Information. for Authors

Transcription

1 Roger D. Kempers, M.D., Editor in-chief 200 First Street SW, 505 NW, Rochester, MN { ; ; FAX: t Paul G. McDonough, M.D., Associate Editor (Letters-to-the-Editor) Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA { ; FAX: ) Edward E. Wallach, M.D., Associate Editor tmodern Trends) The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD { ; FAX: } Information Original papers, contributed solely to Fertility and Sterility ~ and limited to the fields of fertility, sterility, or the physiology of reproduction, will be considered for publication. Authors are advised to keep a copy of all manuscripts submitted. A covering letter should identify the person (with the address, telephone, and fax numbers) responsible for correspondence concerning the manuscript and state that the material contained in the manuscript has not been published, has not been submitted, or is not being submitted elsewhere. Submit an original and two copies. Please include the names and addresses of three reviewers who would be qualified to review your manuscript. Address manuscripts to: Roger D. Kempers, M.D., Editor-in- Chief, 200 First Street SW, 505 Norwest, Rochester, Minnesota, 55905, U.S.A. (Telephone: ; FAX: }. Prior to publishing, the authorlsj must sign and return the "Assignment of Copyright and Financial Subsidy Disclosure Form." A written statement also must be attached with the original correspondence indicating whether or not Institutional Review Board (IRB} approval was obtained or equivalent guidelines followed in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975 on human experimentation; if not, an explanation must be provided. The manuscript, when published, will become the property of the journal and copyright will be taken out in the name of the publisher, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Neither the Editor nor the Publisher accepts responsibility for the opinions and statements of authors or advertisers as published herein. PREPARATION OF MANUSCRIPTS Fertility and Sterility ~ follows the "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals." (The Requirements are published in their entirety in the January issue.t All manuscripts must adhere to this format. A Checklist for manuscript preparation is available from the Editorial Office upon request. Manuscripts must be typed double-spaced on white bond paper mm {81/2 11 in{ with margins of at least 25 mm I1 in). Each of the following manuscript components should begin on a new page in the following sequence: Page 1, Running Title, a maximum of 40 spaces and letters; Page 2, Title Page, provide the full title, full name(st of authorlst, highest awarded academic degree, institutional affiliation{st, address(est, and acknowledgment of financial support Igrant number, institution, and location }; Page 3, Capsule, a 30-word summarization of the abstract, which will be published in the Table of Contents. The final conclusions should be described; Page 4, Structured Abstract and Key Words. The abstract should present the study objective, design, setting, patients, interventions, main outcome measure{st, results, and conclusions. Emphasize new and important aspects of the study or observation. Word limitation, 200 words. Below the abstract provide and identify as such, 3 to 10 key words or short phrases that will assist indexers in cross-indexing the article. The following components should be identified after the abstract: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgments, References, Tables, and Legends. All persons designated as authors should qualify for authorship. The order of authorship should be a joint decision of the coauthors. Each author should have participated sufficiently in Daniel A. Dumesic, M.D., Book Review Editor Section of Reproductive Endocrinology Mayo Clinic 200 First Street SW, Charlton 4A Rochester, Minnesota ( ; FAX: } Carol Oison, Editorial Production Manager Deborah Markham, Editorial 200 First Street SW, 505 NW, Rochester, MN { ; ; FAX: J Angelia Pitman, Circulation Manager 1209 Montgomery Highway Birmingham, AL { ; FAX: ; asrm@asrm.com} for Authors the work to take public responsibility for the content. In general no more than six authors is considered appropriate. Acknowledgments. Persons who have contributed intellectually to the paper but whose contributions do not justify authorship may be named and their function or contribution described, e.g., "scientific adviser," "data collections," or "participation in clinical trial." Such persons must have given their permission to be named. Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission from persons acknowledged by name, because readers may infer their endorsement of the data and conclusions. Technical help should be acknowledged in a paragraph separate from those acknowledging other contributions. Units of Measurement. Measurements of length, height, weight, and volume should be reported in metric units (meter, kilogram, or liter{ or their decimal multiples. Temperatures should be given in degrees Celsius. All hematologic and clinicalchemistry measurements should be reported in the metric system in conventional units. If values are presented in SI units, the conversion factor must be included. Statistical Validation. When possible, quantify findings and present them with appropriate indicators of measurement error or uncertainty {such as confidence intervals{. Define statistical terms, abbreviations, and most symbols. Abbreviations and Symbols. Use only standard abbreviations. See the checklist for accepted abbreviations that must be used without definition. REFERENCES Number references consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text. References appearing for the first time in tables and figures must be numbered in sequence with those cited in the text where the table or figure is mentioned. References are identified by Arabic numerals in parentheses. Abstracts, "unpublished observations" and "personal communications" may not be used as references, although references to written, not oral communications may be inserted (in parentheses{ in the text. Include among the references papers accepted but not yet published; designate the journal and add "In press." Information from manuscripts submitted but not yet accepted should be cited in the text as "unpublished observations" (in parentheses{. If a foreign manuscript is included in the reference list, the authorts) must provide two copies of a translated English abstract. If author's(s't own papers are quoted as "In press" in the reference list, two copies of such papers must be provided so that the referees can properly assess the paper submitted. References must be verified by the author(s) against the original documents. The titles of journals should be abbreviated according to the style used in Index Medicus. Limit references to a maximum of 25 per manuscript. (Limitation not applicable for manuscripts submitted as Communications-in-Brief or Modern Trends.) See specific sections for reference limitation guidelines. List all authors in an article, but if the number exceeds six, give six followed by et al. Examples of References Journal Article 1. Takihara H, Sakatoku J, Cockett ATK. The pathophysiology of varicocele in male infertility. Fertil Steril 1991;55:

2 Books 2. Colson JH, Armour WJ. Sports injuries and their treatment. 2nd rev. ed. London: S. Paul, Diener HC, Wilkinson M, editors. Drug-induced headache. New York: Springer-Verlag, Weinstein L, Swartz MN. Pathologic properties of invading microorganisms. In: Sodeman WA Jr, Sodeman WA, editors. Pathologic physiology: mechanisms of disease. Philadelphia: Saunders, 1974: Letter 5. Kremer J. Yardsticks for successful donor insemination [letterl. Fertil Steril 1991;55: / In Press 6. Lillywhite HB, Donald JA. Pulmonary blood flow regulation in an aquatic snake. Science. In press. TABLES, ILLUSTRATIONS, LEGENDS, AND PERMISSIONS Tables. Should be typed, double-spaced on separate pages, titled and numbered in Arabic n.umerals in the order of their first citation in the text. Do not submit tables as photographs. Give each column a short heading. Place explanatory matter in footnotes, not in the heading. For footnotes use the following symbols, in this sequence: *, t,.~,, II,. Do not use internal horizontal and vertical rules. Illustrations. Figures should be professionally drawn and photographed; freehand or typewritten lettering is unacceptable. Figures should be unmounted, clear glossy prints not to exceed mm 15 7 in~. Lettering and identifying marks should be clear and type size consistent on each figure. Capital letters should be used for specific areas ofidentification in a figure. Symbols, lettering, and numbering should be distinctly recognizable so that when the figure is reduced for publication each item will still be legible. Titles and detailed explanations belong in the legends for illustrations, not on the illustrations themselves. Each figure should have an adhesive label attached to the back of the illustration designating top, the first author's name, and number of the figure. A minimum of two sets of illustrations should be submitted. Slides are not acceptable. There is a page charge for colored photographs. One illustration and/or table is accepted for every 600 words (approximately 3 typewritten pages). Legends. Type legends double-spaced in consecutive order on a separate page. Permissions. Materials taken from other sources must be accompanied by a written statement from the copyright holder giving permission to Fertility and Sterility '~ for reproduction. MODERN TRENDS Manuscripts should be prepared according to the format of the journal. Manuscripts should total approximately 15 to 20 journal pages in length and references must not exceed the absolute maximum of 100. Address manuscripts to: Edward E. Wallach, M.D., Dept. of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The,Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, 600 North Wolfe Street, 201 Houck Bldg., Baltimore, Maryland ITelephone: ; FAX: ). C OblMUNICATIONS-IN-BRIEF, CASE REPORTS, AND TECHNIQUES AND INSTRUMENTATION Manuscripts should be succinct, informative, and limited to three double-spaced