Infertility impacts numerous individuals during their reproductive journey. Yet, there is little research and information available that examines if having a history of infertility goes on to have further implications after an individual conceives and gives birth. Thus, the current study aimed to examine if infertility impacts the postpartum period, and if there were any particular risk or resiliency factors that contributed to this relationship. In this study, women aged 18 to 50, who had given birth within the last 12 months, participated in an online survey that assessed a variety of physical and mental health constructs. Overall, results largely exemplified that infertility does not go on to impact postpartum adjustment within in this particular sample of women who identified as having higher levels of education, perceived SES, and income. However, many of the covariates, such as SES, did correlate with postpartum outcomes. Findings highlight the resilience of this sample of women, despite previously experiencing stressful events.

The primary purpose of this research is to examine the effectiveness of male infertility treatment methods. The secondary purpose is to analyze the psychological consequences of failed male infertility treatments. A literature review will be performed regarding male infertility and the relationship to factors that decrease spermatic production, testicular disease, and testicular dysfunction. The focus will relate to decreasing fertility in men and treatments aimed at the improvement of sperm production and maintenance. Preliminary results show artificial reproductive techniques yield higher rates of success compared to alternative methods such as lifestyle changes in the preservation of spermatic function in men. Furthermore, the results are expected to show an increase in anxiety and depression following failed male infertility treatment methods. The increase in global male infertility rates is concerning and can lead to decreasing population stagnation and decreased birth rates. The research can be of value through synthesis of treatment methods to combat male infertility.

BACKGROUND: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine dysfunction problems among women of the reproductive age, with a global prevalence of 4-20%, causing 430,000 associated DALYs. Initial treatment of PCOS is mainly focused on diet and exercise and, if left untreated, PCOS can lead to many complications including, but not limited to, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and endometrial cancer. In India, one out of five women are found to have PCOS with the numbers increasing with every year, according to a 2015 study done by Metropolis Healthcare. Some studies done in other parts of the country have shown that there is very limited knowledge about PCOS. Currently there is no data about the knowledge, attitudes and practices about PCOS in Kerala, India, which is an area known to have the highest rates of diabetes in India as well as an area having a high rate of infertility. PROPOSED PROJECT AND SIGNIFICANCE: This study is proposed to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of PCOS among women of reproductive age (18-45 years) in urban and rural areas of Thrissur, Kerala, India. This will help in understanding if there are any barriers to treatment and highlight the best preventive measures, as well as treatment strategies in this population, that might reduce its health burden. CONCLUSION: This will be a pilot study assessing perceptions of PCOS in Kerala, India. If this study demonstrates a low understanding of PCOS as shown in other parts of India, this will provide help in understanding the reasons why the prevalences of PCOS as well as diabetes and infertility, are increasing in the state of Kerala.

<p>The experience of infertility and its associated treatments, including in vitro fertilization (IVF), can have a profound impact on the emotional health and well-being of women desiring to become mothers. While researchers have measured the impact of infertility or described the experience and processes related to infertility and its treatment, what remained to be explored was a virtually pre-packaged collection of rich descriptions of the IVF experience as captured in women’s blogs. This discourse analysis sought to describe the blogging practices of women undergoing IVF for treatment of infertility, exploring both the content and function of the IVF blog discourse. Data were collected from the text of seven women’s blogs and resulted in four main functions of the discourse: creation of and connection to a community, emotional support, blogging as therapy, and creation of an IVF resource. Findings suggest that blogging can have a positive impact on the psychosocial consequences experienced by women in fertility treatment. Findings of this study also have methodological implications for researchers considering blogs as a data source in qualitative research.</p> / Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

Epidemiological data indicate that children conceived in vitro have a greater relative risk of low birth-weight, major and minor birth defects, and rare disorders involving imprinted genes, suggesting that epigenetic changes may be associated with assisted reproduction. DNA methylation and gene expression differences have been found in cord blood and placenta comparing children conceived in vitro using assisted reproductive technology (ART) and children conceived in vivo. The source of these differences (the effect of ART versus underlying infertility) has never been identified in humans. In order to determine what fraction of the DNA methylation and gene expression difference is attributable to the ART procedure and what fraction is attributable to underlying infertility, quasi-transcriptome-wide DNA methylation profiles were compared between (1) in vitro ART children of mothers who are infertile as a result of a physical impediment to fertilization (tubal blockage) or children conceived with the aid of donor oocytes as a group (tubal and donor egg group), and (2) children of parent(s) who have idiopathic infertility (infertility group). Both groups were compared to children conceived in vivo. Our data suggest strongly that many of the DNA methylation and gene expression differences observed between the in vitro and in vivo conceptions are associated with some aspect of ART procedure, rather than underlying infertility. / Molecular Biology and Genetics

No description available.

Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) are antimicrobial disinfectants commonly used in commercial and household settings. While these compounds have been used for decades, reproductive toxicity has not been thoroughly evaluated. Extensive use of QACs results in ubiquitous human exposure to potentially toxic compounds. Reproductive toxicity of two common QACs, alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (ADBAC) and didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (DDAC), was investigated to determine gender-specific toxicity with an emphasis on male reproductive function. Breeding pairs of mice exposed for six months to ADBAC+DDAC exhibited decreases in fertility and fecundity, with fewer pregnancies and decreased numbers of pups over a six month period. Females proceeded through significantly fewer estrus cycles, and both ovulation and implantation rates were reduced. Males exhibited declines in both sperm concentration and motility. Male reproductive toxicity was further assessed in a series of in-vitro and in-vivo experiments. ADBAC+DDAC were cytotoxic to testicular Sertoli cells in culture at concentrations greater than or equal to 0.0005%. Changes in blood-testis-barrier integrity (BTB) were observed at 0.01% ADBAC+DDAC using a two-compartment culture system that measures transepithelial electrical resistance (TER). Sertoli cell cytotoxicity correlated with decreased TER at ADBAC+DDAC concentrations above 0.001%. In-vitro fertilization capacity of epididymal sperm was reduced in males given a 10-day rest period following ADBAC+DDAC exposure. Multigenerational changes in sperm parameters and in mRNA expression of enzymes involved with epigenetic modifications were evaluated across three generations. Sperm concentration and motility were reduced in F0 males exposed directly to ADBAC+DDAC. In F1 males, sperm concentration was increased and motility decreased, while there was no change in the F2 progeny. Genes involved in epigenetic modifications were altered in the exposed F0, with upregulation of two histone acetyltransferases (Hat1 and Kat2b) and downregulation of one lysine-specific demethylase (Kdm6b). F1 and F2 generations were not different from controls except for downregulation of the methyltransferase Dnmt1 in F1 progeny. The reproductive toxicity of ADBAC+DDAC identified in these studies, particularly to the male, compels further investigation into the potential effects that these compounds may have on human reproduction. / Ph. D.

Yes / Over the past few decades the number of women having their first babies over the age of 35 in the United Kingdom (UK) has increased. Women’s timing of motherhood is invariably bound up with a discourse of ‘choice’ and in this paper we consider the role choice plays in the timing of motherhood among women who have been defined as ‘older’ mothers. This article is based on data from 11 semi-structured interviews that explored the transition to motherhood among ‘older’ middle-class mothers. The interviews were analysed using critical discursive psychology. The women drew upon two dominant repertoires when making sense of their timing of motherhood. Within the first repertoire, ‘older motherhood as circumstance’, older motherhood was presented as the outcome of life circumstances beyond their control, with a lack of the ‘right’ circumstances facilitating ‘delayed’ motherhood. Within the second repertoire, ‘older motherhood as readiness’, women constructed themselves as (now) prepared for motherhood. ‘Readiness’ was bound up with notions of self-fulfillment, yet also assessments of their ability to be ‘good’ mothers. We conclude that, far from a straightforward choice, the timing of motherhood is shaped by cultural definitions of the ‘right’ circumstances for parenthood, but also cultural definitions of ‘good’ motherhood, which may define when women are ‘ready’.

Secondary amenorrhea, ovulatory disturbances, and luteal phase deficiency occur in normal-weight women with sub-clinical eating disorders. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the influence of Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) scores, energy intake, and frequency of activity on ovarian hormone status in normal-weight, college-age women. Fourteen normal-weight female students, ages 19 - 24, who were attempting weight loss and did not currently meet diagnostic criteria for an eating disorder, served as subjects. Food-intake, dieting behavior, and menstrual cycle function were recorded by subjects during a three month period. Biweekly blood samples were assayed for estradiol and progesterone for one menstrual cycle. Mean age, number of years dieting, and BMI were similar between subjects. Five subjects (36%) had progesterone levels indicative of luteal phase deficiency or anovulation. The EAT-26 score was not associated with menstrual cycle dysfunction. Frequency of exercise and serum progesterone concentration were significantly correlated. Subjects who exercised 7+ hours per week had significantly lower peak progesterone values (p<0.03) than subjects who exercised 1 -3 hours per week. Within the group of subjects scoring above 20 on the EAT-26, those who exercised 7+ hours per week had significantly lower peak progesterone values than subjects exercising 1 - 6 hours (p < 0.03). There was a positive correlation (r = 0.384, P = 0.21) between length of luteal phase and daily energy intake, however the relationship was non-significant. Normal-weight, premenopausal women dieting to lose weight experienced menstrual cycle dysfunction in the absence of significant weight loss or diagnosable eating disorder. / Master of Science

