Assoc Prof Beverley Vollenhoven - Researcher Profile

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Address

Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Southern Clinical School, Clayton

Biography

Offering hope to women in a fertile field of growing importance

As more women delay having children, the importance of Associate Professor Beverley Vollenhoven's work grows. This Monash researcher and IVF clinician is improving the rate of successful pregnancies in older women and seeking new treatments for fibroids – a common condition, often treated by removing the womb.

 

Beverley is part of the only team in Australia researching fibroids – growths in the uterus that up to half of all women may get, especially as they age.

When the size or number of these often-painful growths becomes too great, the typical response is to remove the womb – not a favourable option if you want children but are yet to have them.

"There are a lot of women in their 30s with fibroids, who haven't had a child yet," Beverley says. "They might or might not have their fibroids removed, but if they need to, it affects their ability to reproduce, so you get into a bit of a bind over what's best for the patient."

Temporary treatments for fibroids are available but bring on menopause, with all its complications, if used for too long.

Beverley believes some kind of hormonal treatment is likely to offer the best hope of treating fibroids permanently without affecting a woman's ability to reproduce.

"We know there must be some hormonal control involved because fibroids only grow in the reproductive years," she says."Girls don't have them in childhood, nor do post-menopausal women."

Reproductive hormones are Beverley's speciality, incorporated within an area of medicine known as reproductive endocrinology. After years of successfully combining research and practice, she is an expert on menopause, contraception and infertility, not just fibroids.

As a researcher, Beverley is investigating potential fibroid treatments in the laboratory, using molecular biology techniques, with the help of research students and long-time collaborator Professor Peter Rogers of the Royal Women's Hospital. 

Her team is not looking for a magic bullet to treat fibroids but the pathway along which such a treatment might be applied most effectively.

As a busy practitioner, Beverley treats women who are infertile, menopausal, have hormone-related conditions or require contraception. She is the Head of Gynaecology at Southern Health, a clinician at Monash IVF and has her own private practice.

Her research into in-vitro fertilisation at Monash IVF has shown that the rate of miscarriages among older IVF patients can decrease substantially – from one in two to one in five, the same rate as in younger women – if embryos are transferred to the womb at a later stage of development.

She says improved IVF techniques in recent years, using single rather than multiple embryo transfers, have also cut the incidence of multiple births among IVF patients. But the challenge now is to reduce the risk of a single embryo splitting to form identical twins – a risk that's three times higher in IVF pregnancies than in natural pregnancies.

Beverley is also investigating the contraceptive drug Depo-Provera, which gives up to three months of protection against pregnancy from a single injection but at the risk of potentially lower bone density over time.

Another of her studies is assessing the impact of early menopause on women under 40, especially on women yet to have children.

With the trend to delayed childbirth continuing – the median age of all women who registered a birth was 29.7 years in 1999 and 30.6 in 2009 – Beverly expects research in her field to pay more attention to the uterus in the future.

"It's the uncontrolled factor in what we do," she says. "We can control the environment in which an embryo grows, and its development to some extent, but when it goes into the uterus, god knows what happens. Why doesn't it stick? Why does it stick? We need to find out."

 

Qualifications

REPRODUCTIVE ENDOCRINOLOGY AND INFERTILITY
Institution: RANZCOG
Year awarded: 2006
FELLOWSHIP
Institution: Royal Fellow of Australian&New Zealand College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists
Year awarded: 1995
PHD (MEDICINE)
Institution: Monash University
Year awarded: 1994
MBBS: BACHELOR OF MEDICINE & SURGERY
Institution: Monash University
Year awarded: 1984
ACUPUNCTURE
Institution: International College of Acupuncture
Year awarded: 1983

Publications

Books

Weston, G.C., Vollenhoven, B.J., McNeilage, J., 2009, Practice OSCEs in obstetrics & gynaecology: a guide for the medical student and MRANZCOG exams, Elsevier Churchill Livingstone, Australia.

Vollenhoven, B. (ed), 1998, Balliere's Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Bailliere Tindall, UK.

Book Chapters

Weston, G.C., Vollenhoven, B.J., Rogers, P.A.W., 2006, Angiogenesis and vascular responses in leiomyomata, in Uterine Leiomyomata - Pathogenesis and Management, eds Ivo Brosens, Taylor & Francis, Abingdon UK, pp. 67-82.