typewritten pages, a maximum of four references, and one illustration. Techniques and Instrumentation limited to four double-spaced pages, a maximum of four references, and three illustrations. LETTERS-TO-THE-EDITOR This section of the journal is set aside for critical comments directed to a specific article that has recently been published in the journal. Letters should be brief (400 words), double spaced, and limited to a maximum of 5 citations. The letters and replies should be prepared according to journal format. Illustrative material accepted only with permission of the Editor. The Editor reserves the right to shorten letters, delete objectionable comments, and make other changes to comply with the style of the journal. Send communication to Paul G. McDonough, M.D., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia ITelephone: ; FAX: ~. EDITOR'S CORNER Brief manuscripts written in editorial fashion on current social, political, and medical issues pertinent to reproductive medicine. The manuscripts should be typed double-spaced, 1,000 to 1,500 words, and a maximum of four references. A glossy print of the contributor is requested, which will be published with the article. OFFPRINTS Offprints may be ordered by using the form that accompanies proofs. ANNOUNCEMENTS Announcements regarding meetings, postgraduate courses, and symposia will be accepted for publication at the rate of $ per one-quarter page {the minimal space allotment). Announcements must be received in the administrative (Birmingham) office 3 months before publication. General Information Subscriptions Issued monthly in two indexed volumes per year. Yearly subscriptions begin with month following date of payment. Rate: $ per year--individual, $ per year--institution; outside the USA, add $45.00 for surface postage and handling. Air mail service is available at the following rates: Foreign $150.00, Canada, and Mexico $65.00 per year. Change of Address should be forwarded to publisher 60 days in advance. Include account number. Single copies and back issues are available from the publisher at $15.00 per issue. Claims received within 12 months of loss will be honored on a journal availability basis. Account number must be included with claim. Bound Volumes of journal are available. There are six issues in each volume--two volumes per year. Cost: $ (in U.S. postage included; outside of U.S. add $10.00 postage). Book Reviews should be sent to Daniel A. Dumesic, M.D., Section of Reproductive Endocrinology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Charlton 4A, Rochester, Minnesota ITelephone: ; FAX: Advertising Inquiries should be addressed to Jackson-Gaeta, Mr. Tony Gaeta, sales representative for Fertility and Sterility% 3 Prospect Street, Morristown, New Jersey {Telephone: ; FAX: J. ASRM Membership: Active--Doctoral, $ per year; Nondocloral, $105.00; Nurses, $ per year; Associate ( Residents/Interns ), $ per year; includes subscription to Fertility and Sterility ~, (outside of North America, add $20.00 surface postage), quarterly newsletter, and reduced registration at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Business Communications should be addressed to: American Society for Reproductive Medicine, 1209 Montgomery Highway, Birmingham, Alabama (Telephone: ; FAX: ; asrm@asrm.com). 208

3 FERTILITY AND STERILITY ~ CHECKLIST Before completing the checklist, read the attached "Information for Authors," and note samples 1 to 8. Fertility and SterilitS ~ follows the "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals." (The Requirements are published in their entirety in the January issue.) Manuscripts will be returned to the senior author if all items on the checklist are not completed in compliance with journal format. All revisions must be typed. Conscientious completion of this checklist will ensure prompt publication of your manuscript. Check your final draft very carefully. Changes in page proof can be expensive. The costs for more than five changes will be charged back to the author at our redactory rate (minimum charge of $25). THE CHECKLIST MUST BE ATTACHED WITH THE ORIGINAL AND/OR REVISED MANUSCRIPT. MS: Name: Date: Telephone: INTRODUCTORY PAGES --Page 1: Running title not to exceed 40 characters (spaces and letters). --Page 2: Title page (see Sample 1) --3 lines or 150 characters maximum. --See Criteria for Authorship (Sample 2 I. More than 6 authors are listed as "et al." in references and index citations --Full names of authors and highest awarded academic degree. (Do not include honorary degrees.) --The author's(s') institutional affiliation and location at the time of the study should be included on the line beneath the author's(s') names. If the author(s) has moved since the study was completed, indicate in a footnote the "present address" for the appropriate author. The following information, if applicable, should be included as footnoted items (beneath the institutional line of affiliation) to the title page. (Order of footnote symbols: * t $ rl. Do not use numbers or letters.) --Financial support, (provide full name of funding institution; do