Endometrial flora of infertile women in Zaria, northern Nigeria

Microbiological study of the endometrium of 114 infertile women cultured 48 organisms (42.2%) from 42 patients (36.8%). Mycobacterium tuberculosis (16.7%) and Group B Streptococcus (8.8%) were the commonest organisms isolated. These organisms were also most commonly isolated from patients between the ages of 20 and 30 years. There is, however, an overall increase in the frequency of bacterial isolation with age-cohorts. Of the colonised patients, 36.8% were of parity less than two and most (26.3%) were nulliparous. It is possible that multiple marriages and polygamy played a significant role in the bacterial colonisation of the endometrium in the Hausa-Fulani population of Zaria, Nigeria.     

Hysterosalpingographic abnormalities in infertile women: radiological and clinical interpretation

A review of 1035 hysterosalpingographies (HSG) has shown a frequency of acquired and congenital morphological alteration in 272 patients with spontaneous abortion and in 763 infertile couples. The frequency of congenital anomalies was 25.5% in spontaneous abortions and 5.3% in infertility. Acquired morphological anomalies were 11.7% in spontaneous abortion and 34.6% in infertility. Tubal problems represent 25% of lesions in infertility. Furthermore couples have been studied by correlating the male factor i.e. the sperm quality to various types of morphological anomalies observed in order to better evaluate the actual damage evidence by HSG.     

Follicle growth patterns and endocrinological abnormalities in infertile women with minor degrees of endometriosis

Summary. Eighteen patients whose only demonstrable cause of infertility was a minor degree of endometriosis and whose partners were normal, were investigated prospectively for one menstrual cycle using ultrasonography and endocrine profiles. Twelve cycles appeared to be normal. A luteinized unruptured follicle (LUF) occurred in two cycles and one patient had a follicular cyst. In a further two patients there was inadequate or abnormal folliculogenesis whilst in the last patient the follicle ruptured prematurely. This study describes the variety of endocrinological abnormalities found in women with mild endometriosis, and concludes that, in this series at least, there is a low frequency of LUF.     

Follicle growth patterns and endocrinological abnormalities in infertile women with minor degrees of endometriosis

Eighteen patients whose only demonstrable cause of infertility was a minor degree of endometriosis and whose partners were normal, were investigated prospectively for one menstrual cycle using ultrasonography and endocrine profiles. Twelve cycles appeared to be normal. A luteinized unruptured follicle (LUF) occurred in two cycles and one patient had a follicular cyst. In a further two patients there was inadequate or abnormal folliculogenesis whilst in the last patient the follicle ruptured prematurely. This study describes the variety of endocrinological abnormalities found in women with mild endometriosis, and concludes that, in this series at least, there is a low frequency of LUF.     

Endometrial ossification in infertile patients-report of 3 cases

EDITORIAL COMMENT: We accepted this paper for publication because endometrial bone formation is an interesting pathological condition and its relationship to infertility is of interest. Our only publication on this subject (A) was a case of a woman with secondary infertility who had had a previous termination. In this case the woman became pregnant in the cycle following curettage and removal of the bony fragment in the uterus which was presumably retained fetal tissue. The present case reports are different and the authors have reviewed the other associations of endometrial bone formation reported in the literature including those associated with uterine tumours. N.B.     

Alexithymia in infertile women

OBJECTIVE: Alexithymia was compared in women with fertility disorders and fertile women who have never been confronted with fertility problems. METHOD: Self-report instruments (TAS-20 and BVAQ) were used to measure alexithymia in a group of 73 infertile women and in a comparison group of 32 fertile women. Semi-structured interviews were used to assess medical history, current and lifetime diagnosis of psychiatric disorders. RESULTS: Infertile women showed significantly higher rates of alexithymia than fertile women. The degree of alexithymia does not constitute a discriminating variable between unexplained infertile women and women with an organic aetiology of infertility. The prevalence of psychiatric diagnosis did not differ between the two groups of patients. Lifetime prevalence of depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder were statistically comparable. CONCLUSION: This result raises the question of secondary alexithymia as a coping strategy in women with fertility troubles. Given the lack of published data on alexithymia in infertile women, there is a need to replicate our results and evaluate other aspects of affect regulation in infertile patients.     

