Munich, Germany
November 6 - November 7, 2004
Ovarian stimulation therapy is a key element of assisted reproduction. For more than 40 years gonadotropins have been used for ovarian stimulation. In the beginning of this era gonadotropins had to be extracted from urine of postmenopausal women, but in subsequent years different techniques were developed to improve the extraction process gradually.
However, due to the increasing demand of gonadotropins worldwide, it became more and more difficult to provide enough urine for gonadotropin production. With the advances in cell biology and the identification of the chemical structure of human FSH it was possible to synthesize recombinant human FSH. This was a revolutionary step towards a high quality treatment. Furthermore, due to the high purity of the product, the substance can now be injected subcutaneously which is much more convenient for the patient.
In addition to recombinant FSH, even recombinant human LH and hCG are now available. So for the first time ovarian stimulation therapy can exclusively be performed with recombinant hormones.
The aim of the symposium was to show the historical development of gonadotropin research from the beginning until today, highlighting latest developments in the invention of orally available and depot gonadotropin preparations. Current data on treatment protocols with respect to different groups of patients (high responder/low responder etc.) were discussed and the role of LH and hCG in ovarian stimulation/ovulation induction was addressed.
OBJECTIVES
After attending in this conference, the participants had an updated knowledge on:
- Characteristics of human gonadotropins
- Methods for development of novel gonadotropin preparations
- Protocols for ovulation induction
- Ovarian stimulation protocols
- Ovarian stimulation in "high risk patients"
- Prevention/reduction of risks in ovarian stimulation
TARGET AUDIENCE
Medical doctors and scientists, working in the field of reproductive medicine and IVF-specialists, such as biologists, benefited from the conference.
Serono Symposia International Foundation (www.seronosymposia.org) will submit this program “Gonadotropins from basic research to clinical practice” (Munich, Germany, November 6 - 7, 2004) for accreditation by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME).
CME accreditation of this program, “Gonadotropins from basic research to clinical practice” (Munich, Germany, November 6 - 7, 2004), will be applied for from the Royal College of Physicians, London, UK and from the Italian Ministry of Health.