Infertility News and Research

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Infertility primarily refers to the biological inability of a person to contribute to conception. Infertility may also refer to the state of a woman who is unable to carry a pregnancy to full term.

Risk-taking in infertility treatment correlates with women's negative moods

A study of women's moods during IVF has found a strong relationship between negative mood and multiple embryo transfer, a scientist told the 23rd annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (Tuesday 3 July).

4 Jul 2007

Promising new therapy for protecting the fertility of women with cancer

A promising new therapy for protecting the fertility of women with cancer and auto-immune diseases such as lupus was revealed at the 23rd annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.

4 Jul 2007

Men physcologically affected by fertility problems as much as women

Although most psychosocial research into infertility is centred round the unhappiness it causes women, men suffer just as much, a scientist will tell the 23rd annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology today (Wednesday 4 July).

4 Jul 2007

Complementary therapies in assisted reproduction may diminish the effectiveness of medical treatment for infertility in women

Many women use complementary or alternative therapies (CATs) to resolve fertility problems, even though there is little evidence that they are effective.

4 Jul 2007

Mother donates eggs to infertile daughter

A Canadian mother has taken the unique step of donating her eggs to her daughter to ensure she can have a child.

4 Jul 2007

Baby girl created using new lab technique

Canadian researchers have scored a world first by creating a baby from an egg which matured in the laboratory, was frozen, thawed and then fertilised.

3 Jul 2007

High frequency of sperm abnormalities associated with reduced testicular volume in male lupus patients

The prognosis for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune disease that mainly affects women in their reproductive years, has improved recently, prompting a shift toward improving quality of life.

29 Jun 2007

Natural hormone relaxin offers hope to infertile couples

A new study from the University of Leicester is investigating whether a naturally produced hormone could provide the key to helping couples conceive.

29 Jun 2007

Link between ciliary signaling and cancer

Submarines have periscopes. Insects have antennae. And increasingly, biologists are finding that most normal vertebrate cells have cilia, small hair-like structures that protrude like antennae into the surrounding environment to detect signals that control cell growth.

29 Jun 2007

Discovery of gene and mechanism essential to the embryonic development of the epididymis

Human sperm cells travel up to 6 meters in their transit from testes to penis, and most of that journey occurs in the epididymis, a tightly coiled tube that primes the cells for their ultimate task: fertilization.

28 Jun 2007

Discomfort and disability caused by shingles can be avoided

The painful, burning twinge and irritate skin that can be an early warning sign of shingles is often overlooked or misdiagnosed at the time when antiviral medications can be effected at shortening the outbreak.

23 Jun 2007

Many couples willing to donate unused embryos to stem cell research

In a survey of over a thousand patients who have created and frozen embryos as part of fertility treatment, 60 percent said they would be likely to donate unused embryos for stem cell research, according to a study led by researchers at Duke University Medical Center and Johns Hopkins University.

23 Jun 2007

60% of people with embryos in U.S. fertility clinics would consider donating them for stem cell research

About 60% of people who have embryos stored at U.S. fertility clinics would be very or somewhat likely to donate them for stem cell research, according to a survey published Thursday in the online edition of the journal Science, Reuters reports (Dunham, Reuters, 6/20).

22 Jun 2007

Magnetic resonance-guided, focused ultrasound surgery relieves fibroid symptoms in women

A noninvasive ultrasound procedure effectively shrinks uterine fibroids and significantly relieves fibroid-related symptoms in women, according to the results of a multicenter clinical trial reported in the June issue of the journal Radiology.

30 May 2007

Hormone treatment could cut need for chemo in some younger breast cancer patients

Around 5,500 pre-menopausal breast cancer patients could be offered a hormone drug that is shown to be as effective as traditional chemotherapy - and so avoid potential infertility and long-term menopausal side effects - according to a Cancer Research UK report published in The Lancet.

20 May 2007

Methods for treating lupus nephritis

Good patient information is essential for choosing the best treatment for the kidney disease lupus nephritis.

17 May 2007

Cornell University establishes Center for Reproductive Genomics

Cornell University has established the Center for Reproductive Genomics, which will combine basic research in reproductive sciences on Cornell's Ithaca campus with one of the country's leading fertility clinics at Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC) in New York City.

10 May 2007

It is highly unlikely that older women generate new eggs

Tilly reported the discovery of stem cells capable of migrating from bone marrow to mouse ovaries and generating new eggs there. The research fueled hopes that a new treatment - such as bone marrow transplantation - might one day help older women regain their fertility.

9 May 2007

Sperm from diabetic men have greater levels of DNA damage which may affect their fertility

In the first study to compare the quality of DNA in sperm from diabetic and non-diabetic men, researchers at Queen’s University Belfast showed that the DNA in the nuclei of the sperm cells had greater levels of fragmentation in diabetic men, and that there were more deletions of DNA in the tiny, energy-generating structures in the cells called mitochondria.

8 May 2007