40 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Pregnancy is a unique period which requires alterations in the immune system to allow for tolerance of a haploidentical fetus. The goal of this study is to measure maternal blood levels of proteins known to promote immune tolerance in early implantation and pregnancy to look for associations between tolerance, miscarriage and failed embryo transfer. Establishing predictive factors of miscarriage and failed in vitro fertilization could have implications for a large portion of couples and serve to guide current and future family planning efforts.
Recurrent miscarriage is a prevalent reproductive problem that affects many couples who are trying to establish a family. This clinical study will evaluate the effectiveness of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in improving the live birth rate in couples who suffer from secondary recurrent miscarriage. This study will help in providing an answer to the question of whether IVIG is helpful in secondary recurrent miscarriage.
Women presenting to Washington Hospital Center with fetal loss would be offered participation in the study. The objective is to determine if ccffDNA obtained from maternal blood is present in the setting of missed abortion or fetal demise. The investigators primary hypothesis is that cell free fetal DNA will be present in maternal blood in the presence of a failed pregnancy.
NaProTechnology (NPT) is a treatment option for infertility or miscarriage that identifies issues in a couple's fertility and fixes them to the extent possible by medical intervention. An important part of NPT is teaching couples to monitor the signs and symptoms of the woman's fertility cycle (menstrual cycle) with the Creighton Model FertilityCare System (CrMS). The purpose of the study is to look at outcomes among couples who consider or get NPT treatment to help them have a live birth. Results from the study will be used to answer questions such as: How many couples who use NPT get pregnant and have a baby? How can NPT treatment be improved? Does NPT treatment have fewer long-term health risks for the resulting children than other fertility treatments? What types of characteristics or environmental exposures influence whether NPT will be successful for a specific couple? To be eligible for the iNEST study, a couple must have a consultation with a NPT-trained clinician who is participating in iNEST.
Studies have shown that a majority of pregnancies that end in miscarriage are due to a chromosome abnormality usually involving a duplicated or missing chromosome. Often this happens by chance and is not likely to occur in future pregnancies. For many women, a miscarriage can be a traumatic experience and can cause feelings of loss and grief. The option of genetic testing, such as karyotyping, may offer an explanation for the miscarriage and may help some women find closure in their loss. However, no literature exists on a women's experience with genetic testing following a miscarriage. This assumption that the knowledge that can be gained from karyotyping may be a positive experience for a woman following a miscarriage should be studied and the results published. This study will address whether routine karyotyping should be offered following a miscarriage for the purpose of benefiting the patient's experience.
This is a randomized trial of three caring based interventions to see if we can help couples heal after miscarriage. All three are based on Swanson's theory of caring and Meaning of Miscarriage Model. The first, nurse caring, consists of three counseling sessions with a nurse. The second intervention, self-caring, involves watching three videotapes and completing three workbooks. The third, combined caring, involves receiving one counseling session with a nurse followed up with the three videotapes and workbooks. There is also a control group that receives no intervention. All interventions are administered at 1, 6, and 11 weeks after study enrollment. Couples can enroll who are no more than 12 weeks post miscarriage of a pregnancy that ended at 20 weeks gestation or less. At 1, 6, 16, and 52 weeks post enrollment we ask couples to complete mailed booklets that contain a variety of research questionnaires about their emotional health, integration of loss, and couple relationship.
First trimester miscarriages are common. When the failed pregnancy does not pass spontaneously on its own, it is called a missed abortion. There are several ways in which missed abortions are managed, one of which involves administering a medication called misoprostol which causes uterine contractions inducing expulsion of the failed pregnancy. Misoprostol can be administered in multiple ways but has been traditionally inserted vaginally when used for management of missed abortions. Some studies have shown that some women are not comfortable with vaginal insertion of misoprostol and prefer oral administration. Buccal misoprostol is a way of administering misoprostol by having the patients insert the tablets of misoprostol between their gum and cheek, letting it dissolve for 30 minutes, then swallowing the remaining remnants. Buccal misoprostol is used safely in medical abortion. In fact a study by Fjerstad et al (2009), found a decrease in infection rate for medical abortion when misoprostol administration was switched from vaginal to buccal route combined with routine administration of doxycycline. The efficacy of using buccal misoprostol to treat missed abortions has not been studied previously to the investigators' knowledge. In this pilot study, investigators aim to test the hypotheses that buccal misoprostol is equally effective as vaginal misoprostol in the medical management of early pregnancy loss. As secondary outcomes, investigators suspect that buccal misoprostol may be associated with higher rates of gastrointestinal side effect but that patient satisfaction will remain equally as high for buccal misoprostol as for vaginal misoprostol.
