Sperm News and Research

RSS

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.

Anatomy researchers find evidence that CFC enhances fertilisation success, embryo survival.

Researchers from New Zealand's University of Otago studying chinook salmon have provided the first evidence that "cryptic female choice" (CFC) enhances fertilisation success and embryo survival.

24 Mar 2016

Research: X and Y DNA swapping may occur more often than previously thought

It turns out that the rigid "line in the sand" over which the human sex chromosomes---the Y and X--- go to avoid crossing over is a bit blurrier than previously thought. Contrary to the current scientific consensus, Arizona State University assistant professor Melissa Wilson Sayres has led a research team that has shown that X and Y DNA swapping may occur much more often.

24 Mar 2016

Women who have survived childhood cancer can become pregnant, shows study

For women who have survived childhood cancer, the impact of modern chemotherapy regimens on the likelihood of becoming pregnant is generally small, and most have a good chance of conceiving, according to one of the largest studies of its kind published in The Lancet Oncology.

24 Mar 2016

Female childhood cancer survivors have a good chance of conceiving

A new study examines fertility issues in male and female childhood cancer survivors who had received chemotherapy. The study found that while most female survivors still have a good chance of conceiving, male survivors are significantly less likely to father children.

23 Mar 2016

Diet-induced obesity, diabetes can be epigenetically inherited by offspring, say scientists

Scientists at Helmholtz Zentrum München, in collaboration with researchers from Technical University of Munich and the German Center for Diabetes Research, have shown that diet-induced obesity and diabetes can be epigenetically inherited by the offspring via both the oocytes and the sperm.

16 Mar 2016

Researchers aim to design a better male contraceptive pill

Women can choose from a wide selection of birth control methods, including numerous oral contraceptives, but there's never been an analogous pill for men. That's not for lack of trying: For many years, scientists have attempted to formulate a male pill. Finally, a group of researchers has taken a step toward that goal by tweaking some experimental compounds that show promise.

14 Mar 2016

Fertility problems put men at increased risk of metabolic diseases

Men with fertility problems are at risk of metabolic diseases as they age, according to work being presented at the European Association of Urology conference in Munich

14 Mar 2016

Alcohol worst of all drugs that affect fetal health

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention set off a firestorm of controversy this month when they suggested that women stop drinking alcohol if they are trying to get pregnant, or could get pregnant. Some people took this advice as the CDC prioritizing hypothetical, yet-to-be-conceived children over real women, which has brought up a number of issues from female autonomy to access to birth control—but how clear is the science about what causes fetal alcohol syndrome and related fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

9 Mar 2016

Researchers develop new technique to create naïve pluripotent stem cells

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have for the first time shown that it is possible to derive from a human embryo so-called 'naïve' pluripotent stem cells - one of the most flexible types of stem cell, which can develop into all human tissue other than the placenta.

7 Mar 2016

Study highlights use of 10x Genomics' GemCode technology platform for genomic analysis

10x Genomics, a company focused on improving and broadening the application of genomic information across healthcare and other industries, today announced the publication of a study that was enabled by the company's GemCode™ technology platform, a powerful new approach that allows researchers to discover previously inaccessible genomic information.

From 10x Genomics, Inc. 4 Mar 2016

FDA takes actions to help women, doctors better understand potential problems associated with Essure

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today actions to provide important information about the risks of using Essure and to help women and their doctors be better informed of the potential complications associated with implantable forms of sterilization.

1 Mar 2016

First US uterus transplant is successful

The first US uterus transplant was performed this week by a team of surgeons at Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio.

26 Feb 2016

Study shows male cancer survivors less likely to have children

A study of all Norwegian men born between 1965 and 1985 shows that male cancer survivors are less likely to have children than those without a cancer diagnosis.

17 Feb 2016

Nine researchers win EPSRC Healthcare Technologies Challenge Awards

Nine researchers, working on innovative projects that promise to improve healthcare diagnosis and treatment, across a wide spread of issues, were today announced as the first recipients of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council's (EPSRC) Healthcare Technologies Challenge Awards.

15 Feb 2016

'Housekeeping' gene may have a link to male infertility

Researchers at Iowa State University have found evidence that a "housekeeping" gene present in every cell of the body may have a link to male infertility.

3 Feb 2016

Study sheds light on mechanisms linked to formation of healthy egg cells in humans

Congenital disorders such as Down's syndrome could be better understood, following new insights into how healthy cells are formed.

3 Feb 2016

Using painkillers during pregnancy may harm fertility of daughters

Using painkillers in pregnancy may reduce fertility in subsequent generations, research suggests. Tests in rats found that when a mother was given painkillers during pregnancy, her female offspring had fewer eggs, smaller ovaries and smaller litters of babies than those not exposed to the drugs.

28 Jan 2016

Involuntarily childless couples could be helped with extra sperm analysis

New research findings from Lund University in Sweden show that a simple analysis of chromosomal breaks in sperms can facilitate choice of the most efficient treatment and, thereby, increase chances of successful assisted reproduction in involuntary childless couples.

26 Jan 2016

Specific genetic pattern in the womb could predict IVF treatment outcome

Fertility experts in Southampton and the Netherlands have identified a specific genetic pattern in the womb that could predict whether or not IVF treatment is likely to be successful.

25 Jan 2016