Follitropin beta

Chronic smoking alters the circulating levels of sex hormones and possibly also the neuroactive steroids. However, the data available is limited. Therefore, a broad spectrum of free and conjugated steroids and related substances was quantified by GC-MS and RIA in premenopausal smokers and in age-matched (38.9+/-7.3 years of age) non-smokers in the follicular (FP) and luteal phases (LP) of menstrual cycle (10 non-smokers and 10 smokers, in the FP, and 10 non-smokers and 8 smokers in the LP). Smokers in both phases of the menstrual cycle showed higher levels of conjugated 17-hydroxypregnenolone, 5alpha-dihydroprogesterone, conjugated isopregnanolone, conjugated 5alpha-pregnane-3beta,20alpha-diol, conjugated androstenediol, androstenedione, testosterone, free testosterone, conjugated 5alpha-androstane-3alpha/beta,17beta-diols, and higher free testosterone index...

Corifollitropin alfa (Elonva®) is a fusion product of human follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and the C-terminal peptide of the β-subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) produced by recombinant DNA technology. It has the same pharmacologic activity as FSH and recombinant FSH (rFSH; follitropin alfa; follitropin beta), but with a slower absorption and a longer half-life. Corifollitropin alfa is indicated as a multifollicular stimulant for women undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation using gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist-assisted reproduction protocols...

OBJECTIVE: To compare clinical and embryological characteristics in donor cycles triggered for final oocytes maturation with Pregnyl 10 000 IU i.m. versus triptorelin 0.2 mg s.c. in the same patients in two sequential stimulation cycles. The aim of the study is to decrease the risk of the development of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) at high response donors by the replacement of Pregnyl 10 000 IU i.m. vs. triptorelin 0.2 mg s.c. The administration of a single dose of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (triptorelin 0...

CONDENSATION: Both Gonal-F and Puregon, especially in their high-dosage administration, might inhibit the endometrial cell proliferation in the initial 48-hour culture. After 72-hour culture, Gonal-F persisted the inhibition of the endometrial growth, whereas Puregon reversed its effect to enhance endometrial growth. OBJECTIVES: Endometrial proliferation or regeneration during menstrual cycle is regulated by sexual hormones. However, the effect of gonadotropins on the endometrial cell growth remains obscure...

Anovulation is a common cause of female subfertility. Treatment of anovulation is aimed at induction of ovulation. In women with clomiphene-citrate resistant WHO group II anovulation, one of the treatment options is ovulation induction with exogenous follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH or follitropin). FSH is derived from urine or is produced as recombinant FSH. Two forms of recombinant FSH are available - follitropin alpha and follitropin beta. To evaluate the efficacy, safety, costs and acceptability of recombinant FSH, we performed a review to compare recombinant FSH with urinary-derived FSH products...

BACKGROUND: Self-administration of recombinant human follicle-stimulating hormone (r-hFSH) can be performed using injection pen devices by women undergoing assisted reproductive technology procedures. The objective of this study was to explore the use of the prefilled follitropin alfa pen in routine assisted reproductive technology procedures in Germany. METHODS: This prospective, observational study was conducted across 43 German IVF centres over a period of 1...

Complete dissociation into subunits was attained by incubating Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)-derived or native human thyrotropin, follitropin and lutropin overnight at 37 degrees C in acetic acid. The alpha-and beta-subunits of the pituitary glycoprotein hormones were rapidly and quantitatively isolated by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). A dissociation efficiency of > 98% was obtained on the basis of mass determinations of the heterodimers and subunits carried out via mass spectrometry...

In an attempt to examine and compare the effect of the two commercially available recombinant FSH on ovarian stimulation characteristics and IVF cycle outcome, we studied 264 IVF cycles in patients with a favorable prognosis a priori, 198 in patients using follitropin-alpha, and 68 in patients using follitropin-beta. Although both groups achieved a comparable number of retrieved oocytes, the use of follitropin-beta was associated with a tendency toward a lower clinical pregnancy rate (PR), and with significantly higher E(2) levels despite the use of significantly lower total gonadotropin dose...

OBJECTIVES: This study compares the efficacy and patient tolerance of follitropin-beta (recagon) administered using a pen device with conventional syringe in infertile couples undergoing in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment. METHODS: Data for 481 patients were retrieved retrospectively for the analysis. Conventional syringe group constituted 204 patients with 217 cycles and 265 patients with 294 cycles in the pen-device group. Down-regulation was achieved with GnRH agonist...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of different starting follitropin's beta dose (50 IU, 75 IU and 100 IU daily) for ovulation induction combined with intrauterine insemination on mono-follicular development. SUBJECT: Prospective study. SETTING: Centre for Assisted Reproduction SANUS, Pardubice. SUBJECT AND METHOD: From March 2005 to November 2007 we performed a total number of 111 ovarian stimulations for patients with unexplained infertility, anovulatory disorder or mild male factor...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of daily versus alternate-day stimulation for patients undergoing intrauterine insemination (IUI). DESIGN: Retrospective comparative study. SETTING: University tertiary care center for infertility. PATIENT(S): Women with anovulatory or unexplained infertility for over 12 months who had not responded to or not conceived with clomiphene citrate treatment. INTERVENTION(S): Ovarian stimulation with recombinant follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH; follitropin-beta) given either daily or on alternate days before IUI...

