A shorter dry period length has in studies abroad showed some positive effects among high yielding dairy cows. Among other things it has been suggested that the periparturient metabolic stress becomes lower, that the Fertility is improved and dry off becomes gentler for the udder, due to a lower milk yield. The milk yield is generally reduced during the first period after calving, especially among primiparous cows. The aim of this master thesis was to investigate how Swedish cows were affected by a shortened dry period, regarding milk yield, metabolism, health, body condition and body weight from two months before calving to some weeks after calving. Also plasma concentration of lactose during the period before calving was determined.

With increased milkproduction in our dairy cattle, comes a risk for a reduced Fertility. Studies performed on animals and humans have shown that it is possible to manipulate the oestrous cycle through exposure to pheromones. This means that pheromones could potentionally be used to make reproduction more efficient. To evaluate the bioactivity of the substances in question, there is need for a bioassay. In insects, pheromones can induce a changed cardiac activity.

This paper is grounded in the previous research that indicated that involuntary childless women feels stigmatized and outside society. The purpose of this paper was to find out how the feeling of being an outsider and a stigmatized person is created and takes form in the category involuntary childless women. I asked the questions; -In what parts of the interviewed women?s answers indicates that they are outsiders and stigmatized? ?Who is creating the stigma and the outsiderness and how is it created? I answered these questions by interviewing six women in the ages of 28-40, who all had undergone In vitro fertilization-treatment and lived in heterosexual relationships. I used Erving Goffmans theory about stigma and Howard Beckers theory about outsiders to analyse the empiric data.

Sjuksköterskor kommer i hälso- och sjukvårdsarbete i kontakt med framtida föräldrar och skulle, om de hade kunskap, kunna informera om faktorer som påverkar fertiliteten hos kvinnor och män. Syftet med studien var att undersöka vad sjuksköterskestudenter kunde om kvinnans och mannens fertilitet innan sjuksköterskeutbildningens kurs om detta samt om kunskapen i fertilitet utvecklades under utbildningen. För att göra det fick en klass sjuksköterskestuderanden på en högskola i Mellansverige vid två tillfällen svara på en enkät som handlade om fertilitet. Det var 49 studeranden med en medelålder på 30,5 år som svarade på enkäten både före samt efter genomgången kurs där gynekologi ingick. Huvudresultatet visade att andelen som sades ha inhämtat sin kunskap om fertilitet från sjuksköterskeutbildningen ökade till 30 % från 4 %.

ABSTRACT InFertility is a medical condition that affects approximately 16 % of Swedish couples in childbearing age and is a condition found in both men and women. When a couple has been trying to conceive for more than 12 months without success they need to see a health care provider. InFertility can be treated with medicine, insemination or assisted reproductive technology such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The aim of this study was to validate a morphokinetic selection model, KIDScore? D3 Basic, against morphological selection model that is currently in use at the Fertility unit at University hospital in Orebro.

In couples diagnosed with unexplained inFertility, the woman has normal ovulatory cycles and no organic pathology, and the man has normal semen. The period during which the implantation of an embryo can occur is defined as the window of implantation (WOI). For infertile women, disturbances in the endometrium maturation are hypothesized to impair the uterine receptivity for embryo implantaition. However, there are still no methods found to predict endometrial receptivity.Hemoglobin related-proteins hypothesized to be involved in embryo implantation have been found in the endometrium in both fertile and infertile women. The aim of this study was to determine whether there were differences in the expression of hemoglobin-related proteins, hemoglobin-?, cytoglobin, fetal hemoglobin and haptoglobin in the endometrium of fertile and infertile women.

Preservation of cells and tissues by freezing at temperatures below 70°C has led to new possibilities for the storage of germ cells for Fertility preservation. During the freezing process problems might occur, the greatest being ice crystallization which can cause membrane destruction and thus cell death. To minimize this risk, solutions that reduce the freezing point can be added to reduce crystallization and increase survival rates. These solutions are called cryoprotectants. The best method for freezing is still not known.The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of various parameters on the survival rate of human semen frozen with liquid nitrogen.

