Jan Gerris
The Modern Laboratory · People
The Modern Laboratory
Jan Gerris
An Antwerp gynaecologist who defined a top quality embryo, then tested whether one was enough.
Training in Belgium. Jan Gerris qualified in medicine at Ghent University in 1976. He trained in obstetrics and gynaecology in Ghent and Brussels, and became a specialist in 1981. His early research looked at male infertility, including varicocele surgery and the quality of semen.
What makes a good embryo. At the fertility clinic of Middelheim Hospital in Antwerp, Gerris and his team studied 23 double transfers that had led to twins. Both embryos had implanted, so both must have been strong. From them the team described a top quality embryo. It had four or five cells on day two, at least seven on day three, no cells with several nuclei and little fragmentation.
The Antwerp trial. They then offered a randomised trial to women under 34 starting their first IVF or ICSI cycle. With one top quality embryo, the ongoing pregnancy rate was 38.5 per cent, similar to that of naturally fertile couples. There was just one pair of identical twins. Belgium limited the number of embryos from July 2003. In the first year, the team's multiple pregnancy rate was 8.5 per cent, against 24.4 per cent nationally the year before.
Ghent and beyond. Gerris founded the ESHRE special interest group on safety and quality in assisted reproduction in 2002. From 2006 he worked at the Centre for Reproductive Medicine at Ghent University Hospital. He was professor of gynaecology at Ghent University from 2007 to 2016. He co-edited the book Single Embryo Transfer.
In later years he tested ways for women to monitor their own ovarian stimulation at home with ultrasound, to make treatment lighter to carry. He later chaired the Flemish Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. He retired in 2018 and continues to advise as a consultant.
Also see: Denny Sakkas
About the sources
- I3 (International IVF Initiative), session page 'Session 12: patient friendly and minimal approaches in assisted reproduction', speaker biography of Jan Gerris, https://ivfmeeting.com/products/session-12-patient-friendly-and-minimal-approaches-in-assisted-reproduction
- VIAF authority record, Gerris, Jan (born 1952), https://viaf.org/viaf/15019799
- Gerris J, Adamson GD, De Sutter P, Racowsky C (eds). Single Embryo Transfer. Cambridge University Press, 2009. Cambridge Core, https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/CCE16B810CD0F9E32F1FF56580D1CDD0
- Gerris J, Delvigne A, Dhont N, et al. Self-operated endovaginal telemonitoring versus traditional monitoring of ovarian stimulation in assisted reproduction: an RCT. Human Reproduction 2014;29(9):1941–1948. Affiliation: Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Ghent University Hospital. PubMed 24993931, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24993931/
- De Neubourg D, Gerris J, Van Royen E, Mangelschots K, Vercruyssen M. Impact of a restriction in the number of embryos transferred on the multiple pregnancy rate. European Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology 2006;124(2):212–215. PubMed 16188374, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16188374/
- Gerris J, De Neubourg D, Mangelschots K, Van Royen E, Van de Meerssche M, Valkenburg M. Prevention of twin pregnancy after in-vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection based on strict embryo criteria: a prospective randomized clinical trial. Human Reproduction 1999;14(10):2581–2587. Affiliation: Middelheim Hospital, Antwerp. PubMed 10527991, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10527991/
- Van Royen E, Mangelschots K, De Neubourg D, et al., Gerris J. Characterization of a top quality embryo, a step towards single-embryo transfer. Human Reproduction 1999;14(9):2345–2349. PubMed 10469708, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10469708/
- Gerris J, Van Nueten J, Van Camp C, et al. Clinical aspects in the surgical treatment of varicocele in subfertile men. European Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology 1988;27(1):33–41. PubMed 3338607, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3338607/
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Compiled with AI-assisted research and checked against the original sources. Not yet peer-reviewed. Corrections are warmly welcomed.