The purpose of the study is to compare the effectiveness of combination treatment (mifepristone premedication plus single-dose misoprostol) to single-dose misoprostol (standard of care) for the management of early pregnancy failure.
The overall hypothesis to be tested is: women with the molecular phenotype of highly skewed X chromosome inactivation are at increased risk of spontaneous abortion.
This study seeks to evaluate pregnancy outcomes following hysteroscopic uterine cavity expansion surgery for patients with dysmorphic uterine cavities and poor reproductive histories. Patients already planning to undergo surgery at the recommendation of their physicians will be recruited for participation.
This study, to be carried out immediately following an emergency, reactive cholera vaccination campaign in Nsanje District, Malawi, will be a cohort study to estimate the safety of killed oral cholera vaccine (OCV), in pregnant women as measured by ShancholTM, on pregnancy outcomes and birth defects. While limited evidence which suggests that the vaccine is safe in pregnant women, this setting will allow investigators to answer this question in a community where more than 100,000 people will receive vaccine with no restrictions on pregnancy status. In past cholera vaccine campaigns including clinical trials, pregnant women were excluded due to lack of safety data. However, in this campaign, the decision by the Ministry of Health is that the benefits of offering vaccine to all individuals regardless of pregnancy status far outweigh any theoretical risk. Here the investigators specifically propose to: Specific Objective 1: To conduct surveillance of pregnant women to detect adverse pregnancy outcomes within communities in Nsanje District, Malawi that received oral cholera vaccine in a reactive vaccination campaign that started on 30 March 2015. Through household surveying and enrollment of pregnant women with monthly follow-up visits, the investigators will determine the cumulative incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes among vaccinated and unvaccinated women in Nsanje and Chikwawa Districts, Malawi. Specific Objective 2: To compare the cumulative incidence of pregnancy loss (miscarriage and stillbirth) of women who received oral cholera vaccine while they were pregnant to women who were vaccinated and became pregnant after the end of the final round of vaccination in Nsanje and Chikwawa Districts, Malawi. Specific Objective 3: To compare the incidence of newborn malformations in a cohort of infants that had fetal exposure to oral cholera vaccine compared to those without such exposure in Nsanje and Chikwawa Districts, Malawi.
The Heartland Study is a prospective, observational study that will enroll up to 2,600 pregnant participants across the Heartland States in the U.S.. The objective of the Heartland Study is to address major knowledge gaps concerning the health effects of herbicides on maternal and infant health. The study is being conducted to evaluate the associations between environmental exposures to herbicides during and after pregnancy and reproductive health outcomes. The study is measuring multiple biomarkers of herbicide exposure among pregnant Midwesterners and their partners to evaluate associations with pregnancy and childbirth outcomes, epigenetic biomarkers of exposure, and child development.
When time allows, administration of mifepristone prior to second trimester induction of labor decreases total labor time. However, in the setting of many pregnancy complications, decreasing time from diagnosis of nonviable pregnancy to delivery is of utmost importance to decrease risk of maternal complications. Previous data has shown that total abortion time is longer in the group receiving mifepristone owing to the delay between mifepristone administration and initiation of misoprostol induction of labor. Thus, the investigators aim to investigate whether simultaneous mifepristone and misoprostol has benefits over misoprostol alone when labor induction of a nonviable second trimester cannot be delayed.
This is a randomized controlled double-blind placebo-controlled trial evaluating the impact of gabapentin given preoperatively on perioperative pain scores for women receiving uterine aspiration between 6 and 14+6 weeks gestation. This study will be a trial included in a prospective meta-analysis evaluating the use of gabapentin on perioperative pain in the abortion setting.