Healy, D.W., Vollenhoven, B.J., Weston, G.C., 2003, Uterine Fibroids, in Gynaecology, eds Robert W Shaw, W Patrick Soutter, Stuart L Stanton, Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh Scotland, pp. 477-492.

Vollenhoven, B.J., Burger, H., 2001, Dysfunctional uterine bleeding, luteal phase defect, in Endocrinology and Metabolism, eds Aldo Pinchera, Xavier Y Bertagna, Jan A Fischer, Leif Groop, Joop Schemaker, Mario Serio, John AH Wass and Lewis E Braverman, McGraw Hill International, Berkshire England, pp. 503-508.

Vollenhoven, B.J., Healy, D.W., 2000, Induction of Ovulation and Ovarian Epithelial Neoplasia, in Contributions to Obstetrics and Gynaecology Volume 5, Oxford University Press, Singapore, pp. 276-289.

Vollenhoven, B.J., 2000, Uterine Fibroids, in Hormones and Women's Health - The Reproductive Years, Harwood Academic Publishers, Amsterdam Netherlands, pp. 133-140.

Vollenhoven, B., 1998, Conclusion, in Balliere's Clinical Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Bailliere Tindall, UK, pp. 337-340.

Vollenhoven, B., 1998, Introduction: The epidemiology of uterine leiomyomas, in Bailliere's Clinical Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Bailliere Tindall, UK, pp. 169-176.

Vollenhoven, B., Healy, D.W., 1998, Leiomyomata, in Estrogens and progestogens in clinical practice, Churchill Livingstone, UK, pp. 471-485.

Vollenhoven, B., Healy, D.W., 1998, Pathophysiology and medical treatment of uterine fibroids, in Clinical disorders of the endometrium and menstrual cycle, Oxford University Press, UK, pp. 207-218.

Vollenhoven, B., Healy, D.W., 1998, Short- and long-term effects of ovulation induction, in Endocrinology and metabolism clinics of North America, W.B. Saunders, Pennsylvania, pp. 903-914.

Kovacs, G., Vollenhoven, B., 1997, Cervical factor, unexplained subfertility and artificial insemination with husband sperm, in The Subfertility Handbook: A Clinician's Guide, Cambridge University Press, UK, pp. 83-87.

Journal Articles

Tsiligiannis, S.E., Zaitseva, M., Coombs, P., Shekleton, P.A., Olshansky, M., Hickey, M., Vollenhoven, B.J., Rogers, P.A.W., 2013, Fibroid-associated heavy menstrual bleeding: correlation between clinical features, Doppler ultrasound assessment of vasculature, and tissue gene expression profiles, Reproductive Sciences [P], vol 20, issue 4, SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC, 2455 TELLER RD, THOUSAND OAKS, CA 91320, pp. 361-370.

Fleischer, R., Vollenhoven, B., Weston, G., 2011, The effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy on fertility in premenopausal women., Obstetrical and Gynecological Survey [P], vol 66, issue 4, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, USA, pp. 248-254.

Rombauts, L., Onwude, J., Chew, H., Vollenhoven, B., 2011, The predictive value of antral follicle count remains unchanged across the menstrual cycle, Fertility and Sterility [P], vol 96, issue 6, Elsevier Science Inc., United States, pp. 1514-1518.

Weston, G.C., Osianlis, T., Catt, J.W., Vollenhoven, B.J., 2009, Blastocyst transfer does not cause a sex-ratio imbalance, Fertility and Sterility, vol 92, issue 4, Elsevier Inc., USA, pp. 1302-1305.

Wong, R.C., Bell, R.J., Thunuguntla, K., McNamee, K.M., Vollenhoven, B.J., 2009, Implanon users are less likely to be satisfied with their contraception after 6 months than IUD users, Contraception [P], vol 80, issue 5, Elsevier Inc., United States, pp. 452-456.

Ameratunga, D., Weston, G.C., Osianlis, T., Catt, J.W., Vollenhoven, B.J., 2009, In vitro fertilisation (IVF) with donor eggs in post-menopausal women: Are there differences in pregnancy outcomes in women with premature ovarian failure (POF) compared with women with physiological age-related menopause?, Journal Of Assisted Reproduction And Genetics [P], vol 26, issue 9-10, Springer New York LLC, USA, pp. 511-514.

