study was carried out through the application of an online questionnaire that collected the socioeconomic characteristics of couples and identify how barriers to infertility care affect the most vulnerable populations. We included couples who sought medical assistance to achieve pregnancy at two clinics in the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais. RESULTS: A total of 201 questionnaires were analyzed. Most couples self-declared as white and the average age of wives was 36 years and husbands 38 years. 65% (65%) of couples would proceed with the treatment in a different city to which they lived, 37% evaluated as having easy access to a medical specialist only after indication, and more than half of the participating have thought about giving up the treatment due to some difficulty in accessing it. 39% of participants sought more than one medical service to find better reception, 42% of couples sought more than one medical service to define where it would be better financially, and 67.2% referred to the high cost of treatments, that is, financial issues, as a great difficulty in accessing medical services and/or treatment. Although 72.6% of couples considered having a good quality of life, 54.2% admitted that infertility and the search for treatment generated anxiety/stress in the couple's life. CONCLUSION: There is a need for public education on reproductive health and for policymakers to raise awareness of the importance of the difficulty that many couples face in seeking treatment to become pregnant, especially in countries with less financial resources. Indeed, it is commonly accepted that there is a universal human right to access healthcare of appropriate quality as a matter of justice. Discussion of access to reproductive technologies should be considered taking into account the longstanding ethical debate regarding fertility, fecundity, and infertility, as well as reproductive care.

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It can be assumed that the natural processes of selection and developmental condition in the animal provide the best prerequisites for embryogenesis resulting in pregnancy and subsequent birth of a healthy neonate. In contrast, circumventing the natural selection mechanisms and all developmental conditions in a healthy animal harbors the risk of counteracting, preventing or reducing the formation of embryos or substantially restricting their genesis. Considering these facts, it seems to be obvious that assisted reproductive techniques focusing on early embryonic stages serve an expanded and unselected germ cell pool of oocytes and sperm cells, and include the culture of embryos outside their natural habitat during and after fertilization for manipulation and diagnostic purposes, and for storage. A significant influence on the early embryonic development is seen in the extracorporeal culture of bovine embryos (in vitro) or stress on the animal organism (in vivo). The in vitro production per se and metabolic as well as endocrine changes in the natural environment of embryos represent adequate models and serve for a better understanding. The purpose of this review is to give a brief presentation of recent techniques aimed at focusing more on the complex processes in the Fallopian tube to contrast in vivo and in vitro prerequisites and abnormalities in early embryonic development and serve to identify potential new ways to make the use of ARTs more feasible.

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OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the origin and ultrastructure of the coarse granules in the perivitelline space (PVS) of oocytes of a group of couples attending assisted reproduction treatment. METHODS: The ultrastructure of five oocytes with coarse granulues in the PVS obtained from three patients were evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The influence of the ovulation induction regimen on the formation of granules in the PVS of the oocytes of 214 couples and the developmental capacity of these oocytes presenting granules in the PVS was analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: In TEM analysis, the microvilli structure was irregular, short, and loosely scattered through the oolemma in the oocytes presenting coarse granules in the PVS. Furthermore, dense lipid droplets were identified within the PVS and the surrounding cumulus cells. In retrospective analysis, the number of oocytes with coarse granules in the PVS was positively correlated with the duration of antagonist administration (r=0.23, p=0.013). Regardless of the type of granule, the presence of coarse or moderately coarse granules in the PVS was positively correlated with low-quality embryos on D3 (r=0.29, p=0.005) and the total number of arrested embryos up to D3 (r=0.33, p<0.001). Furthermore, the presence of coarse granules in the PVS severely exacerbated miscarriage rates. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the presence of especially coarse granules in the PVS is correlated with the reduction of further embryonic developmental capacity in post-implantation stages of embryonic development, indicating a negative impact from aggressive ovulation induction protocols on developing oocytes.

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OBJECTIVE: Mast cell population and histamine affect on blastocyst implantation. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of progesterone administration after induction of ovulation on the uterine tissue mast cell population and histamine content in mice. METHODS: We ran an experimental study on three groups of mice; control group, ovulation induction (induction group), and ovulation induction along with progesterone administration (progesterone group). Mast cells were counted using toluidine blue staining, and the histamine level was measured through spectrophotometry. RESULTS: According to the analysis of variance (ANOVA), there was no difference in mast cell population in endometrium (p=0.138) nor in myometrium (p=0.611). The ratio of mast cells in the myometrium per endometrium increased in the progesterone group in comparison to the control group based on a generalized linear model (p=0.041). The uterine histamine level was different between the groups, based on the ANOVA (p=0.039), in which the progesterone group had lower amounts of histamine. CONCLUSIONS: Progesterone administration after ovulation induction did not decrease the number of endometrial mast cells and could have increased the ratio of myometrium mast cells per endometrium mast cell. The histamine level in uterus decreased by the administration of progesterone in the ovulation-induced mice.

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OBJECTIVE: Lesbian couples must resort to adoption or donated semen to achieve parenthood, the latter usually involving assisted reproductive technology. The aim of this study is to assess homosexual women's knowledge about assisted reproductive techniques, the importance of perceived genetic and gestational relationships for their future mother-child bond, as well as their reproductive plans. METHODS: This is an observational study based on an anonymous survey disseminated online in several countries on different continents, addressed to homosexual women. RESULTS: From the 549 participants, most reported being well informed about reproductive options including assisted reproductive technology. The majority want to be a mother as part of a couple, mainly through assisted reproduction or step adoption of their partner's child. The importance of a genetic or gestational relationships with their future child varies greatly between women. Among the sampled women, pregnancy was believed to have a slightly greater impact on the future mother-child connection compared to genetics. CONCLUSIONS: Homosexual women are well informed about the assisted reproductive technology treatments. The majority considers it important to become a mother as a couple, mainly through assisted reproduction or step adoption of their partner's child. The importance given to gestation or genetic mother-child relationships varies greatly between women, and it seems they believe pregnancy may have a slightly greater impact on the future mother-child connection compared to genetics.