Department Introduction

The Department of Reproductive Endocrinology is the largest admitting service with full-service reproductive endocrinology and infertility clinic in Zhejiang Province. There are seven parts: outpatient department of reproductive endocrinology, outpatient department of andrology, In vitro fertilization (IVF) lab, andrology lab, IVF operation room, 3 wards of IVF& reproductive surgery with 150 beds and follow-up department. Together we have 133 faculty members, including 37 doctors, 70 nurses, 18 IVF lab members and 8 IVF secretaries. We offer a full range of services to help individuals and couples, who suffer from reproductive endocrine disorders and infertility of both female and male problems. Our experts have national and international reputations for excellence, with nearly 30 years of rich experience in dealing with complex fertility issues. Our service is ranked in top ten of China by Hospital specialty ranking list of reproductive medicine.

Currently, Dr. Zhu Yi-min takes in charges of the Department of Reproductive Endocrinology.

Specialty:

·Reproductive Endocrine Disorders

We have rich experience in treating patients with Reproductive Endocrine Disorders, such as Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, premature ovary insufficiency, abnormal uterus bleeding, hyperprolactinemia etc. We try our best to give patients both health and fertility support.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): We offer integrated management to PCOS patients with their endocrine and metabolic problems, which can lead to infertility.

Endometriosis: We provide multiple, individualized treatment to endometriosis patients with infertility, including medical treatment, surgical treatment and IVF.

Premature Ovary Insufficience (POI): We give both psychological and medical supports to POI patients, as well as the highly individualized treatment for infertility and fertility preservation.

·Infertility

We provide a wide range of assisted reproductive technologies, including controlled ovarian stimulation, artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI),pre-implantation genetic testing（PGT）, embryo transfer, egg, sperm and embryo cryopreservation and fertility preservation, surgical and medical management of male infertility. All of them achieve excellent outcomes consistently. The delivering results are among the highest in the nation.

IVF/ICSI: We offer leading-edge assisted reproductive technology (ART) services, including IVF/ICSI and embryo transfer in a highly individualized, private setting.

Fertility preservation: Fertility preservation, supervised by ethic, is the effort to help cancer patients or single young women with diminished ovarian reservation retain their fertility or ability to procreate. We provide the gamete or embryo cryopreservation to these patients before the start of cancer treatment or premature ovarian insufficiency.

PGT(pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD)/pre-implantation genetic screening (PGS)：During IVF, we offer PGD or PGS testing to identify genetic or chromosomal abnormalities in the embryos. Embryos free of genetic defects are selected to transfer into the mother’s womb, helping the family get rid of perplex hereditary disease.

Surgical and Medical Management of Male Infertility: The Andrology department offers various surgical and medical managements of male infertility, including mTESE/MESA+sperm cryopreservation, varicocelectomy and microsurgical vasoepididymal anastomosis, et.al.

Our comprehensive services include:

·Reproductive Endocrine provides comprehensive medical services to patients as well as health support.

·IVF/ICSI is dedicated to offer leading-edge assisted reproductive technology (ART) services, including IVF/ICSI and embryo transfer, in a highly individualized, private setting.

·The Andrology department offers various surgical and medical managements of male infertility, including mTESE/MESA+sperm cryopreservation, varicocelectomy and microsurgical vasoepididymal anastomosis, et.al.

·Reproductive surgery provides advanced, multidisciplinary care for women who are identified within fertility associated gynecological disorders, such as hydrosalpinx, ovarian cyst, endometriosis or intrauterine adhesion.

·Recurrent abortion and Genetic Disease provides comprehensive assessment and individual treatment for genetic or immune disorders which may lead to recurrent abortion.

Department of Reproductive endocrinology has been the site of important advances in women’s infertility. We carry out the first in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET), gametes intrafallopian tube transfer (GIFT), and PGD baby in Zhejiang province and is one of the nation’s first ART hospitals. The first GIFT baby and the first IVF baby of Zhejiang province were born in November 13^th, 1995 and July 10^th, 1996 respectively. The first frozen embryo baby of Zhejiang Province was born in December, 1999. The first PGD baby (get rid of the genetic disease) of Zhejiang Province was born in September 26^th, 2002.

Milestones include:

·Carried out the first selective embryo reduction in multiple gestations via vaginal ultrasound in Zhejiang Province in March, 1996.The successful rate now is about 99%.

·The reproductive medical center approved by the Health Department of Zhejiang province was established in 1997.

·Carried out the first frozen embryo technology in March, 1997, filling the blank area of Zhejiang Province.

·In 2000, the Department of Reproductive endocrinology was approved as key medical subjects by the Health Department of Zhejiang province.

·In 2001, we successfully managed the first PGD diagnose, and the first PGD baby (get rid of the genetic disease) of Zhejiang Province was born in September 26^th, 2002.

November, 2001, approved by national Ministry of Health, we become one of the first hospitals which could carry out all kinds of assisted reproductive technologies, including artificial insemination (AIH and AID), in vitro fertilization (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) etc.

·In March 2007, we were awarded as the national human training base of ART by the ministry of health (one of 12 units).

