14 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
The objective of the study is to evaluate the agreement in measurement of sperm concentration in human semen between lay users with TRAK and a recognized reference method. The study will also include the measurement of matched samples by TRAK when tested by healthcare professionals trained in use of the TRAK device.
Although much is known about the microenvironment of the gut and the vagina, very little has been published on the microenvironment of the seminal plasma. The seminal plasma is the support fluid for sperm, providing nutrients, facilitating sperm transit to the uterus, and promoting fertilization. It is a rich area of research for markers of fertility and treatment targets. The investigators hypothesize that (1) there are significant populations of seminal microorganisms associated with seminal leukocyte counts well below the WHO's cutoff for pyospermia (1 million/mL) that were not previously detected by traditional culturing methods, and (2) there are pathologic populations of bacteria within the gut and semen microbiome which negatively impact overall fertility, by directly or indirectly impairing hormone status. Participants will be recruited from the Male Fertility practice at the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC). All participants will have infertility, diagnosed as an inability to conceive pregnancy after 12 months of unprotected intercourse. The normal evaluation of these participants is to obtain at least one semen analysis and bloodwork investigating their endocrine profile: total testosterone, estradiol, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and albumin. Semen volume is typically \>1 mL, and \<0.2 mL is typically used for the semen analysis. If over 1 million/mL round cells are identified, then a Papanicolaou stain would be performed to identify leukocytes. In this study, any semen demonstrated to have round cells would undergo Papanicolaou staining. A portion of the remaining semen, which would typically be discarded, will be sent for microbiome analysis. Secondly, as part of routine care, fertility patients may be started on medications to increase endogenous testosterone (i.e.: clomiphene citrate, anastrozole, etc). Participants started on medications will also be asked to submit a rectal swab for gut microbiome analysis. Routine care is to monitor the hormonal and testicular response with periodic endocrine blood panels and semen analyses; rectal swabs will be requested at these follow-up intervals also. The control group for both hypotheses will be men with clinical infertility with normal semen analyses and hormone profiles.
The investigators are conducting a placebo-controlled, randomized control trial with duloxetine in healthy, fertile men not previously on any antidepressants. Participants will be randomized to either the duloxetine or placebo groups for 6 weeks. The investigators will assess changes in sperm DNA fragmentation at 0, 2, 6, 8, and 10 weeks. Other outcomes measured will include semen parameters (sperm concentration, motility, morphology), hormone levels (testosterone, estrogen, prolactin, LH, FSH), and sexual function (IIEF and MSHQ) surveys.
PURPOSE: Primary objective: To assess the feasibility and outcomes of male fertility preservation by sperm freezing prior to starting treatment requiring alkylating agents and/or total body irradiation. Secondary objective: To assess pre- and post-treatment sperm production and hormonal status by measurement of serum anti-mullerian hormone (AMH), inhibin-B, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone, and androstendione.
The investigators are testing the hypothesis that two ounces of whole-shelled walnuts/day added to the diet of men seeking care for infertility will beneficially affect sperm parameters and fertility. The investigators will compare the walnut intervention to the commonly suggested recommendation of adding an OTC multivitamin supplement to the diet.
Following spinal cord injury, most men are infertile and require medical assistance to father children. The conditions that contribute to their infertility are erectile dysfunction, ejaculatory dysfunction, and semen abnormalities. The Miami Project Male Fertility Program is a research study designed to understand and improve impairments to male fertility resulting from spinal cord injury.
The objective of the study is to evaluate the effects of chronic TRACLEER® treatment on testicular function via semen analysis in male patients with primary pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).
Very little is known about how medical providers can help adolescent and young adults (AYAs) and their caregivers make decisions about fertility preservation (sperm banking) before beginning cancer treatment. The purpose of this study is to see if having a guided conversation about fertility preservation increases preservation rates and/or satisfaction with the decision among AYA males with cancer. The primary hypothesis is that compared to standard of care control group (routine fertility consult at diagnosis, n=20), AYAs in the intervention arm (routine fertility consult at diagnosis + FP Decision Tool and Facilitated Conversation by trained interventionist) will have higher rates of FP uptake. The secondary hypothesis is that families in the intervention group will report better FP decision quality compared to those in the control arm.
The investigators currently lack an understanding of barriers to completing the male factor infertility evaluation. Furthermore, as the investigators continue to expand access to fertility treatment particularly within low-resourced settings, it is important that all aspects of infertility within a couple are equally explored. The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected low-income communities and communities of color at greater rates in terms of not only disease morbidity/mortality but how medical systems are accessed and care is delivered.
Walnuts as a whole food contain polyunsaturated fatty acids, anti-oxidants, and other nutrients essential to sperm development and function. This randomized controlled trial sought to determine if a Western style diet supplemented with walnuts would improve sperm quality as a predictor of male fertility.
Spermatogonial stem cell transplantation through ultrasound guided rete testis injection and testicular tissue grafting will be performed for participants who have frozen testicular tissue prior to gonadotoxic therapy. The purpose of this study is to test the safety and feasibility of these transplant technologies and restore fertility for these participants.
The purpose of this research study is to evaluate if special types of cells called round spermatids can be gathered from men with non-obstructive azoospermia and used (in absence of elongated spermatids and spermatozoa) to reliably and effectively create pregnancy with a procedure called Round Spermatid Injection (ROSI). This process is similar to In Vitro Fertilization, or 'IVF'. In addition, this study wants to test the safety of ROSI and see what effects (good and bad) it has on embryo created from this method.
Infertility affects approximately one in seven couples, and it can be a devastating diagnosis and difficult experience for couples to endure. Ellen Langer, Ph.D., Director of the Langer Lab at Harvard, has spent several decades demonstrating evidence supporting a mind-body approach to improve wellbeing and overall functioning. Specifically, she asserts that Mindfulness in its most basic sense - paying attention in the moment - is enough to create both perceived (e.g., self-reported) and real (e.g., objective testing) change. Langer and her colleague, for example, demonstrated that "Trait mindfulness predicted the well-being of expecting mothers and better neonatal outcomes. Mindfulness training resulted in better health for the expecting mother". In this study, Mindfulness training refers to "attention to sensation variability." Such interventions are cost effective, minimally invasive, less time-consuming for practitioners and participants and generally easy to learn. Langer and her colleague's study refers to pregnancy. Infertility is unlike pregnancy in its exact clinical diagnosis. Nevertheless, similar to pregnancy, infertility is considered a clinical condition affecting the body, in this case the reproductive system. Therefore, based on the results of studies like Langer and her colleague's, that used participants with clinical conditions affecting the reproductive system, the investigators propose similar mindfulness intervention (attention to sensation variability) research with infertile individuals. However, the investigators intend to extend our examination to also include a treatment group with the partners of the infertile individuals, as little, if any research, has attempted to do so previously. The investigators hypothesize that state mindfulness (groups exposed to mindfulness intervention) will improve wellbeing in the infertile patient and her partner and that trait mindfulness will predict ability to become pregnant.
This is a randomized controlled trial of couples with a history of poor embryo quality undergoing a repeat in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle for unexplained infertility. Couples will be randomized to sperm selection by the clinical standard of centrifugation and density-gradient processing compared to the microfluidic sperm sorting chip.