TY  -  JOUR
AU  -  Minucci, Daria
AU  -  Alessi, Chiara
T1  -  The periconceptional period and assisted reproduction technologies: a review of embryonic sex-specific adaptability and vulnerability
PY  -  2022
Y1  -  2022-01-01
DO  -  10.1723/3769.37564
JO  -  The Italian Journal of Gender-Specific Medicine
JA  -  Ital J Gender-Specific Med
VL  -  8
IS  -  1
SP  -  29
EP  -  43
PB  -  Il Pensiero Scientifico Editore
SN  -  2612-3487
Y2  -  2026/05/02
UR  -  http://dx.doi.org/10.1723/3769.37564
N2  -  Summary. In just over 40 years, more than 10 million people worldwide have been born with assisted reproductive technologies (ART); today in Europe they represent 3% of births, while reaching around 7% in some Countries. Despite the rapidly increasing of its use in infertility – and even beyond – and the progressive introduction of new technologies and procedures, the effectiveness/safety ratio remains far from that of natural procreation as observed in communities with a good health protection.In addition to a low number of births compared to that of the procedures initiated, there are many concerns about the increased risk of pregnancy and neonatal diseases and above all about the risk of non-transmissible diseases – such as cardiovascular, metabolic, neurologic, immunologic, etc. – that can occur during lifetime and can also be inherited. Moreover, a different sex ratio at birth in relation to the different procedures and technologies has been observed, as well as the fact that the risk of diseases upon birth and during life is often different depending on sex. To overcome the gap between the outcomes of the natural and the assisted reproduction, more solid scientific data is needed on gamete maturation and early embryo sex-specific development, adaptability and vulnerability, both in the natural tubal environment – able to respond continuously to the changes in the embryonic needs led by the mother-embryo cross-talk – and in the static, in vitro environment, to which the effects of the various procedures and manipulations should be added. Many studies have been recently proposed; given the high sex dimorphism of the initial embryo, sex difference should be considered in the study planning as a systematic objective of research.
ER  -