Woo, J., Tong, S., Campbell, M.J., Wallace, L., Meagher, S., Montgomery, G., Chao, F., Chan, W., Vollenhoven, B.J., 2009, Two corpora lutea seen at 6-13 weeks' gestation infers dizygosity among spontaneous same-sexed dichorionic twins, Twin Research and Human Genetics [P], vol 12, issue 2, Australian Academic Press Pty. Ltd, Australia, pp. 180-182.

Lethaby, A., Vollenhoven, B.J., 2008, An evidence-based approach to hormonal therapies for premenopausal women with fibroids, Best Practice & Research in Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology, vol 22, issue ePub ahead of print, Bailliere Tindall, London, UK, pp. 307-331.

Rowan, K., Meagher, S., Teoh, M., Vollenhoven, B.J., Choong, S., Tong, S., 2008, Corpus luteum across the first trimester: size and laterality as observed by ultrasound, Fertility and Sterility, vol 90, Elsevier Inc., USA, pp. 1844-1847.

Vollenhoven, B.J., Osianlis, T., Catt, J., 2008, Is there an ideal stimulation regimen for IVF for poor responders and does it change with age?, Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, vol 25, issue 11, Springer New York LLC, New York USA, pp. 523-529.

Fleischer, R.T., Weston, G.C., Vollenhoven, B.J., Rogers, P.A.W., 2008, Pathophysiology of fibroid disease: Angiogenesis and regulation of smooth muscle proliferation, Best Practice & Research: Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology, vol 22, issue 4, Bailliere Tindall, UK, pp. 603-614.

Zaitseva, M., Vollenhoven, B.J., Rogers, P.A.W., 2008, Retinoids regulate genes involved in retinoic acid synthesis and transport in human myometrial and fibroid smooth muscle cells, Human Reproduction, vol 23, issue 5, Oxford University Press, UK, pp. 1076-1086.

Zaitseva, M., Vollenhoven, B.J., Rogers, P.A.W., 2007, Retinoic acid pathway genes show significantly altered expression in uterine fibroids when compared with normal myometrium, Molecular Human Reproduction, vol 13, issue 8, Oxford University Press, UK & Belgium, pp. 577-585.

Zaitseva, M., Vollenhoven, B.J., Rogers, P.A.W., 2006, In vitro culture significantly alters gene expression profiles and reduces differences between myometrial and fibroid smooth muscle cells, Molecular Human Reproduction, vol 12, issue 3, Oxford University Press, Oxford UK, pp. 187-207.

Teh, W.T., Vollenhoven, B.J., Harris, P.I., 2006, Umbilical endometriosis, a pathology that a gynecologist may encounter when inserting the Veres needle, Fertility and Sterility, vol 86, issue 6, Elsevier Science Inc, New York NY USA, pp. 1764.e1-1764.e2.

Cattrall, F.R., Vollenhoven, B.J., Weston, G.C., 2005, Anatomical evidence for in utero androgen exposure in women with polycystic ovary syndrome, Fertility and Sterility, vol 84, issue 6, The Endocrine Society, Chevy Chase USA, pp. 1689-1692.

Weston, G.C., Cattrall, F.R., Lederman, F.L., Vollenhoven, B.J., Rogers, P.A.W., 2005, Differences between the pre-menopausal and post-menopausal uterine fibroid vasculature, Maturitas, vol 51, issue 4, Elsevier Ireland Ltd, Ireland, pp. 343-348.

Lethaby, A., Vollenhoven, B.J., 2005, Fibroids (uterine myomatosis, leiomyomas)., American Family Physician, vol 71, issue 9, American Academy of Family Physicians, USA, pp. 1753-1756.

Tong, S., Vollenhoven, B.J., Meagher, S., 2004, Determining zygosity in early pregnancy by ultrasound, Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology, vol 23, issue 1, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester England, pp. 36-37.

Tong, S., Vollenhoven, B.J., Meagher, S., 2004, Determining zygosity in early pregnancy by ultrasound, Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology, vol 23, issue 1, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, UK, pp. 36-37.

Lethaby, A., Vollenhoven, B.J., 2004, Fibroids (uterine myomatosis, leiomyomas), Clinical Evidence, vol 11, B M J Publishing Group, UK, pp. 2406-2426.