Feral swine are a nuisance species across the United States that costs around $1.5 billion each year in agricultural, environmental, and personal property damages. In the last ten years the population of feral swine is estimated to have quadrupled and novel population control methods are needed. Furthermore, feral swine are known carriers of zoonotic diseases such as brucellosis, which threatens both livestock biosecurity and public health. Recombinant multimeric gonadotropin-releasing hormone (mGnRH) has been previously used as a subunit vaccine to induce immunocontraception in feral pigs. However, potent adjuvants and large amounts of purified antigen are needed to elicit a robust anti-GnRH immune response and current delivery methods are limited. Brucella suis strain VTRS2 can be used as a novel platform to deliver mGnRH without the use of antibiotic resistant markers. Strain VTRS2 was created by deletion of the LPS biosynthesis gene wboA as well as the leuB gene required for leucine biosynthesis inside the nutrient-depleted intracellular environment occupied by Brucella. Mutations in wboA are known to attenuate Brucella strains such as the vaccine strain B. abortus RB51, however strain RB51 is rifampin resistant and has poor efficacy in swine. Strain VTRS2 confers significant protection against B. suis challenge in mice and additionally shows evidence of protection in feral swine. Furthermore, the mGnRH antigen can be delivered using the pNS4 plasmid (which expresses leuB under its native promoter) thus maintaining the plasmid in strain VTRS2 under leucine-deficient conditions while expressing recombinant antigen in the host. The murine model was used to determine the clearance kinetics of strain VTRS2-mGnRH and to measure vaccine efficacy against challenge by virulent B. suis 1330. Subsequently the effects of the VTRS2-mGnRH vaccine on fertility were assessed in breeding trials in mice. Strains VTRS2 and VTRS2-mGnRH were found to be protective against virulent Brucella suis challenge. Strain VTRS2-mGnRH elicited an anti-mGnRH antibody response in vaccinated mice, though an effect on fertility was not observed. An improved vaccine against brucellosis in swine, which also confers immunocontraception without the introduction of antibiotic resistance, could become an important tool in the management of this nuisance invasive species. / Ph. D. / Feral swine (<i>Sus scrofa</i>) are a major invasive species in the United States. Their population is estimated to have quadrupled in the past ten years and their geographic range has expanded to include at least 39 states. In addition to causing over $1.5 billion annually in agricultural, environmental, and property damages, feral swine also carry several diseases of public health and agricultural significance including influenza, leptospirosis, and brucellosis. Among these diseases, brucellosis, caused by the bacterial organism <i>Brucella suis</i>, is of particular concern because of its ability to cause reproductive losses in domestic swine and cattle as well as a debilitating febrile illness in humans. The disease has been eradicated from domestic livestock in the United States, and reintroduction could have severe consequences for both animal agriculture and public health. With the continued expansion of the feral swine population, the potential for spillover of disease into domestic livestock and humans increases. Additional tools are therefore needed to aid in both population and disease control. Immunocontraceptive vaccines have previously been used to reduce population growth in wildlife, and have been proposed for use in feral swine. Immunocontraceptives work by introducing an immunogenic form of a reproductive hormone which then causes an autoimmune response against the natural form of the hormone produced by the animal. This work describes the development of the <i>B. suis</i> vaccine strain VTRS2-mGnRHb, which was created from a virulent strain of <i>B. suis</i> to make an attenuated live vaccine capable of delivering the immunocontraceptive antigen mGnRH. The goals of strain VTRS2 were to act as a vaccine which protect against virulent <i>B. suis</i> challenge and which confers an infertility effect in the mouse model. An improved vaccine against brucellosis in feral swine, which also confers an infertility effect, could become an important tool in the management of this nuisance invasive species.