Sperm News and Research

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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.

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

PGD model could provide policy guideposts for human genome editing

Human genome editing for both research and therapy is progressing, raising ethical questions among scientists around the world.

22 Jan 2016

Depression in expectant parents during pregnancy increases risk of premature birth

Depression in both expectant mothers and fathers increases the risk of premature birth, finds a study published in BJOG: an International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (BJOG).

20 Jan 2016

Newly discovered mechanism may help explain why some embryos not useful for fertility treatments

It's the dream of many infertile couples: to have a baby. Tens of thousands of children are born by in vitro fertilization, or IVF, a technique commonly used when nature doesn't take its course. However, embryos obtained when a sperm fertilizes an egg in a test tube often have defects.

5 Jan 2016

Children conceived through infertility treatments no more likely to have developmental delays

Children conceived via infertility treatments are no more likely to have a developmental delay than children conceived without such treatments, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health, the New York State Department of Health and other institutions.