Introduction The availability of modern methods of contraception has been described as the “first reproductive revolution” in the history of humanity. Indeed, the availability and widespread use of modern contraceptive modalities represents more than a technical advance: it constitutes a true “social revolution” that greatly contributed to changing the future of the human race [1]. […]

Introduction Caesarean section (CS) delivery rates have risen dramatically worldwide over the last three decades [1]. In Canada, there has been a 50.8% increase between 1997 and 2016.  In 2019, 288.80 per 1,000 live births (28.8%) were performed via caesarean delivery [1]. As surgical procedure rates increase and CS become one of the most common […]

Introduction Current contraceptive methods, namely those based on hormonal contraception, really came to prominence in the 1960s, after Gregory Pincus and his colleagues published the first clinical trials in women on norethisterone and norethindrone, used to inhibit ovulation [1]. Contraceptive methods are commonly categorized as natural, barrier methods, short-acting hormonal forms of contraception, long-acting reversible […]

Introduction Skin senescent changes are caused by reduced collagen, elasticity and decreased total body water content. The magnitude of these changes is directly proportional to increasing age. However, there is an increasing body of evidence that suggest that skin aging changes are directly correlated to menopausal age rather than chronological age, implying estrogen deficiency as […]

Introduction Endocrine-related cancer represents a broad area of major interest when considering the undesirable effect of hormones. This field of cancer with a hormonal background is often associated with common cancers such as breast and endometrial cancers, but also with less frequent neoplasms such as ovarian cancer. Colon cancer, or colorectal cancer to be more […]

Introduction In all eukaryote cells, mitochondria are the organelles providing most of the energy used by these cells and are therefore also called the “powerhouse of the cells”. In terms of evolutionary biology, these organelles originate either from endosymbiotically living aerobic bacteria or from incorporated factual anaerobic bacteria in archaea [1]. Structurally, mitochondria have two […]

Introduction The demand for up-to-date information in the palm of our hand and the exponential advancement of technology within the last decade has caused the modern world to become dependent on cellular telephones, specifically smart phones. As of 2020, 97% of Americans owned a cellular telephone and 85% of Americans owned a smartphone [1]. Nearly […]

Introduction In 1942, Fuller Albright et al. described a disorder characterized by end-organ resistance to parathyroid hormone (PTH) resulting in increased serum PTH levels, hypocalcemia and hyperphosphatemia. The condition was named ‘pseudohypoparathyroidism’ (PHP) given that the PTH was elevated in the face of low calcium and high phosphorus levels [1]. These patients had specific somatic […]

Introduction Endometriosis is a prevalent condition which occurs in an estimated 1 out of 10 women during their reproductive lifespan [1]. Worldwide, this translates to 190 million women with endometriosis. The most commonly occurring symptom is dysmenorrhea, but clinical presentation and disease severity vary widely [1].  Endometriosis usually involves the pelvic organs including the peritoneum, […]

Introduction Hysteroscopy, a frequently used tool in the diagnosis of infertility [1,2], is safe and easy to perform. Nonetheless, it is an invasive procedure, even when performed in an outpatient setting [1,2]. Thus, one should get the maximum informative output [3]. In the last decade, several methods for the evaluation of Fallopian tube patency using […]

Case report A 39-year-old transmale person was referred by his mental health practitioner (MHP) for gender-affirmative hormonal treatment (GAHT) after the diagnosis of gender incongruence was made according the DSM-V criteria. On admission a healthy sportive and clinically unnoticeable person with a female phenotype was seen. Body mass index (BMI) was 27 kg/m2 and smoking […]

Introduction During the last decades, a growing body of evidence has pointed to the need of focusing on cardio-metabolic health with a sex and gender-oriented approach, in order to reduce the burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), which are the leading cause of mortality in both men and women worldwide [1]. The misconception that CVD affect […]

1. Introduction 1.1 Male contraceptive methods: an unmet need Currently, nearly half of all pregnancies globally are unintended, totaling 121 million each year. In the United States, about 45% of pregnancies are unintended. Specifically, 27% of all pregnancies were “unscheduled” and 18% of pregnancies were “unwanted” according to a Guttmacher institute survey [1]. A large […]

Introduction When discussing about the metabolic syndrome (MS), many specialists agree that it is has numerous causes; the most important of which is insulin resistance [1]. MS is defined according to specific criteria that are summarized in Table 1. As it can be easily argued, central obesity is the main common criteria among the presented […]

1. Premature ovarian insufficiency: diagnosis, characteristics, and clinical features Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) presents a complex challenge for both clinicians and patients. This condition is characterized by the absence of menstruation before the age of 40 [1]. The ovarian function gradually decreases, leading to its eventual cessation, which manifests in both morphological changes in the […]

Introduction Myomas, endometriosis, adenomyosis are gynecological disorders that may cause decreased fertility, either individually or as a group.  Namely the prevalence of adenomyosis may reach 90% in the subset of women with endometriosis younger than 36 [1-4]. A causal relation between adenomyosis and life-long primary infertility has been documented, even when cases of coexisting endometriosis […]

Introduction Terrible crimes against humanity were committed during World War II. The murder of more than 1.5 million children was justified by the Nazis, to prevent “(…) the avengers, in the form of children, grow up and confront our children and grandchildren (…)”. The extermination was carried out with a policy of abortions and infanticide […]

Introduction Breast cancer (BC) represents the most frequent endocrine-related tumor with a global incidence of 24.5% and a mortality rate of 15.5%. An estimated 20-25% of new diagnoses occur in premenopausal women [1]. Progress in early diagnosis and in the development of new lines of therapy has improved disease-free survival but at the same time […]

Introduction The utilization of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has surged in popularity across various clinical applications due to its potential to enhance tissue healing and regeneration. PRP is derived from peripheral blood by centrifugation [1]. After activation, platelets release their α-granule content, which is enriched with growth factors that induce cell proliferation, growth and differentiation […]

Introduction Evra® (Gedeon Richter Plc., Budapest, Hungary), introduced nearly 20 years ago, was the first transdermal contraceptive patch designed to deliver two hormones. The Evra® patch has high contraceptive efficacy with an overall Pearl Index of 0.90 (95% CI, 0.44–1.35) 1. Studies have shown that the use of  the Evra® patch is associated with improved […]

Introduction Congenital uterine anomalies (CUA) can be a cause of infertility in females. However, the majority of these anomalies go unnoticed after either puberty or when a woman of childbearing age has difficulty conceiving due to repeated adverse pregnancy outcomes. In fact, 3 to 5% of CUA are diagnosed over the age of 16, with […]

Introduction SERMs (selective estrogen receptor modulators) are synthetic molecules that bind to the estrogen receptor and produce agonistic activity in some tissues while being estrogen antagonist in other tissues. For instance, all SERMs, whether in practice or those that never made it to the market, are estrogenic in the bone and the venous system while […]

Introduction Tetrasomy X (48,XXXX) is a very rare condition in women, which was described for the first time by Carr et al. in 1961 [1] and to date about 100 cases have been reported worldwide and up to 60 women have been described in scientific publications [2-5]. The analysis of described cases has shown that […]

Introduction Recent findings indicate that endocrine and metabolic disorders are risk factors for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, but also that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) adversely affects the endocrine system [1-3]. The pathogenesis of COVID-19 involves SARS-CoV-2 virus entering the lungs through the respiratory system and depositing in the lung parenchyma. The […]

Introduction The risk of cardiovascular disease increases with aging in both men and women. There are a number of risk factors common to both genders, including obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, smoking and lack of physical exercise [1]. But for women, the menopause is an additional factor. Loss of ovarian function leads to adverse changes […]