Crypreservation of oocytes is recently being considered to be a valid choice in inFertility treatments.Low survival and fertilization rates due to inefficient slow freeze protocols have been the outcome ofmany previous studies done in the field. However, introduction of the vitrification technique and itsapplication in reproductive medicine and to some extent new improved slow freeze protocols haveshown that oocytes can be cryopreserved with successful outcome.In this project the survival rate of oocytes after vitrification with MediCult Vitrification andWarming Media has been studied. Also, a comparison of the carriers Cryoloop (an open system) andCryopette (a closed system) has been performed.A total of 43 oocytes were vitrified and warmed according to MediCult's protocol, of which 21oocytes with Cryoloop and 22 with Cryopette. The cells were post-thaw incubated in a physiologicalenvironment for 24h. During that time the morphology and viability were observed and noted after 2h,over night and after 24h.

Today evidence exist that environmental chemicals deteriorate male sperm quality and that testicular cancer is increasing. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical with estrogenic effects used in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastic and are found in, for instance, plastic boxes, feeding bottles and food containers. Much of the research on how men's reproductive ability is influenced are performed on rats. This review article complies how male rat reproduction is affected by BPA as a model for humans. Studies have investigated how sperm are affected, hormonal changes during reproduction and how reactive oxygen species (ROS) affects sperm.

Background; Gynecological cancer is a common term for cancer in the female genitals and 2013 there were about 2800 women in Sweden that was diagnosed. This form of cancer and the treatment that is used, affects the sexuality and also the Fertility of the women.Aim; The purpose with the essay was to illustrate the experience of the sexuality after the treatment of gynecological cancer.Method; The method used in the essay was a systematic translation of different literature. Of all the articles used there were eight that was qualitative, two quantitative and one was a combination of both methods. The analytic process was accomplish with the support of the Friberg (2006) analytic method.Results; The analysis resulted in two categories; Physical changes after the treatment and the treatments impact on the sexuality of the women. The physical changes that occurred because of the treatment was recurring and it showed that it was primarily surgery that hurt the woman body.

Hazel (Corylus avellana L.) is a common feature of meadows and pastures where it can grow in large populations and become very old. Is it possible to use the size of hazel stools for age determination and is it possible to use the size distribution of a population to provide information about how the land has been used? Hazel populations on ground where the lake-water level had been lowered, has been studied to validate an already developed growth model of hazel clones. Different hazel populations, on wooded meadows affected by mowing or grazing or overgrown meadows, were studied to evaluate the method utilizing hazel as land use indicator. The growth model was used to compare the size distributions of hazel populations with historical periods, which has been important for changes in agriculture or demography.

Many pedigree dogs are suffering from inherited diseases or personality disorders caused by selective breeding. The Swedish lapphund is a breed that has been suffering from some loss of genetic variation due to the heavy use of only a few males. Concerns have arisen and crossbreeding has been discussed as a way to manage gene loss. Four breeds has been taken into consideration for this purpose; schipperke, finish lapphund, Norwegian buhund and Norwegian elkhound, black. These breeds has been tested theoretical by a comparison of mentality and health.

The aim of this literature study was to analyze how milk urea concentration is working as a measure of the nitrogen supply to rumen microbes and indicator of the environmental load. Questions included in this literature study were how to improve the dairy cattle nitrogen efficiency and what correlations there are between milk urea, nitrogen efficiency and crude protein content in the feed. Effects on the reproduction from high ration protein content are also addressed. Dairy cattle are today fed with large proportions of protein which could lead to high expenditure of feed and environmental pollutions. The nitrogen can be lost to the environment by different pathways; leaching, denitrification or by emission to the air.

The aim of this literature study was to analyze how milk urea concentration is working as a measure of the nitrogen supply to rumen microbes and indicator of the environmental load. Questions included in this literature study were how to improve the dairy cattle nitrogen efficiency and what correlations there are between milk urea, nitrogen efficiency and crude protein content in the feed. Effects on the reproduction from high ration protein content are also addressed. Dairy cattle are today fed with large proportions of protein which could lead to high expenditure of feed and environmental pollutions. The nitrogen can be lost to the environment by different pathways; leaching, denitrification or by emission to the air.

The aim of this study is to review the commercial quail production for eggs and meat in the world. Another aim is to review the potential for increased production. Globally the quail production is very small, except in China where it is the second largest poultry industry. The production globally is small despite the quail's rapid growth, early sexual maturity and its high feed efficiency. The quail is also used as a laboratory animal and can be reared to be released in hunting areas.