The overarching goal of this trial is to determine if an intervention comprising folic acid and zinc dietary supplementation improves semen quality and indirectly fertility outcomes (i.e., live birth rate) among couples trying to conceive and seeking assisted reproduction. The following study objectives underlie successful attainment of the overarching research goal: 1. To estimate the effect of folic acid and zinc dietary supplementation on semen quality parameters, including but not limited to concentration, motility, morphology, and sperm DNA integrity, relative to the placebo group. 2. To estimate the effect of folic acid and zinc dietary supplementation on fertility treatment outcomes \[fertilization, embryo quality, implantation/human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) confirmed pregnancy, clinical pregnancy, live birth\], relative to the placebo group. 3. To estimate the association between semen quality parameters, sperm DNA integrity and fertility treatment outcomes (fertilization, embryo quality, clinical pregnancy, live birth) and to identify the best combination of semen quality parameters for prediction of clinical pregnancy and live birth. 4. To estimate the effect of folic acid and zinc dietary supplementation on fertilization rates among couples undergoing assisted reproductive technology procedures, relative to the placebo group. 5. To estimate the effect of folic acid and zinc dietary supplementation on embryonic quality among couples undergoing assisted reproductive technology procedures, relative to the placebo group.
The primary objective of the study is to help elucidate the effects of low-dose aspirin in combination with folic acid on the incidence of live births and spontaneous abortions among a group of women who become pregnant compared to a control group.
A pilot cohort study to preliminarily investigate the efficacy of pretreatment with letrozole 10 mg daily for three consecutive days followed by treatment with misoprostol 800 mcg vaginally for medical management of early pregnancy loss in a US population. Patients will be followed to assess efficacy of this treatment regimen, as well as additional interventions needed, side effects, adverse events, and patient acceptability.
During the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Chelsea, Massachusetts held a lottery to allocate cash benefits to its residents for ten months. Using data from the Chelsea Eats program, the investigators propose to study the impact of the cash benefit on reproductive and perinatal health.
This study aims to characterize the association between history of pregnancy complications and M2 carrier status in IVF patients and the utility of M2 haplotype preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) in embryos produced by carrier couples. Participants in this study will be screened for the M2 variant. History of pregnancy complications and miscarriages will be studied in order to determine potential associations with M2 carrier-ship.
In this study the investigators propose a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effect of influenza vaccination on clinical pregnancy rates among women undergoing in vitro fertilization as donor egg recipients.
Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) affects 5% of couples trying to achieve parenthood. Most cases of RPL are unexplained and have no effective treatment to improve the likelihood of a pregnancy resulting in a live birth. This leads to significant patient and provider frustration and emotional stress. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is a medication commonly used in pregnancy to treat autoimmune and connective tissue diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This use has shown that HCQ is very safe in pregnancy. HCQ has anti-inflammatory and anti-thrombotic effects and thus may improve pregnancy outcomes in couples with unexplained RPL. Although some providers are already prescribing HCQ for unexplained RPL, a randomized controlled trial is necessary to determine the true efficacy and safety of this treatment. This study has the potential to establish support for a new treatment option for unexplained RPL.
The purpose of this study is to conduct a randomized pilot trial in a sample of 60 women who meet criteria for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) 1-18 months after a perinatal loss to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed recruitment methods and research design, of the therapist training methods, and of delivering the adapted Interpersonal Psychotherapy group treatment. The investigators would like to examine preliminary evidence for the following hypotheses: * Perinatal-loss specific IPT-G will be more acceptable to women who experience MDD following perinatal loss than will Coping with Depression (CWD). * Perinatal-loss specific IPT-G will result in reduced time to remission from MDD and reduced depressive symptoms relative to CWD. * Perinatal-loss specific IPT-G will result in increased social support and social functioning, reduced couple distress, and reduced grief relative to CWD.
Overweight and obesity has been associated with a number of adverse pregnancy outcomes in women of reproductive age, including infertility and early pregnancy loss. Recent data suggests that overweight and obese patients are also at increased risk of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), a devastating condition that affects 1% of the fertile population. The investigators propose a prospective, randomized controlled trial in which overweight and obese patients with unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss are enrolled in a structured, 6 month, weight loss program or provided routine counseling regarding the importance of weight loss. Pregnancy outcomes will then be followed to assess miscarriage rates. Metabolic outcomes, such as lipid and glucose profiles, will also be evaluated.