Weston, G.C., Trajstman, A.C., Gargett, C.E., Manuelpillai, U.C., Vollenhoven, B.J., Rogers, P.A.W., 2003, Fibroids display an anti-angiogenic gene expression profile when compared with adjacent myometrium, Molecular Human Reproduction, vol 9, issue 9, Oxford University Press, Oxford England, pp. 541-549.

Weston, G.C., Ponnampalam, A.P., Vollenhoven, B.J., Healy, D.W., Rogers, P.A.W., 2003, Genomics in obstetrics and gynaecology, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, vol 43, issue 4, R A & N Z College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists, Melbourne Vic Australia, pp. 264-272.

Tong, S., Zachariah, R., Ghee, C.B., Vollenhoven, B.J., 2003, Hysteroscopy under general anaesthesia, a near painless procedure, ANZJOG, vol 43, issue 5, Blackwell Publishing, Carlton Vic Australia, pp. 344-345.

Healy, D.W., Rombauts, L., Vollenhoven, B.J., Kovacs, G., Burmeister, L., 2003, One triplet pregnancy in 510 controlled ovarian hyperstimulation and intrauterine insemination cycles, Fertilitiy and Sterility, vol 79, issue 6, Elsevier Science,, NY USA, pp. 1449-1451.

Tong, S., Meagher, S., Vollenhoven, B., 2002, Dizygotic twin survival in early pregnancy, Nature, vol 416, issue 6877, Nature Publishing Group, UK, p. 142.

Lethaby, A., Vollenhoven, B., Sowter, M., 2002, Efficacy of pre-operative gonadotrophin hormone releasing analogues for women with uterine fibroids undergoing hysterectomy or myomectomy: a systematic review, BJOG:an International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, vol 109, issue 10, Elsevier Science, UK, pp. 1097-1108.

Lethaby, A., Vollenhoven, B., 2002, Fibroids (uterine myomatosis, leiomyomas), Clinical Evidence, vol 7, BMJ Publishing Group Ltd, London UK, pp. 1666-1678.

Weston, G.C., Vollenhoven, B., 2002, Is IVF becoming a band aid for social infertility?, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, vol 42, issue 5, Royal Aust & NZ College of Obstericians & Gynaecologists, Melbourne Vic Australia, pp. 476-477.

Weston, G.C., Schlipalius, M.L., Vollenhoven, B., 2002, Migrant fathers and their attitudes to potential male hormonal contraceptives, Contraception, vol 66, issue 5, Elsevier Science, Ltd, USA, pp. 351-355.

Yang, J., Vollenhoven, B., 2002, Pain Control in Outpatient Hysteroscopy, Obstetrical and Gynaecological Survey, vol 57, issue 10, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, US, pp. 693-701.

Lethaby, A., Vollenhoven, B., Sowter, M., 2002, Pre-operative GnRH analgoue therapy before hysterectomy or myomectomy for uterine fibroids, The Cochrane Library, vol 1, issue 1, Update Software,, Oxford UK, pp. 1-35.

Kovacs, G., Clarke, S., Burger, H., Healy, D.L., Vollenhoven, B., 2002, Surgical or medical treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome: a cost-benefit analysis, Gynecological Endocrinology, vol 16, issue 1, Parthenon Publishing Group, UK, pp. 53-55.

Weston, G.C., Schlipalius, M.L., Bhuinneain, M.N., Vollenhoven, B.J., 2002, Will Australian men use male hormonal contraception? A survey of a postpartum population, Medical Journal of Australia, vol 176, issue 5, Australasian Medical Publishing Company, Sydney NSW Australia, pp. 208-210.

Tong, S., Jeffares, J., Lopes, R., Vollenhoven, B., 2001, Delayed presentation of uterine perforation and haemorrhagic shock 10 days after surgical termination of pregnancy, The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, vol 41, issue 3, RANZCOG, East Melbourne Vic Australia, pp. 335-336.

Ang, W., Farrell, E., Vollenhoven, B., 2001, Effect of hormone replacement therapies and selective estrogen receptor modulators in postmenopausal women with uterine leiomyomas: a literature review, Climacteric, vol 4, issue 4, Parthenon Publishing Group, UK, pp. 284-292.

Lethaby, A., Vollenhoven, B., Sowter, M., 2001, Pre-operative GnRH analogue therapy before hysterectomy or myomectomy for uterine fibroids, The Cochrane Library, vol 2, Update Software - Electronic Journal, Oxford UK, pp. 1-40.