Sperm-agglutinating antibodies in infertile women

This paper explored the experience with sperm-agglutininating antibodies in 168 infertile couples. 2 of the 46 subjects with organic causes for infertility had positive sperm agglutination tests, and neither became pregnant in the 6-18 month followup period. Of the remaining 122 subjects with no organic cause for infertility, 24 (20%) had positive tests (including 13 women with primary infertility and 11 with secondary infertility). 9 of the 24 women (38%) with positive tests became pregnant following condom therapy. There was no correlation between the sperm antibody test and postcoital test, nor between sperm agglutinins and ABO incompatibility. These results suggest that a small number of women have specific reactions against sperm or seminal fluid that inhibit fertility. It is concluded that screening of serum for sperm agglutinins should be continued to provide an estimate of immunologic reactions against semen in cases of infertility.     

Endometrial carcinoma in young women

Two hundred and fifty-four patients with endometrial carcinoma were diagnosed and treated from Feb. 1956 to Apr. 1987. Of these, 35 patients were below the age of 40 years at the time of diagnosis. These patients were analyzed and compared with those aged above 40. The main clinical manifestations were primary sterility and irregular menstruation. An endometrial carcinoma should be suspected in young women with menstruation disorder, sterility and follicular cyst of ovary refractory to treatment. The highly differentiated endometrial carcinoma in young women was easily confused with adenomatous hyperplasia and should be diagnosed with caution. In young patients with stage I well-differentiated disease desirous of childbirth, treatment by large dose of progestogens without hysterectomy may be the method of choice. Estimation of estrogen and progesterone receptors was very helpful in selecting therapeutic modalities and predicting prognosis. The difference of 5-year survival rates between these two groups of patients were not statistically significant.     

Myomectomy in infertile Jamaican women.

One hundred nineteen Jamaican women who underwent myomectomy from 1964 to 1969 were followed up for 5 to 9 years. Infertility was the most common presenting complaint. Preoperative hysterosalpingograms were performed on 61 patients and were abnormal for the majority of these patients. Surgery revealed submucous fibroids in 41 patients and pelvic inflammatory disease in 51 patients. The pregnancy rate following myomectomy was 18.5%, but successful outcomes occurred in only 9.2% of the cases. Pregnancy was unsuccessful for all patients who underwent both myomectomy and tuboplasty. Twenty-three patients had a recurrence of myoma, and 13 of these underwent subsequent hysterectomy.     

Laparoscopic sperm recovery in infertile women

Sperm recovery from the peritoneal fluid was attempted in a group of infertile women in whom it was anticipated that all routine investigations would be normal (commonly referred to as 'normal infertiles'). Forty-four couples were recruited into the study but in retrospect only 24 met the study criteria of normal semen, normal pelvis and appropriate timing. In 15 of these 24 patients, spermatozoa were covered from the peritoneal fluid, and so far seven have become pregnant. In the nine patients where spermatozoa were not recovered, none have so far become pregnant. There was no correlation between sperm recovery and the quality of the post-insemination cervical mucus examination. This test allows more accurate assessment of the ability of spermatozoa to reach the site of fertilization.     

生育镜在不孕症诊治中的应用

目的探讨生育镜用于不孕症诊治的价值。方法用生育镜[包括经阴道注水腹腔镜（THL）与宫腔镜]对115例不孕症患者进行盆腔检查,观察内容包括输卵管通畅性、盆腔粘连情况等,以及盆腔完全评价率（即盆腔器官是否能被生育镜全部观察到）及术中、术后并发症。同时行THL下输卵管通液术和宫腔镜下输卵管口插管通液术。穿刺套管针成功从后穹窿穿刺入子宫直肠陷凹110例,其中原发性不孕（原发组）49例,继发性不孕（继发组）61例。既往输卵管检查为双侧阻塞者,原发组21例,继发组22例。结果术后输卵管双侧或一侧通畅者原发组34例（69．4％,34／49）,继发组42例（68．9％,42／61）,两组比较,差异也无统计学意义（P〉0．05）;既往输卵管检查为双侧阻塞者,术后双侧或一侧输卵管通畅者原发组10例（47．6％,10／21）,继发组11例（50．0％,11／22）,两组比较,差异无统计学意义（P〉0．05）。盆腔粘连者原发组21例（42．9％,21／49）,继发组37例（60．7％,37／61）,两组比较,差异无统计学意义（P〉0．05）。两组总的盆腔完全评价率为69．1％（76／110）,其中原发组为77．6％（38／49）,继发组为62．3％（38／61）．两组比较,差异无统计学意义（P〉0．05）。术后需行常规腹腔镜手术者20例（18．2％,20／110）,原发组与继发组分别为4例（8．2％,4／49）和16例（26．2％,16／61）,两组比较,差异有统计学意义（P〈0．05）;其中17例接受了微型腹腔镜手术。术中无盆腔脏器损伤、出血、直肠损伤或穿孔,术后无穿刺部位出血及盆腔感染等并发症发生。结论生育镜用于不孕症的诊治,操作简单、微创、安全、患者依从性好;对于临床或超声检查均无明显盆腔疾病证据的不孕症患者,生育镜可以取代经腹腹腔镜,成为一步到位的盆腔检查方法。     

