Joshua Combs, MD, Alan DeCherney, MD, Samad Jahandideh, PhD, Kate Devine, MD, Micah Hill, DO, Richard Nelson, PhD, Jeanne O’Brein

Marja Brolinson, MD; Samad Jahandideh, PhD; Taer Han; James Graham, MS; Chandra Surya; Micah Hill, DO; Alan DeCherney, MD; Kate Devine MD

Pavlovic ZJ, Smotrich G, New EP, Jahandideh S, Sprague R, Silva C, Imudia A, Plosker S

Schwartz A, Berger M, Caswell W, Vest A, Imudia AN, Jahandideh S, Hill M, OBrien J, Devine K, and Tucker M

Jacyln Kwal, Jonah Bardos, Marja Brolinson, Grace Whitely, Samad Jahandideh, Micah Hill, Alan DeCherney, Michael Levy, Kate Devine

Megan Yamasaki, Micah Hill, Samad Jahandideh, Alan DeCherney, Shelley Dolitsky, Carissa Pekny, Kate Devine

Loewke K, Cho JH, Brumar CD, Maeder-York P, Barash O, Malmsten JE, Zaninovic N, Sakkas D, Miller KA, Levy M, VerMilyea MD.Fertil Steril. 2022 Mar;117(3):528-535. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2021.11.022. Epub 2022 Jan 5.PMID: 34998577 Free article.

A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the benefit of characterizing an artificial intelligence model to rank blastocyst-stage embryos and identify limitations that may affect the methods clinical usage. This artificial intelligence model was able to successfully categorize embryos according to the development of the trophectoderm and inner cell mass and showed improved predictions of clinical pregnancy.

Santoro N. Whither cryopreservation? The landscape gets colder. Fertil Steril. 2022 Mar;117(3):467-468. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2022.01.017. PMID: 35219470.

In this review, Dr. Nanette Santoro discusses the contrasting viewpoints of medical providers and patients in how they view their storaged embryos. Dr. Santoro goes on to outline the heightened responsibility that medical staff face with advancing frozen embryo storage technology and longer storage times.

Kracht CL, Romain JS, Hardee JC, Santoro N, Redman LM, Marlatt KL. “It just seems like people are talking about menopause, but nobody has a solution”: A qualitative exploration of menopause experiences and preferences for weight management among Black women. Maturitas. 2022 Mar;157:16-26. doi: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2021.11.005. Epub 2021 Nov 7. PMID: 35120668; PMCID: PMC8969889.

Results of this study, conducted to characterize the experiences of Black women going through menopause and identify barriers for participating in a lifestyle program, suggested that women were interested to learn more about improving their overall health during menopause and were willing to participate in a lifestyle program. The study team also found that a program that allows other women to associate with other women creates a more sustainable lifestyle program.

Cebert-Gaitors M, Shannon-Baker PA, Silva SG, Hart RE, Jahandideh S, Gonzalez-Guarda R, Stevenson EL. Psychobiological, clinical, and sociocultural factors that influence Black women seeking treatment for infertility: a mixed-methods study. F S Rep. 2022 Feb 22;3(2 Suppl):29-39. doi: 10.1016/j.xfre.2022.02.004. PMID: 35937441; PMCID: PMC9349229.

To address the largely undocumented experiences of Black women seeking fertility treatment, this study gathered data on the sociocultural, clinical, and psychobiological barriers and facilitators Black women faced when seeking fertility treatment. These women saw barriers to treatment such as inadequate knowledge of resources, poor clinical management at the primary care level, and limited social support. The study identified psychological distress, complex gynecological medical history, and culturally competent providers as facilitators to care.

Pretzel S, Kuhn K, Pal L, Polotsky A, Taylor HS, Zhang H, Robins J, Young SL, Santoro N. Willingness of Women with Endometriosis Planning to Undergo IVF to Participate in a Randomized Clinical Trial and the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Potential Participation. Reprod Sci. 2022 Feb;29(2):620-626. doi: 10.1007/s43032-021-00705-0. Epub 2021 Aug 6. PMID: 34363198; PMCID: PMC8345905.

A brief survey was sent to women who were diagnosed with endometriosis, undergoing fertility treatment, and were within the University of Colorado healthcare system: the survey gathered information on whether these women would consider being apart of a clinical trial and whether their experiences with delays in IVF treatments due to COVID-19 would influence their consideration of a 8-week treatment prior to their IVF cycle. This survey was distributed to gather information about women who may quality for the PREGnant study for women diagnosed with endometriosis who may be randomized to an experimental group that undergoes a 60-day treatment with an GnRH antagonist prior to IVF start. Results from the survey suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic would influence the decisions of some women to delay IVF treatment to participate in a trial.