not abbreviate); grant number, location (city, state, and/or country). --Include name of society, location, and dates if presented at medical meeting. --Department affiliation of each author. --Present address of any author if different from institution where study was completed. --Name, address of author for reprint requests with FAX number; may be included. Fax: --Page 3: The capsule of abstract should be double spaced and describe the final conclusions in 30 words or less. In a prospective, randomized study, no significant advantage was found in the precise timing of hcg administration after pituitary desensitization before ovarian stimulation for IVF. --Page 4: Structured abstract (see Sample 3) --Length: 175 to 200 words (maximum); double-space. (Omit P values.) --A structured abstract now is required for all articles, including Modern Trends, Communications-in-Brief, Case Reports, and Techniques and Instrumentation. --Key words. Below the abstract provide, 3 to 10 key words or short phrases that will assist indexers. MANUSCRIPT FORMAT --Limit of 1 figure or table for every 3 typewritten pages of text or approximately every 600 words. --Manuscript includes main headings: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion. (See Sample 4 for headings format.) --All abbreviations, including Universal Abbreviations, must be written out in the title, abstract, and text where first cited, and at the beginning of a sentence. Abbreviations used in tables, figures, and legends must agree with text. The journal recognizes only internationally approved and accepted units of measure abbreviations as noted in the "AMA Manual of Style" or "Logan's Medical and Scientific Abbreviations." (See Sample 5 for Universal Abbreviations which must be used without definition.) --Generic names must be used for all drugs. Use the trade name only if it is necessary to differentiate 209

4 among drug forms or if a specific trade preparation was used. If a commercial product is cited, the name and location (city, state, and/or country) of the manufacturer must be included in parentheses. --Identify patients by number and not by initials. --Statistical validation: When possible findings have been quantified and indications of measurement of error or uncertainty, such as confidence intervals, have been provided. REFERENCES (see Information for Authors for samples) --Begin references on a separate page and identify in the text by Arabic numerals in parentheses in numerical sequence on line of text. Type doublespaced. References appearing for the first time in tables and figures must be numbered in sequence with those cited in the text where the figure or table is first mentioned. --References must be verified from the original sources and be in proper format. See "Information for Authors" with regard to style and reference limitations. Journal titles must conform to those used in Index Medicus. --List all authors. If the number of authors exceeds six, give six, followed by et al. --Provide English abstract for foreign articles listed in Reference list. --If author's(s') own papers are cited as "in press" in the reference list, two copies of such papers must be provided. The title of the journal and expected month/year of publication must also be included. Unpublished data and personal communications may not be used as references, although references to written, not oral, communications may be inserted (in parentheses) in the text. (See sample below.) --An abstract cannot be used as a reference. An abstract citation must be inserted in parentheses in text; e.g... (Smith AB, Jones ZW, abstract). TABLES (See Sample 6). --Tables typed double-spaced on separate pages, titled, and numbered with Arabic numerals. --Footnotes identified using the following symbols: * t $ II (Superscript letters/footnote symbols cannot be used to show significantly different values). / --Ordinary rules of capitalization observed. Numeric data are aligned by the decimal point. Internal horizontal and vertical lines are omitted. --Data in tables not duplicated in text or figures. ILLUSTRATIONS --Guidelines observed with regard to size and identification. (Note specific dimensions in "Information for Authors.") --Legends typed double-spaced on separate page in consecutive order. Minimum of two sets of glossy prints included with manuscript. Slides are not acceptable. There is a page charge for colored photos. --Permission provided for previously published material. GENERAL FORMAT --Copyright and Financial Subsidy Disclosure statement must be attached (see Sample 8). --Manuscript (text, references, tables, and legends) typed double-spaced on white bond paper (216 x 279 mm [8 1/2 x 11 in]) with margins of at least 25 mm (1 in/. Submit an original and 2 copies and a personal computer disk. Include page number and first author's last name on each page. --State in the Materials and Methods section the ethical guidelines followed, if applicable. In the response, include a written statement indicating whether or not Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval was obtained or equivalent guidelines followed in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975 on human experimentation; if not, provide an explanation. --Written rebuttal to referee's(s') comments. --Conventional units used for linear dimensions and hematologic and clinical-chemistry measurements. Include in parentheses the SI value or the conversion factor. (See Sample 7.) Use the degree Celsius for temperatures. --Recognition ofgii~s or donations should be included in an Acknowledgment section, not in the text. Individuals identified in the Acknowledgment should have full names included, degree(s) if applicable, institutional affiliation and location (no abbreviations). Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission from persons acknowledged by name, because readers may infer endorsement of the data and conclusions. Technical help should be acknowledged in a paragraph separate from those acknowledging other contributions. 210

5 SAMPLE 1: Title Page Labreque et al. -2- MS 5250 (Author identification) Validity of the Bioself 110" fertility indicatort$ Michel Labreque, M.D. tl Jean Drouin, M.D. Jacques-E. Rioux, M.D. Suzanne Gingras, M.Sc. Include only the highest awarded academic degree, no honorary degrees Jeffrey M. Spielder, M.Sc.** Centre Hospitalier de l'universitd Laval, Ste-Foy, Qudbec, Canada. and the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland Commercial product mentioned in title Financial support Presented at a meeting Received February 12, 1989; revised and accepted... * Bioself 110, Bioself Canada, Inc., Montreal, Quebec, Canada. t Supported by Bioself Canada, Inc., Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Presented at the XII World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 12 to 19, (location and dates) Family Planning Clinic, Centre Hospitalier de l'universit~ Laval. Reprint requests JI Reprint requests: Michael Labreque, M.D., Centre Hospitalier de l'universit~ Laval, 2705 Boulevard Laurier, Ste-Foy, Quebec, G1V 4G2 Canada (FAX: ; ). D~partment de M~decine Sociale et Preventive, Facult~ de M~decin~, Universit~ Laval. ** National Institutes of Health. 211

6 SAMPLE 2: Criteria for Authorship 1. An author should have generated at least a part of the intellectual content of a paper. a. This work could have been conceiving or designing the study reported, if the paper is a research report, or identifying the particular features of a case that justifies a case report. If the paper is a review article or editorial, the equivalent work would have been identifying the question or questions to be answered and developing a plan for the paper. b. This work could have been collecting reported data (including clinical observations) and interpreting them for the paper's conclusions. Note that interpreting data is required; collecting of data does not by itself justify authorship. 2. An author should have taken part in writing the paper, reviewing it for possible revision, or revising its intellectual content Inot just its technical content). 3. An author should be able to defend publicly in the scientific community all of tl~e intellectual content of the paper. SAMPLE 3: Guidelines for a Structured Abstract Articles containing original data, concerning the course (prognosis), cause (etiology), diagnosis, treatment, prevention, or economic analysis of a clinical disorder or an intervention to improve the quality of health care should include a structured abstract of no longer than 175 words with following headings and information: Objective: State the main question or objective of the study and the major hypothesis tested, if any. Design: Describe the design of the study indicating, as appropriate, use of randomization, binding, criterion, standards for diagnostic tests, temporal direction (retrospective or prospective), and so on. Setting: Indicate the study setting, including the level of clinical care (for example, primary or tertiary; private practice or institutional). Patient(s): State selection procedures, entry criteria, and numbers of participants entering and finishing the study. Intervention(s): Describe the essential features of any interventions, including their method and duration of administration. Main Outcome Measure(s): The primary study outcome measures should be indicated as planned before data collection began. If the hypothesis being reported was formulated during or after data collection, this fact should be clearly stated. Result(s): Describe measurements that are not evident fi'om the nature of the main results and indicate any binding. If possible, the results should be accompanied by confidence intervals (most often the 95% interval) and the exact level of statistical significance. For comparative studies confidence intervals should relate to the differences between groups. Absolute values should be indicated when risk changes or effect sizes are given. Conclusion(s): State only those conclusions of the study that are directly supported by data, along with their clinical application (avoiding overgeneralizaton) or whether additional study is required before the information should be used in usual