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common vaginal infection characterized by a pathologic shift in the normal vaginal flora. BV has been associated with a number of poor reproductive outcomes, including infertility, preterm labor and premature rupture of membranes. If BV does disrupt normal embryologic development, then the treatment of BV prior to conception may improve implantation rates and other pregnancy outcomes in the infertile population. This is a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in which infertile women undergoing intrauterine insemination or embryo transfer are screened for BV prior to treatment. Those patients who screen positive for BV will then be randomized into the treatment arm(metronidazole 500mg by mouth twice daily for 7 days) or the control arm (placebo by mouth twice daily for 7 days). The primary outcome, positive pregnancy test rate (i.e. biochemical pregnancy rate), will then be assessed. Secondary outcomes, such as clinical pregnancy rate, miscarriage rate, and live birth rate will also be examined.
The purpose of this study is to compare two combinations of drugs (mifepristone and misoprostol versus placebo and misoprostol) used for medical treatment for early pregnancy failure. We will compare the two combinations of medications to see which combination makes miscarriage happen faster. We hypothesize that there will be no difference in time to complete miscarriage between the two groups.
This project is designed to establish whether pesticides or other environmental agents have a role in the excess birth defects identified in the Red River Valley of Minnesota. In this human study, laboratory based health parameters will be used to key in health survey data. In vitro data will be developed to mechanistic information. Concordant results among these study features will provide a weight of evidence approach.
Background: Embryo quality is known to be a very important determinant to predict the implantation and pregnancy rate in IVF patients, however, the role of uterine integrity or endometrial receptivity cannot be overlooked. Chronic endometritis (CE) is an inflammation of the endometrium diagnosed by the presence of plasma cells in the endometrial stroma. There is not only no census on the definition of CE, the current literature on the impact of CE on reproductive outcome is controversial and consists only of retrospective studies with small sample sizes. Although there is a presumption that CE is related to poor IVF outcome, this belief has not been proven. Design: Prospective cohort study Setting: Infertility clinics of 2 academic medical centers Patients: Patients between the ages of ≥ 21 and ≤ 35 years old undergoing their first IVF cycle will be invited to participate. Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcome will be ongoing pregnancy after 12 weeks estimated gestational age (EGA) with previously documented fetal cardiac motion. Secondary outcomes will include pregnancy loss rate as defined by chemical pregnancy, blighted ovum or loss of fetal cardiac motion before 12 weeks EGA. Materials and Methods: The cycle prior to IVF, patients will undergo an in-office endometrial biopsy on cycle days 19-24. Samples will be stained for CD138 and the number of plasma cells will be quantified. The number of plasma cells in a sample that yields the best sensitivity and specificity for pregnancy will be determined by a Receiver-Operator-Curve. This number will then be used as a dichotomous variable to assign categories of "positive for CE" and "negative for CE." Pregnancy and miscarriage rates will then be determined in the positive and negative CE sample with Chi Square Analysis. A secondary sub analysis will be performed to determine pregnancy and miscarriage rates in patients who declined to participate in the study. Expected Results: The investigators hypothesize that higher rates of CE will be found in women failing to conceive with IVF and with subsequent first-trimester miscarriage.
This study will assess the risk of spontaneous abortion during weeks 1-19 of gestation, and other pregnancy outcomes, in an Exposed vaccinated cohort, i.e. women with last menstrual period between 30 days before and 90 days after any dose of CERVARIX, when compared to a Non-exposed vaccinated cohort, i.e. women with last menstrual period between 120 days and 18 months after the last CERVARIX or GARDASIL dose.
The investigators will study the feasibility of using 90mg ulipristal acetate, a selective progesterone receptor agonist, as an adjunct to 800mcg vaginal misoprostol for the medical management of early pregnancy loss. Patients will be followed to assess effective treatment of early pregnancy loss, additional interventions needed, side effects, adverse events and patient acceptability.
The purpose of the study is to examine the impact of doula support for women undergoing a manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) for an early pregnancy failure or undesired pregnancy.