Objective: To evaluate the agreement of motile sperm concentration (MSC) measurements obtained using the YO Home Sperm Test compared with manual semen analysis and computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA), and to assess its potential utility as a home-based screening tool for male fertility.Methods: Semen samples from 40 men were analyzed using three methods: the YO Home Sperm Test, manual semen analysis with a Makler counting chamber, and CASA using the Integrated Visual Optical System analyzer. Agreement between methods was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).Results: The three testing methods showed significant correlations (p<0.01), with an overall ICC of 0.902. Pairwise ICCs were 0.815 (95% CI, 0.651 to 0.902) between manual semen analysis and the YO Home Sperm Test, 0.793 (95% CI, 0.608 to 0.890) between manual semen analysis and CASA, and 0.944 (95% CI, 0.894 to 0.970) between the YO Home Sperm Test and CASA. Agreement was strongest between the YO Home Sperm Test and CASA, supporting the reliability of the home-based device for measuring MSC.Conclusion: The YO Home Sperm Test demonstrated good agreement with both manual semen analysis and CASA, particularly with CASA, supporting its potential use as a convenient, accessible, and private screening tool for the initial evaluation of male fertility. However, as a screening device rather than a comprehensive diagnostic test, abnormal findings should be confirmed by standard laboratory semen analysis. Further studies in larger populations and across different smartphone platforms are warranted.
Cadherins and catenins are essential transmembrane proteins and cytoplasmic binding partners that mediate cell–cell adhesion, intracellular signaling, and the maintenance of tissue architecture. Their coordinated functions are central to endometrial biology and embryo implantation, a process that requires complex cell–cell interactions and tissue remodeling for pregnancy to be established. In this review, we summarize current evidence on the molecular mechanisms through which cadherins and catenins regulate endometrial receptivity and support embryo attachment to maternal tissue. We also discuss how advances in molecular biology and reproductive medicine have clarified the roles of cadherin–catenin complexes in cell adhesion, intracellular signaling, including Wnt/β-catenin signaling, and the regulation of trophoblast invasion. In addition, we examine the potential clinical relevance of dysfunction in these complexes, which has been associated with implantation failure and infertility. A clearer understanding of cadherin–catenin function in the endometrium may support the development of diagnostic tools and therapeutic targets for infertility.
Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a pleiotropic cytokine involved in inflammatory and immune regulation. This systematic review evaluated current evidence on the association between MIF and human reproductive function in male and female populations. PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Google Scholar were systematically searched for studies published from 2015 to 2025. After duplicate removal and eligibility screening, 12 studies were included. Data on study design, population characteristics, reproductive conditions, and MIF expression were extracted and synthesized qualitatively. The included studies reported associations between altered or elevated MIF levels and several reproductive and pregnancy-related conditions, including endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, recurrent pregnancy loss, endometrioma, and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. MIF was frequently implicated in inflammatory pathways and hormonal regulation within reproductive tissues. The available evidence suggests that MIF may be involved in disease pathophysiology and may have potential as a biomarker in selected reproductive disorders. Overall, current evidence indicates that MIF is associated with multiple reproductive pathologies and may contribute to inflammatory and endocrine regulation in fertility-related conditions. However, further well-designed studies are needed to clarify its diagnostic and clinical utility in reproductive medicine.
Obesity is increasingly understood as a reproductive-metabolic condition that can affect female fertility across the continuum from natural conception to assisted reproductive technology (ART). Excess adiposity may disrupt hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian regulation, insulin signaling, inflammatory pathways, ovarian function, oocyte competence, embryo development, and endometrial receptivity. This review synthesizes current evidence linking obesity with infertility, reduced ART efficiency, implantation failure, miscarriage, and reduced live birth, while emphasizing that these associations vary according to reproductive and metabolic phenotype. Particular attention is given to polycystic ovary syndrome, advanced age, diminished ovarian reserve, recurrent implantation failure, and recurrent pregnancy loss. Pre-treatment weight-loss strategies, including lifestyle intervention, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, tirzepatide, and bariatric surgery, are also considered in relation to reproductive benefit, treatment delay, and pregnancy safety. Overall, obesity should not be treated simply as a body mass index category, but rather as a phenotype-dependent reproductive-metabolic condition that requires individualized fertility-treatment planning.
Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of a single 150 international unit (IU) dose of follitropin alfa (FA), administered either before or after clomiphene citrate (CC), in women with unexplained infertility.Methods: This prospective interventional study included 105 patients allocated to four groups. Group 1 received CC 100 mg/day on cycle days 3–7. Group 2 received a single 150-IU dose of FA on day 3, followed by CC on days 4–8. Group 3 received CC 100 mg/day on days 3–7, followed by a single 150-IU dose of FA on day 8. Group 4 received only a single 150-IU dose of FA on day 3. The primary outcomes were pregnancy rate (PR) and risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), and the secondary outcome was ovulation rate (OR).Results: No ovulation was observed in the single-dose FA group. Group 1 had a PR of 11.4%, an OR of 94.3%, and an OHSS risk of 5.7%. Group 2 had a PR of 3.3%, an OR of 80.8%, and an OHSS risk of 13.3%. Group 3 had a PR of 6.7%, an OR of 92.6%, and an OHSS risk of 10%. The OR was significantly higher in the CC group than in the other groups (p=0.022). However, no significant differences were observed among groups in PR or OHSS risk (p>0.05).Conclusion: Adding a single dose of FA before or after CC did not improve treatment success in patients with unexplained infertility.
