Despite recent improvements in equine ovum pick-up (OPU) combined with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), there is still significant inter-individual variability. In this study, serum concentrations of the oocyte-secreted factors, growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) and bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15), as well as GDF9/BMP15 complex, anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), progesterone (P4), and free and conjugated estradiol-17β (E2), were determined in 59 mares (3-24 years) at the time of OPU. Mares were classified retrospectively, based on the number of embryos obtained, into low or high outcome groups, using 2 or 3 embryos as the threshold values. Results of OPU-ICSI were not affected by the mare's age or body condition score, nor by the number of aspirated follicles, recovered oocytes, or the recovery rate (P > 0.05 in all cases). Mares with < 2 or ≥ 2 embryos had similar hormone levels (P > 0.05 in all cases), but there was a >90% likelihood of obtaining ≥ 2 embryos per session when P4 and E2 concentration was considered simultaneously. Mares with ≥ 3 embryos/session had lower P4 and higher AMH (P < 0.05 in both cases). GDF9 and BMP15 were detectable in 14% and 12% of mares, respectively, while GDF9/BMP15 complex was detected in 93% of mares, with no correlation to other factors. In conclusion, these preliminary findings suggest a negative correlation between high P4 levels and OPU-ICSI outcome in horses.

Background: Infertility is a reproductive disease affecting millions globally. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the burden is considerably higher, affecting one in four couples. The psychosocial and economic impacts of infertility remain severe. Furthermore, restricted access to affordable fertility services is justified by international population reduction agendas and limited resources, resulting in inequitable access. Treatment, when available, is primarily through private sector clinics, at catastrophically high costs. For this reason, low-cost IVF (LCIVF) technologies have been developed to simplify and minimize treatment costs. Still, there are limited studies on their adoption and utilization in the region. Methods: A qualitative case study was used to explore implementation of LCIVF technologies in Uganda’s public health system. Macro-level factors influencing implementation of an ART department at Mulago Women’s Hospital were assessed through semi-structured interviews conducted with 21 actors, along with hospital observations, field notes and document review. A combination of inductive and deductive thematic analysis techniques were used for data analysis in NVivo 12, guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Results: Following our analysis, several factors facilitated macro-level implementation including acknowledgement of infertility as a reproductive disease, strong political advocacy and oversight, government funding and multi-organizational collaboration. Barriers included poor public knowledge, absence of legislation, limited community leader engagement and diminished political support. Contributions: This study contributed to knowledge on external factors that influence sustainable implementation of LCIVF initiatives in low-resource settings and is one of the first studies to apply CFIR to infertility care implementation in a low-resource setting.

The sperm freezing-thawing procedure is the most commonly used technique in clinics to preserve male fertility before any pathological destruction of the testis. Therefore, most studies are currently focused on optimizing this method to achieve high-quality semen after thawing. During cryopreservation, oxidative stress-induced damage affects sperm structures and decreases their fertility potential. The use of antioxidants in freezing media can protect sperm against oxidative damage. We designed this study to evaluate whether incubation of semen with human follicular fluid, which contains a wide variety of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, can prevent the negative effects of freezing-thawing on human spermatozoa. Human semen was divided into three groups 1) the 0-hour group (before freezing), 2) the control group (after freezing-thawing), and 3) the FF group (after freezing with 50% follicular fluid). The sperm motility, viability, integrity of the plasma membrane and DNA, mitochondrial membrane potential, malondialdehyde level, total antioxidant capacity, and catalase activity were assessed in these 3 groups. The findings showed a significant decrease in sperm motility, viability, plasma membrane and DNA integrity, mitochondrial membrane potential, total antioxidant capacity, and catalase activity and a significant increase in malondialdehyde level in the control group compared with the 0-hour group. The FF group displayed a considerable increase in sperm parameters, total antioxidant capacity, catalase activity, and a significant decrease in malondialdehyde level compared with the control group. Follicular fluid can be considered an effective supplement to improve antioxidant indices and sperm parameters during freezing-thawing.