Asymptomatic cervicovaginal leukocytosis in infertile women

Cervicovaginal cells were obtained from 114 women undergoing intrauterine insemination and 21 women undergoing donor insemination. Monoclonal antibodies were used to identify leukocyte subpopulations in women with nonepithelial cell counts greater than 2 X 10(5) (termed asymptomatic cervicovaginal leukocytosis). Leukocyte counts exceeding this number were not found in any of the women undergoing donor insemination; however, greater than 2 X 10(5) leukocytes were detected in 22% of the infertile women. Granulocytes predominated; lymphocytes and macrophages were detected in only 8 of 114 samples. Women with cervical factor infertility had a significantly higher incidence of asymptomatic cervicovaginal leukocytosis than women with either male factor or unexplained infertility. These data suggest that cervicovaginal leukocytes may play a role in cervical factor infertility since soluble products of activated leukocytes are known to adversely affect reproduction.     

卵泡发育不良的临床分析

目的探讨卵泡发育不良（ＦＭ）的表现及其结局。方法对２９６例不孕患者中的ＦＭ患者８０例（ＦＭ组）及２０例正常排卵者（对照组）进行连续宫颈评分、Ｂ超监测卵泡发育、放射免疫法测定血雌二醇（Ｅ２）值等检查,并行腹腔镜和子宫内膜活体组织检查。结果（１）在不孕妇女中ＦＭ发生率为２７０％;（２）ＦＭ组宫颈评分最高分为７３±１８分（ｘ±ｓ,下同）,对照组为１３２±１８分;月经中期血Ｅ２水平,ＦＭ组为３００±１００ｐｍｏｌ／Ｌ,对照组为９００±４００ｐｍｏｌ／Ｌ,两组比较,差异有显著性（Ｐ＜０．０１）;（３）Ｂ超检查显示,ＦＭ组卵泡模糊,常为多个小卵泡;（４）腹腔镜检查ＦＭ组约２／３以上病例卵巢上可见黄体,但无排卵裂孔,约１／３病例无黄体;（５）ＦＭ组子宫内膜呈分泌改变者占５６７％,呈增生期改变者占３３３％左右。结论（１）ＦＭ是不孕的一个重要原因;（２）ＦＭ结局有二,一为卵泡闭锁,另一为未成熟卵泡黄素化。     

Hypothyroidism among infertile women in Finland

The main aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the occurrence of hypothyroidism among Finnish women with infertility. For this purpose, the records of 335 women presenting for the first time with infertility at the outpatient clinic of reproductive endocrinology at Turku University Central Hospital during a 3-year period (January 1992 to December 1994) were reviewed. Due to missing data, 36 women were excluded from the analysis. Thyroid function was screened by measuring serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels in conjunction with serum prolactin using immunoradiometric assays. Prior to enrolment in the infertility examinations, ten out of 299 women had used thyroxine substitution for primary hypothyroidism. In the TSH screening test, 12 women (4%) exhibited elevated serum TSH levels ranging from 5.1 to 32 mU/l. Three of these cases were previously diagnosed with hypothyroidism and were using an inadequate dose of thyroxine. The prevalence of abnormal TSH levels was highest in the ovulatory dysfunction (6.3%) and unknown infertility (4.8%) groups and lowest in the tubal infertility (2.6%) and male infertility (1.5%) groups, although no statistically significant differences between the groups were observed. Oligo/amenorrhea was present in 101 (34%) women in the whole study population and in eight (67%, p < 0.5) women with elevated serum TSH at screening. The relatively high occurrence of abnormal TSH levels in infertile women with ovulatory dysfunctions or unknown infertility, as well as with oligo/amenorrhea, emphasizes the importance of TSH screening in these patient groups.