Reproductive Gynaecology
Research profile
Our research in reproductive gynecology is centered around a denominated Center of Reproduction, a formalized virtual research unit comprised by the hospital department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Aarhus University Hospital and The Fertility Clinic at Regional Hospital Horsens (RHH). The research unit is centered around existing research environments at the two hospital departments and aims at structured multidisciplinary research, targeted at reproduction. The Reproductive Unit includes (by January 2021): 2 professors (1 AUH, 1 RHH), 15 doctors (5 RHH, 10 AUH), 3 PhD students, 1 research year student.
The unit has formalized international collaboration with
- Prof. Horace Roman, France
- The MUSA-group with Thierry Van Den Bosch in Leuven
- The Niche group with Judith Huirne from Amsterdam in relation to fertility after previous sectio
- Zeyan Liew, PhD, MPH, Assist. Prof., Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, Yale Center for Perinatal, Pediatric and Environmental Epidemiology (CPPEE), USA.
The reproductive unit has ongoing projects concerning
- Optimized cryopreservation of ovarian tissue and hormonal treatment (Vinnie Greve, Margit Dueholm)
- Biochemical and molecular biochemical evaluation of basic ovarian function (Ulla B Knudsen, Emil H Ernst, Margit Dueholm)
- Identification of genes related to premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) (Emil H Ernst, Ph.d. student Line Steffensen)
- Influence of deep infiltrating endometriosis on fertility (Ulla B. Knudsen, Mikkel Seyer-Hansen, PhD student M. Raos)
- Risk of thrombosis following frozen embryo transfer (Ulla B Knudsen, Kirstine Kirkegaard)
- Optimizing ART using ICSI (Ulla B. Knudsen)
- Fertility and diet (Ulla B. Knudsen, Susanne Lund Kristensen)
- Fertility and nitrate content in drinking water (PhD student Ninna Hinchely Ebdrup, Ulla B. Knudsen)
- Male mental health following testicular cancer (Ulla B. Knudsen)
- Puberty and fertility following childhood innate cardiac disease (Ulla B. Knudsen)
Clinical profile
Reproductive gynecology covers a broad range of diseases in the female reproductive system affecting fertility. Overall, reproductive gynecology provides treatment and diagnosis of diseases in the hypothalamus-pituary-ovary axis (HPO axis), the ovaries and uterus that affects fertility, menstrual cycle and/or reproductive hormones. A common feature for most women attending the clinic is the need for fertility treatment. Patients classified into four major categories: Endocrinology (PCOS, premature ovarian insufficiency, HPO axis disorders), reproductive diseases of unknown or genetic origin (disorders of sex development, androgen insensitivity syndrome, adrenogenital syndrome, Turners etc), structural disorders (uterine causes of infertility, endometriosis) and cancer related hormonal and fertility treatment (fertility preservation, hormone substitution). A specialized outpatient clinic welcomes the above-described patients for diagnosis and treatment in close collaboration with endocrinologists, gynecological experts in endometriosis, minimal invasive surgery and the Fertility Clinic Regional Hospital Horsens, that in addition has a satellite outpatient clinic at Aarhus University Hospital. A joined outpatient clinic is offered to PCOS patients in collaboration with the hospital department of Endocrinology.