clinical settings. Equal emphasis must be given to positive and negative findings of equal scientific merit. "Sample Abstract" Objective: To determine the effects of single-dose tamoxifen on plasma estrogen (E)-binding equivalents and endometrial estradiol (E~) and progesterone (P) receptors. Design: Controlled clinical study. Setting: Normal human volunteers in an academic research environment. Patient(s): Premenopausal and postmenopausal women with histologically normal endometrium undergoing curretage or hysterectomy were selected. Intervention(s): Tamoxifen was administered orally; blood and endometrial samples were collected 4 to 96 hours after tamoxifen administration. Main Outcome Measure(s): Plasma E-binding equivalents. Result(s): Plasma E-binding equivalents increased eightfold at 4 to 14 hours of tamoxifen administration and declined exponentially thereafter, reaching control levels at 73 to 96 hours. Plasma E-binding equivalents were not affected by endogenous E~ levels. Conclusion(s): Tamoxifen has an E., agonistic effect on histologically normal human endometrium. Fertil Steril 1995;$$: Key Words: Tamoxifen, estrogen-binding equivalents, estradiol and progesterone receptors 212

7 SAMPLE 4: Heading Guidelines MAIN HEADINGS should be all caps and centered. First Subheading should be cap and lower case; flush with left margin. Second Subheading should be cap and lower case, underlined (italic), flush with left margin. Third subheading should be lower case with first letter cap, underlined, indented, and run-in to text. MAIN HEADING First Subheading Second Subheading Third subheading. Text SAMPLE 5: Universal Abbreviations The following abbreviations must be used without definition: ACTH BBT DHEA DHEAS DNA ELISA E~ FSH GnRH GIFT GH hcg hmg IM adrenocorticotropic hormone basal body temperature dehydroepiandrosterone dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate deoxyribonucleic acid enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay estradiol follicle-stimulating hormone gonadotropin-releasing hormone gamete intrafallopian transfer growth hormone human chorionic gonadotropin human menopausal gonadotropin intramuscular IUI IV IVF-ET LH P PRL RIA RNA SC SD SE T TSH Tz intrauterine insemination intravenous in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer luteinizing hormone progesterone prolactin radiaimmunoassay ribonucleic acid subcutaneous standard deviation standard error testosterone thyroid-stimulating hormone thyroxine SAMPLE 6: Table Table 1 Classification and Number of Oocytes Aspirated in the Different Groups* Preovulatory Immature Fracture zona Total fertilizable Groupt oocyte aspirated oocyte aspirated oocyte aspirated oocytes aspirated _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _+ 3.3 * Values are means _ SD. t Patients in group 1 were cancelled before aspiration. Groups 2 and 3 are significantly different from group 5, P < SAMPLE 7: Format for Presenting Conventional Units/SI Values and Conversion Factors *~ Example 1: "E: concentrations reached a mean of 150 to 200 pg/ml (530 to 700 pmol/l)." (SI units in parentheses) Example 2: "E., concentrations reached a mean of 150 to 200 pg/ml (conversion factor to SI unit, 3.671)." * Values in manuscript must be presented in conventional units; however, include in parentheses the SI value or conversion factor. t Use conventional units in figures and tables, and include conversion factors in legends or footnotes. 213

8 f SAMPLE 8: Copyright and Financial Subsidy Disclosure FERTILITY AND STERILITY Copyright and Financial Subsidy Disclosure Statement Copyright Assignment. The undersigned authors assign copyright ownership of the submitted manuscript to The American Society for Reproductive Medicine. (Material prepared by employees of the U.S. Government is not protected by the Copyright Act.) Please note that any changes in authorship--e.g, additional authors, omission of authors, or change in position of authors will require that ALL authors sign a new form. Authorship Responsibility. Author(s) certify participation in the analysis of the data and the writing and approval of the original and revised manuscript. Author(s) certify that this manuscript contains original work not published elsewhere in whole or in part and contains no matter libelous or otherwise unlawful. Financial Support. Author(s) will provide an appropriate footnote to be included on the title page of the manuscript if support from a grant, pharmaceutical and/or instrument company has been received. Has support been provided for this study? Yes No Financial Disclosure. Author(s) will disclose his/their affiliation with any organization with a direct financial interest in the material contained in the manuscript (e.g., employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria) in an attachment. Each author must sign this statement in order of authorship. Please type name beneath signature [] Federal employee(s) exempt from copyright assignment. Da te \ Return to: Roger D. Kempers, M.D., Editor-in-Chief, Fertility and Sterility 200 First Street SW, 505 NW, Rochester, MN (FAX: ) J 214