Endometriosis has been associated with specific morphometric characteristics and pigmentary traits. The purpose of this study was to systematically review prior publications dealing with this aspect in order to revisit phenotypic information in the context of phenomics principles. Comprehensive searches of Pubmed, Medline and Embase were conducted to identify studies, published from 1990 to 2011 in the English language literature, on the relationship between endometriosis and morphometric characteristics/pigmentary traits. We identified 11 studies on the association between endometriosis and body mass index (BMI) in the adult population and 5 studies on the same association during early life. While a modest inverse correlation was found between endometriosis and adult BMI, a stronger association was consistently demonstrated between endometriosis and early life body size, even after adjusting for confounding factors such as age, birthweight, age at menarche, parity and oral contraceptive use. Four papers have been published on the association between endometriosis and cutaneous naevi and five on the association between the disease and specific pigmentary traits. A skin phenotype characterized by the presence of naevi and freckles and by a high sensitivity to sun exposure is represented more frequently in women with endometriosis. Endometriosis appears to be associated with some phenotypic variations likely attributable to the strong effect of the environment on the expression and function of genes influencing the traits. Novel clues on endometriosis pathogenesis may derive from the analysis of the phenotypic traits associated with the disease.

Accumulating evidence from animal and human studies suggests that vitamin D is involved in many functions of the human reproductive system in both genders, but no comprehensive analysis of the potential relationship between vitamin D status and Assisted Reproduction Technologies (ART) outcomes is currently available. On this basis, the purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to perform an in-depth evaluation of clinical studies assessing whether vitamin D status of patients undergoing ART could be related to cycle outcome variables. This issue is of interest considering that vitamin D deficiency is easily amenable to correction and oral vitamin D supplementation is cheap and without significant side effects. Surprisingly, no studies are currently available assessing vitamin D status among male partners of couples undergoing ART, while seven studies on vitamin D status of women undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) for ART were found and included in the review. Results show that vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent among women undergoing COH, ranging from 21% to 31% across studies conducted in Western countries and reaching 75-99% in Iranian studies. Data on vitamin D deficiency (25-hydroxyvitamin D serum levels <20 ng/ml) in relation to ART outcomes could be extracted from three studies and included in the meta-analysis, yielding a common risk ratio (RR) of 0.89 (95% CI 0.53-1.49) and showing a lower but not statistically significant likelihood of clinical pregnancy for vitamin-D-deficient women compared with vitamin-D-sufficient patients. In conclusion, there is insufficient evidence to support the routine assessment of vitamin D status to predict the clinical pregnancy rate in couples undergoing ART. The partly conflicting results of the available studies, potentially explaining the lack of statistical significance for a negative influence of vitamin D deficiency on clinical pregnancy rate, are likely secondary to confounders and insufficient sample size, and further larger cohort and randomised controlled studies are required.

Vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA) is a chronic progressive disease involving the female genital apparatus and lower urinary tract. This condition is related to hypoestrogenism consequent to menopause onset but is also due to the hormonal decrease after adjuvant therapy for patients affected by breast cancer. Considering the high prevalence of VVA and the expected growth of this condition due to the increase in the average age of the female population, it is easy to understand its significant social impact. VVA causes uncomfortable disorders, such as vaginal dryness, itching, burning, and dyspareunia, and requires constant treatment, on cessation of which symptoms tend to reappear. The currently available therapies include vaginal lubricants and moisturizers, vaginal estrogens and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), systemic hormone therapy, and Ospemifene. Considering, however, that such therapies have some problems that include contraindications, ineffectiveness, and low compliance, finding an innovative, effective, and safe treatment is crucial. The present data suggest great efficacy and safety of a vaginal laser in the treatment of genital symptoms and improvement in sexual function in patients affected by VVA. The beneficial effect tends to be sustained over the long-term, and no serious adverse events have been identified. The aim of this review is to report up-to-date efficacy and safety data of laser energy devices, in particular the microablative fractional carbon dioxide laser and the non-ablative photothermal Erbium-YAG laser.

A comprehensive analysis of the vitamin D status of infertile women is the first step in understanding hypovitaminosis impact on reproductive potential. We sought to determine vitamin D profiles of women attending an infertility center and to investigate non-dietary determinants of vitamin D status in this population. In this cross-sectional analysis, a cohort of 1072 women (mean age ± standard deviation 36.3 ± 4.4 years) attending an academic infertility center was used to examine serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25(OH)D) levels in relation to demographic characteristics, seasons and general health risk factors. Both unadjusted and adjusted levels of serum 25(OH)D were examined. Median 25(OH)D concentration was below 30 ng/mL for 89% of the entire year. Over the whole year, 6.5% of patients had 25(OH)D levels ≤10 ng/mL, 40.1% ≤20 ng/mL, and 77.4% ≤30 ng/mL. Global solar radiation was weakly correlated with 25(OH)D levels. At multivariable analysis, 25(OH)D levels were inversely associated with BMI; conversely, 25(OH)D levels were positively associated with height and endometriosis history. Serum 25(OH)D levels are highly deficient in women seeking medical help for couple’s infertility. Levels are significantly associated with body composition, seasonal modifications and causes of infertility. Importantly, this deficiency status may last during pregnancy with more severe consequences.

The effect of a raised body mass index (BMI) on the outcome of assisted reproduction technology (ART) still represents a controversial issue. Even less clear is whether BMI acts with a potential detrimental effect on IVF outcomes via a deleterious effect on innate quality of oocytes or on the environmental milieu within the uterus. With the aim to better understand the mechanisms underlying the potential deleterious effect of an increased BMI on IVF outcomes, we have evaluated the effects of female BMI on number and quality of retrieved oocytes, fertilization rate, embryo score and incidences of ongoing pregnancy and live births among couples undergoing IVF in an Italian population. Data from 1602 women who underwent their first IVF cycle were retrospectively analyzed. A significantly reduced percentage of mature oocytes when comparing obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²) and normal-weight patients (BMI = 18.50–24.99 kg/m²) was found. After adjusting for maternal age and other confounders, odds for ongoing pregnancy rate showed no differences across different BMI categories. However, a significant increased odds ratio (OR) could be observed for miscarriage rate in patients with BMI ≥ 25 (OR = 2.5; p = 0.04). These results should be taken into account in order to define optimal strategies for overweight and obese patients referring to ART procedures.