Although synthesized in the same pituitary gonadotropes, the secretion profiles of lutropin (LH) and follitropin (FSH) differ. LH is secreted through a regulated pathway and associated with a bolus release at mid-estrous cycle. In contrast, the majority of FSH is secreted constitutively with an incremental increase until ovulation. Both share an identicalalpha subunit, and thus thebeta subunit contains determinants for sorting into the regulated pathway. Previously, we demonstrated that a hydrophobic carboxyl-terminal heptapeptide of the LHbeta subunit (Leu-Ser-Gly-Leu-Leu-Phe-Leu), not found in the FSHbeta subunit, influences the intracellular behavior of the LH dimer...

OBJECTIVE: Ovarian stimulation by injection of gonadotrophins is an essential part of assisted reproductive technology (ART) protocols. Two studies (a German pilot study and an Australian study) aimed to assess and compare the ease-of-use, safety and efficacy of two follitropin injection pens. METHODS: Patient satisfaction (questionnaire) and safety were assessed in patients undergoing ART at a German centre for in vitro fertilisation (IVF), randomised either to the follitropin alfa pen or to the follitropin beta pen...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of follitropin alfa and beta on the myoelectrical activity of rat myometrium using signal-processing techniques. DESIGN: Prospective, placebo-controlled study. SETTING: Animal and pharmacology laboratory at Inonu University. ANIMAL(S): Forty-five female Wistar albino rats. INTERVENTION(S): Thirty of 45 animals involved in the experiment were registered as the superovulation group...

UNLABELLED: Follitropin alpha (recombinant human follicle-stimulating hormone; follitropin alfa) is a recombinant form of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), an endogenous gonadotrophin. Unlike FSH products derived from urine [menotropins (human menopausal gonadotrophins), urofollitropin and highly purified urofollitropin], follitropin alpha is readily available and shows batch-to-batch consistency. As well, it is free of luteinising hormone (LH) activity and contaminant urinary proteins and can be self-administered subcutaneously...

Gonadotrophins are injected daily over several days in follicular stimulation protocols. To facilitate self-injection, various injection or reconstitution devices are available. It was investigated whether injection training enabled patients to choose their preferred device. Patients and their partners received nurse-led training about: powdered urofollitropin (Bravelle) with needle-free reconstitution (Q-Cap)and conventional needles and syringes for administration; follitropin beta (Follistim AQ) in a premixed, prefilled cartridge (Follistim AQ Cartridge) with a reusable injection device (Follistim Pen); or follitropin alfa (GONAL-f) in a disposable, premixed, prefilled injection device (GONAL-f RFF Pen)...

Little is known about the behavior of the ovarian surface epithelium (OSE), which plays a central role in ovarian cancer etiology. It has been suggested that incessant ovulation causes OSE changes leading to transformation and that high gonadotropin levels during postmenopause activate OSE receptors, inducing proliferation. We examined the chronology of OSE changes, including tumor appearance, in a mouse model where ovulation never occurs due to deletion of follitropin receptor. Changes in epithelial cells were marked by pan-cytokeratin (CK) staining...

BACKGROUND The optimal time for GnRH antagonist initiation is still debatable. The purpose of the current randomized controlled trial is to provide endocrine and follicular data during ovarian stimulation for IVF in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) treated either with a long GnRH agonist scheme or a fixed day-1 GnRH antagonist protocol. METHODS Randomized patients in both groups (antagonist: n = 26; long agonist: n = 52) received oral contraceptive pill treatment for three weeks and a starting dose of 150 IU of follitropin beta...

Ovulation rarely occurs in mice in which the estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta) gene has been inactivated (ERbeta-/- mice). Here, we investigated whether this subfertility is due to a defect in the ovary itself or to more general endocrine changes in ERbeta-/- mice. We transplanted ERbeta-/- ovaries into WT mice and WT ovaries into ERbeta-/- mice. Upon mating with ERbeta-/- males, fertility increased from 20% in control intact ERbeta-/- group to 40% in the WT recipients with ERbeta-/- ovaries. The transplantation procedure was not efficient, and when WT ovaries were transplanted into WT mice, fertility was only 36%...

Ten years have passed since follitropin-beta first became commercially available. It is estimated that more than one million children have been born after ovarian stimulation and/or ovulation induction with this recombinant FSH in assisted reproduction.