Souter I, Sun F, Zhang H, Diamond MP, Legro RS, Wild RA, Hansen KR, Santoro N; Eunice Kennedy Schriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Reproductive Medicine Network. A personalized medicine approach to ovulation induction/ovarian stimulation: development of a predictive model and online calculator from level-I evidence. Fertil Steril. 2022 Feb;117(2):408-418. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2021.10.024. PMID: 35125179; PMCID: PMC8985501.

The probability of pregnancy and the risk of a multiple pregnancy was able to be predicted in this predictive model of retrospective data of patients undergoing treatment with gonadotropins, letrozole, and clomiphene citrate for ovarian induction/ovarian stimulation with intrauterine insemination. This study was able to successfully create an easy-to-use formula to predict chances of pregnancy and a multiple pregnancy based on the characteristics of the patient for commonly used fertility treatments.

Marlatt KL, Pitynski-Miller DR, Gavin KM, Moreau KL, Melanson EL, Santoro N, Kohrt WM. Body composition and cardiometabolic health across the menopause transition. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2022 Jan;30(1):14-27. doi: 10.1002/oby.23289. PMID: 34932890; PMCID: PMC8972960.

Women in stages of menopause are at increased cardiometabolic risk due to fluctuations in circulating estrogens and increased fat mass, and thus, a woman’s transition into menopause imposes a significant health burden. This review discusses menopause’s stages, the changes in a women’s body and cardiometabolic health throughout menopause, and lifestyle interventions women may use to improve their health during menopause.

Peters BA, Xue X, Sheira LA, Qi Q, Sharma A, Santoro N, Alcaide ML, Ofotokun I, Adimora AA, McKay HS, Tien PC, Michel KG, Gustafson D, Turan B, Landay AL, Kaplan RC, Weiser SD. Menopause Is Associated With Immune Activation in Women With HIV. J Infect Dis. 2022 Jan 18;225(2):295-305. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiab341. PMID: 34174074; PMCID: PMC8763955.

This study found that postmenopausal women had higher innate immune activation, measured using plasma sCD14 and sCD163, compared to premenopausal women, and the elevation in the immune response occurs during the transition into menopause. Interestingly, a relationship could not be made with menopause and biomarkers of systemic inflammation, even though inflammation is normally a consequence of immune activation.

Legro RS, Hansen KR, Diamond MP, Steiner AZ, Coutifaris C, Cedars MI, Hoeger KM, Usadi R, Johnstone EB, Haisenleder DJ, Wild RA, Barnhart KT, Mersereau J, Trussell JC, Krawetz SA, Kris-Etherton PM, Sarwer DB, Santoro N, Eisenberg E, Huang H, Zhang H; Reproductive Medicine Network. Effects of preconception lifestyle intervention in infertile women with obesity: The FIT-PLESE randomized controlled trial. PLoS Med. 2022 Jan 18;19(1):e1003883. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003883. PMID: 35041662; PMCID: PMC8765626.

Presented here are the outcomes and discussion of the FIT-PLESE clinical trial for women with infertility and obesity. Protocol involved all participants to increase their physical activity, and half were randomized to an intensive group treated with open-label anti-obesity medication (Orlistat), nutritional counseling, and meal replacement products for 16 weeks. This study showed that an average of 7% weight loss did not improve the rate of having any live birth or a healthy live birth but did improve participants’ cardiometabolic health.

Harris BS, Jahandideh S, Devine K.Fertil Steril. 2022 Jan;117(1):104-105. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2021.11.023. Epub 2021 Dec 3.PMID: 34865849 No abstract available.

The rationale and data surrounding differing routes of administration for progesterone supplementation, progesterone in oil (PIO) vs. vaginal, as luteal phase support during FET cycles is discussed in this editorial. Data suggests that when using vaginal progesterone, monitoring of progesterone levels may be necessary, while PIO may render monitoring unnecessary. A recent study has shown that patients have no clear preference to route of administration of progesterone when routes have similar efficacy.

Stojchevski R, Singer T, Ziskovich K, Poretsky L, Avtanski D. In vitro treatment of human granulosa cells with irisin and leptin: Quantitative RT-PCR array data (female infertility panel). Data Brief. 2022 Jan 1;40:107781. doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2021.107781. PMID: 35028351; PMCID: PMC8741429.

To better understand the relationship between genes involved in fertility and metabolism, 84 genes related to fertility were extracted from human ovarian granulosa cells and treated with irisin or leptin, hormones related to metabolism. The study presents the changes in gene expression after treatment.