Reproductive Endocrinology Department has the innovation team of reproductive safety translational medicine of Changjiang Scholars Ministry of Education, Key Medical Subjects by the Health Department of Zhejiang Province, innovation medical subject of Zhejiang Province, Reproductive medical center of Zhejiang Province, and the adjunct organization for the Quality Control of assisted reproductive technologies of Zhejiang Province. We provide a broad range of education program and training for undergraduate and post-graduate, as well as in-depth focused concentration in the subspecialties. Our faculty are nationally recognized leaders in all of the disciplines in the field.

Training Base：

• National Human ART Training Base
• ART specialist nurse training Base of Zhejiang Province

Researchers in the Department of Reproductive Endocrinology are dedicated to advancing all aspects of Reproductive Endocrinology care. Our primary areas of research include reproductive medicine, reproductive genetic and the safety of ART. Our research centre conducts both basic science and clinical research to explore a wide range of reproductive medicine and ART conditions. Physicians and scientists work together to assess risks, investigate treatment strategies and analyze outcomes to optimize diagnosis and treatment for our patients.

Based on this platform, we hosted one National Major Research program (973 Program) "Risk Assessment and Mechanism Study of ART-Induced Embryo-Derived Diseases", and are hosting two “Thirteenth Five-Year” National Key Research and Development Program of China about ovulation disorder diseases and reproductive genetic diseases separately. Our achievements have won the second prize of National Science and Technology Progress Award twice.

-Reproductive Medicine

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

Ovulation disorder disease is the highly heterogeneous endocrine and metabolic disorder, that causing infertility of women in reproductive age. Our clinical and basic research is focusing on the clinical prevention and cure, and pathogenesis study of PCOS women. After years of endeavor, our research group has built a series of scientific and efficient therapeutic methods to help patients suffering ovulation disorder disease alleviating the symptoms. Meanwhile, we are also actively exploring the pathogenesis of ovulation disorder diseases by using the big data, molecular biological technique and animal models. We are hosting a National Key Research and Development Program of China “Mechanism and Clinical Intervention of Ovulation Abnormality”. Physicians and scientists work together to investigate the etiology, prevention and cue strategies of ovulation disorder disease to build more scientific, efficient and safe therapy.

Premature ovary insufficiency (POI)

Department of Reproductive endocrinology accepts referral and provides guidance for patients with intractable endocrine diseases, infertility, and reproductive genetic diseases in or around the province. Among the patients visited, 11.62% had ovarian insufficiency. In recent years, our center has adopted an individualized ovarian micro-stimulation protocol to remedy more than 4,000 patients like this. The pregnancy rate has reached 35%, which is at the international leading level. In addition, through pedigree collection and gene sequencing, we found the mutations in the pathogenic genes of premature ovarian failure, which provides a theoretical basis for early intervention and genetic block of offspring.

Prevention and control system of multiple pregnancy

A prevention and control system has been established to control the occurrence of multiple pregnancies. With the support of the Provincial and Ministerial Co-construction Project and Major Project of Science and Technology Department of Zhejiang Province named "Establishment and application of the key system of reducing iatrogenic multiple births", we have formulated the individual ovarian stimulation scheme in order to control multiple pregnancy from the source, and the indication and standardization scheme of selective single embryo transfer (eSET), which has reduced the multiple pregnancy rate year by year. With the platform of the ART Training Base and the annual national continuing education training course of reproductive medicine, we have promoted the concept and technology of eSET to more than 20 units in and out of Zhejiang Province, and the relevant research has won the second prize of Zhejiang Science and Technology Progress. Furthermore, the technology of multifetal pregnancy reduction is becoming more and more mature, our center has established agreements with other reproductive centers to help them reduce the number of pregnancies, including the ultrasound-guided precise positioning of fetal reduction in 16-24 weeks with malformed multiple pregnancies, and the ultrasound-guided precise positioning and minimally invasive technique of fetal protection for simultaneous live pregnancies both inside and outside the uterus. 

-Reproductive genetics:

Our reproductive center is one of the first and foremost clinics to perform preimplantation genetic testing in China. We are hosting a National Key Research and Development Program of China “Genetic Safety of Assisted Reproduction” and have undertaken several national research projects in the area of reproductive genetics. The main themes of researches include the genetic stability of assisted reproductive technology, new technology in preimplantation genetic testing, epigenetics of reproductive infertility, et al.

-Safety of ART:

We are the first in China to set up a follow-up clinic for ART offspring, thus establishing a platform for clinical follow-up and basic research of ART offsprings. Over the past several years, more than 5,000 ART offspring participated in the follow-up. Our research revealed that high maternal estrogen environment during pregnancy was high risk factor for ART Embryo-Derived Diseases, which were published in top endocrine journal JCEM. Based on this platform, we hosted the National Major Research program (973 Program) "Risk Assessment and Mechanism Study of ART-Induced Embryo-Derived Diseases" and carried out a series of related studies. Through these efforts, we accumulated a wealth of discoveries and clinical experiences, and also established corresponding treatment specifications, which boosts the health of the offspring.

Two key laboratories:

Key Laboratory of Reproductive Genetics of Ministry of Education

Key Laboratory of Female Reproductive Health Research

Clinic area：1^st and 4^th floor, Building 3

Ward：6^th- 8^th floor, Building 2

Phone: 86-571-89992072