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The term sperm refers to the male reproductive cells. In the types of sexual reproduction known as anisogamy and oogamy, there is a marked difference in the size of the gametes with the smaller one being termed the "male" or sperm cell. The human sperm cell is haploid, so that its 23 chromosomes can join the 23 chromosomes of the female egg to form a diploid cell.

Study reveals genes crucial for protecting male fertility

Discovery of a pair of genes that work in perfect harmony to protect male fertility, could provide new insights into some unexplained cases of the most severe form of infertility, research suggests.

14 Feb 2024

DDT exposure found to alter sperm epigenome in humans

In a study that signals potential reproductive and health complications in humans, now and for future generations, researchers from McGill University, the University of Pretoria, Université Laval, Aarhus University, and the University of Copenhagen, have concluded that fathers exposed to environmental toxins, notably DDT, may produce sperm with health consequences for their children.

9 Feb 2024

Hormonal steroids could make gonorrhea untreatable

You know that package warning that oral birth control won't prevent STIs? Well in the case of gonorrhea, the sexually transmitted bacterium that causes the disease can use those hormones to help it resist antibiotic attacks.

8 Feb 2024

IVF add-on may be expensive, invasive, and ineffective, study finds

One of the most common add-ons to IVF procedures undertaken in Australia and globally by infertile couples may be a waste of time as well as expensive and invasive, and may even reduce the chances of success, according to a new report in The Lancet.

6 Feb 2024

Simulations crack code of human egg fertilization

Who hasn't seen it before: the view through the microscope in which a sperm penetrates an egg cell and fertilizes it.

5 Feb 2024

Gene variant linked to increased miscarriage risk through disrupted chromosome pairing

Scientists at deCODE genetics, a subsidiary of Amgen and their collaborators from Iceland, Denmark and USA published a study today in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology titled "Variant in the synaptonemal complex protein SYCE2 associates with pregnancy loss through effects on recombination".

29 Jan 2024

Does space travel impact the human reproductive system?

How space travel, space radiation, and microgravity affect human reproductive functions.

22 Jan 2024

Semen microbiota might play a crucial role in influencing male fertility

You may have heard about the gut microbiome and its influence on a person's overall health and well-being. It turns out that the same may hold true for the semen microbiome.

18 Jan 2024

New research finds semen microbiome's impact on male fertility

The relationship between semen microbiota and changes in semen parameters.

15 Jan 2024

Paternal sperm microRNAs also play a role in offspring health

A recent study has reported that changes in mice sperm microRNAs brought about by aging may affect the growth and development of offspring.

12 Jan 2024

Pre-pregnancy stress raises blood sugar during pregnancy, study finds

A new Journal of the Endocrine Society study among women attending a fertility center found that those with more stress before pregnancy had higher blood sugar levels during pregnancy, which is a sign of weaker cardiovascular health.

4 Jan 2024

Maternal stress during preconception associated with higher blood glucose levels, study finds

Stress during pregnancy is known to influence health outcomes, but a new study from Mass General Brigham researchers suggests that stress levels before pregnancy are also important to evaluate.

4 Jan 2024

New method illuminates intricate interactions of the synaptonemal complex in nematodes

We have two copies of each chromosome in every cell in our bodies except in our reproductive cells. Sperm and egg cells contain a single copy of each chromosome with a unique mix of genes from our parents, an evolutionary trick to give our offspring genetic variability.

3 Jan 2024

Air pollution may affect male reproduction via oxidative stress, says study

The implications of exposure to air pollutants on male fertility parameters and sexual health.

3 Jan 2024

Paternal alcohol consumption prior to conception can have a negative effect on fetal development

Researchers at Texas A&M University have already shown that paternal drinking habits prior to conception can have a negative effect on fetal development -; with semen from men who regularly consume alcohol impacting placenta development, fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)-associated brain and facial defects, and even IVF outcomes.

13 Dec 2023

New proposals to change donor anonymity laws may increase inconsistency and unfairness, experts warn

New proposals to change the law protecting the anonymity of sperm and egg donors in the UK “would increase inconsistency and arguably unfairness” for many donor-conceived people, two experts in the field have warned.

11 Dec 2023

Study links organic Mediterranean diet to improved male fertility

Researchers in Italy have found that a low-carbohydrate organic Mediterranean diet significantly enhances male fertility by increasing testosterone levels and reducing sperm DNA fragmentation, offering new dietary guidelines for improving male reproductive health.

10 Dec 2023

Mediterranean diet linked to improved sperm quality

A study in the journal Nutrients finds that adherence to the Mediterranean diet positively correlates with improved sperm parameters in men. This observational cross-sectional study, involving 300 non-obese males, revealed that higher adherence to the diet is associated with better sperm motility, morphology, viability, and count, suggesting that diet can be a crucial factor in male fertility.

5 Dec 2023

New study provides convincing evidence of the essential role of cylicins in sperm development and fertility

Researchers investigated the Role of Cylicins in Spermiogenesis and Male Fertility in Mice and Humans through Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/ CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) Gene Editing.

30 Nov 2023