Casey, R., Rogers, P.A.W., Vollenhoven, B., 2000, An immunohistochemical analysis of fibroid vasculature, Human Reproduction, vol 15 issue 7, Oxford UIniversity Press, Oxford UK, pp. 1469-1475.

Vollenhoven, B., Clark, S., Kovacs, G., Burger, H., Healy, D.W., 2000, Prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) patients pregnant after ovulation inducted with gonadotrophins, The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, vol 40 issue 1, The Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetrs, Melbourne Vic Australia, pp. 54-58.

Katz, M., Vollenhoven, B., 2000, The reproductive endocrine consequences of anorexia nervosa, British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, vol 107 issue 6, British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, www.blackwell-science.com/bjo, pp. 707-713.

Harris, G.M., Stendt, C.L., Vollenhoven, B., Eng Gan, T., Tipping, P.G., 1999, Decreased plasma tissue factor pathway inhibitor in women taking combined oral contraceptives, American Journal of Hematology, vol 60, Wiley-Liss, New York NY USA, pp. 175-180.

Takokoro, N., Vollenhoven, B., Clark, S., Baker, G.H., Kovacs, G., Burger, H., Healy, D.W., 1997, Cumulative pregnancy rates in couples with anovulatory infertility compared with unexplained infertility in an ovulation induction programme, Human Reproduction, vol 12, Oxford University Press, UK, pp. 1939-1944.

Conference Proceedings

Vollenhoven, B., Bakker, M., Taylor, N., Lawrence, M., Rogers, P.A., 1998, Are there unique genes in uterine leiomyomas compared with normal myometrium which would explain the growth of these tumours?, 16th World congress on fertility and sterility and 54th Annual meeting of the American Society for reproductive medicine, California October 4-9 1998, American Society for reproductive medicine, USA, p. 168.

Vollenhoven, B., 1998, Uterine Fibroids, Hormones and Women's Health, Prince Henry's Institute of Medical Research 5th Annual Symposium, Melbourne, 14-16 October 1998, Prince Henry's Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne Vic Australia, p. 24.

Vollenhoven, B., Rogers, P.A., Healy, D.W., 1998, Uterine fibroids, what makes them grow?, Victorian Women's Health Conference, Melbourne 9-10 June, Human Services, Melbourne Vic Australia, p. 103.

Bakker, M., Taylor, N., Lawrence, M., Rogers, P.A., Vollenhoven, B., 1997, Analysis of gene expression in fibroids, compared to normal myometrium using RDA, Australian and New Zealand Society for Cell and Develomental Biology, Inc, Melbourne, 29 Sept - 1 Oct 1997, Aust & New Zealand Society for Cell & Dev Biology, Melbourne Vic Australia, p. 58.

Vollenhoven, B., Bakker, M., Taylor, N., Lawrence, M., Rogers, P.A., 1997, Representational difference analysis: a new and valuable tool for studying the aetiology of fibroids, The Fertility Society of Australia XVI Annual Scientific Meeting, Adelaide, 2-4 December 1997, The Fertility Society of Australia, Adelaide SA Australia, pp. 38-39.

Other

Boyle, J., Brennan, L., Brinkworth, G., Brown, W., Burger, H., Clarke, I., Corbould, A., Costello, M., Cussons, A., Davies, M., Deeks, A., Eden, J., Frearson, M., Hart, R., Hickey, T., Johnstone, P., Kidson, W., Knight, R., Lim, E., Lombard, C., Marsh, K., McAllister, V., Michelmore, J., Moran, L., Noakes, M., Norman, R., Rodgers, R., Rogers, P., Rombauts, L., Sloboda, D., Stepto, N., Stuckey, B., Talbot, M., Teede, H., Vollenhoven, B., Wong, J., 2011, Evidence-based guideline for the assessment and management of polycystic ovary syndrome A single, The Jean Hailes Foundation, Australia, pp. 1-132.

Postgraduate Research Supervisions

Completed Supervision

Student:
Weston, G.
Program of Study:
THE APPLICATION OF GENE EXPRESSION MICROARRAYS TO THE STUDY OF ANGIOGENESIS IN THE HUMAN FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE TRACT. (PHD) 2003.
Supervisors:
Rogers, P (Main), Vollenhoven, B (Associate).