Both smoking and overweight unfavourably affect the live birth rate after IVF. The devastating impact of smoking on the live birth rate in IVF treatment is comparable with an increase in female age of >10 years from age 20 to 30 years. Subfertile couples may improve the outcome of IVF treatment by lifestyle changes.

Background/Objectives: The EPIC-Soft program (the software initially developed to conduct 24-h dietary recalls (24-HDRs) in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Study) was recommended as the best way to standardize 24-HDRs for future pan-European dietary monitoring. Within European Food Consumption Validation (EFCOVAL), EPIC-Soft was adapted and further developed on various aspects that were required to optimize its use. In this paper, we present the structure and main interview steps of the EPIC-Soft program, after implementation of a series of new specifications deemed to satisfy specific requirements of pan-European monitoring surveys and other international studies. Subjects/Methods: Updates to optimize the EPIC-Soft program were ascertained according to the following stepwise approach: (1) identification of requested specifications to be potentially implemented through an ad hoc 'EPIC-Soft specifications questionnaire' sent to past, current and possible future users of the software; (2) evaluation of the specifications in collaboration with two ad hoc task force groups and through a workshop; (3) development of a technical solution for each retained specification; (4) implementation of the specifications by software developers; (5) testing and amendment of bugs. Results: A number of new specifications and facilities were implemented to EPIC-Soft program. In addition, the software underwent a full reprogramming and migration to a modern Windows environment, including changes in its internal architecture and user interface. Although the overall concept and structure of the initial software were not changed substantially, these improvements ease the current and future use of EPIC-Soft and increase further its adaptation to other countries and study contexts. Conclusions: EPIC-Soft is enriched with further functions and facilities expected to fulfil specific needs of pan-European dietary monitoring and risk assessment purposes. The validity, feasibility and relevance of this software for different national and international study designs, and the logistical aspects related to its implementation are reported elsewhere.

Ovarian stimulation in IVF allows selection of embryos for transfer, but may have detrimental effects on oocyte and embryo quality and endometrial receptivity. This study investigated the optimal response to ovarian stimulation in terms of number of oocytes for achieving pregnancy in a first IVF cycle. Data from 7422 women who underwent their first IVF cycle for standard indications were analysed. All had been treated with exogenous gonadotrophins and gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist co-treatment in a long down-regulation protocol between 1990 and 1995. Pregnancy rates in relation to the number of obtained oocytes were adjusted for age, fecundity, subfertility cause, gonadotrophin dosage, type of luteal support, and number of transferred embryos by multivariate analysis. Of the 7422 women who underwent oocyte retrieval, overall 85% had an embryo transfer and 24% conceived. The highest pregnancy rates per embryo transfer and per started cycle were observed when 13 oocytes were obtained (31 and 28%, respectively). This study supports the concept of an optimal range of oocytes obtained in response to ovarian stimulation for IVF, below and above which outcomes are compromised.

The developed FFQs will enable standardised and comparable assessment of the diet of five different ethnic groups and provide insight into the role of diet in differences in health between ethnic groups. The methodology described in this paper and the choices made during the development phase may be useful in developing similar FFQs in other settings.

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