Latest Research
At Repromed we are committed to supporting innovative research that will benefit our patients. Research and development is an essential part of improvement and development of new procedures and technologies to improve the patient journey through IVF. The Repromed staff is involved in several research projects and Repromed collaborates with other international and national institutions to conduct state-of-the art research in the area of fertility and reproductive health. Repromed has a very proactive research team and their goal is to improve the opportunities of people wishing to achieve a pregnancy. The following list outlines current research projects.
Latest Articles
Endometrial Receptivity Study
For many of our patients, the reason for fertility delay remains unexplained. Otago University PhD research student Gloria Evans has developed a new method to study the lining of the uterus at the crucial time when an embryo is due to implant.
She has collected endometrial samples from normal volunteers and has just spent six months at the IVI Fundacion, Valencia, Spain. This team are world leaders in endometrial research, and are collaborating in the analysis and interpretation of her data.
On her return to Christchurch in May 2009 she will be interested in collecting more samples, some from normal women and some from those with fertility delay which may have endometrial causes.
Long Acting FSH stimulation in IVF
A randomised multi centre international clinical trial.
This study is to determine the efficacy of a long acting FSH preparation during In Vitro Fertilisation treatment. This is a new drug being tested in a clinical population and replaces 7 days of daily FSH stimulation with a single injection.
Oocyte maturation study
This study is to understand what makes some eggs mature and be able to develop normally while other eggs are not able. This information will help us to better procedures for the development of mature eggs.
Predicting viability of Embryos
The safest option for IVF treatment is to transfer a single embryo and avoid the increased risk of complications to the mother and the babies of multiple gestation pregnancies. This study uses the culture media and the cells that are removed from the oocytes as part of the IVF/ICSI process and is assessing whether the metabolic rate of the cells can be used to find the embryo with the best chance of pregnancy for transfer. Read full article
The role of sperm DNA on embryos
The health of the sperm is now becoming understood to be important for the health of the embryo and therefore pregnancy success. This study is investigating if the health of the DNA in the sperm influences the outcome of the infertility treatment. Article One, Article Two
Lifestyle factors and infertility
The aim of this study is to investigate couples presenting with infertility in relation to:
(a) their perception of the significance of their lifestyle choices on their chance of conceiving; and
(b) whether they would want to make lifestyle changes and what would assist them to do so. Read full article
Menevit
This study is looking at the ability of the vitamin preparation Menevit to improve the health of sperm in men whose sperm show high levels of DNA damage or cellular stress. Read full article
Acupuncture and the endometrium
There is some evidence that acupuncture after transfer may have some positive benefit on pregnancy rates. However, what is not known is the mechanism for this improvement. This study will examine the question as to whether acupuncture improves the endometrium for women undergoing an embryo transfer. Read full article
PCO and AMH
Serum Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) levels are a usual measure to detect women who have a reduced ovarian reserve. This study is also to assess which AMH measurement may also be used as an alternative for ultrasound findings in the diagnosis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). Read full article
Fallopian sperm perfusion study
An international randomised controlled trial to assess whether Fallopian Sperm Perfusion is better than Intrauterine Insemination for treatment of couples with unexplained infertility.
Ovulation Induction study
A phase II, multicentre, randomised, assessor-blinded active-comparator, parallel-group dose finding trial to evaluate AS900672enriched versus follitropin alfa (GONAL-f) in oligo-anovulatory infertile women undergoing ovulation induction (OI)
Sperm Freezing Study
Currently there is no media designed specifically to protect the health of the sperm for freezing. This study is to assess the effects of a new medium formulation for sperm cryopreservation to determine if the stress of freezing on the sperm can be reduced.
Development of Culture Media for the Human Embryo
Improvements in the culture media for the human embryo in the last 5 years have resulted in an increase in pregnancy rates that we see today. We are developing new systems and supporting media for the human embryo with the goal of increasing embryo viability and pregnancy rates. Read full article
Quality Control; Role of Seminal Plasma in the Reproductive Tract
Article one, Article two
