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Hormone levels in hair can predict chances of pregnancy in women undergoing IVF treatment

Levels of a hormone when measured in hair can significantly predict the likelihood of pregnancy in women undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment, scientists at The University of Nottingham have revealed.

18 Oct 2016

China’s new two-child policy predicted to have relatively small effect on population growth

China’s recently introduced universal two-child policy is predicted to have a relatively small effect on population growth, with a likely peak of 1.45 billion in 2029, compared to 1.4 billion in 2023 if the one-child policy had continued, according to academics writing in The Lancet.

17 Oct 2016

Researchers develop new technique that measures speed of rotating semen

The maths of collective behaviour has provided a new technique for selecting the best semen for artificial insemination in livestock.

17 Oct 2016

U-M joins $20 million project to compare treatments for uterine fibroids

The University of Michigan will join nine other clinical centers across the country working to compare the effectiveness of different treatment strategies for women with uterine fibroids.

15 Oct 2016

Increasing trends in maternal obesity could impact mother and child

The epidemic of obesity is felt in prenatal clinics and delivery rooms around the world with a worrisome trend in high-risk pregnancies that could impact mother and child, according to Patrick M. Catalano, MD, the Dierker-Biscotti Women's Health and Wellness Professor and Director of the Center for Reproductive Health at MetroHealth and Director of the Clinical Research Unit of the Case Western Reserve University.

15 Oct 2016

Researchers confirm long persistence of Zika virus in semen and reveal its presence within spermatozoa

Recent work has shown that Zika virus persists in semen for up to 6 months after infection. In a correspondence published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, the researchers, in addition to confirming its long persistence in semen (in this case for more than 130 days, i.e., over 4 months), reveal the presence of the virus even within spermatozoa.

4 Oct 2016

Scientists develop new method to produce embryos from non-egg cells

Scientists have shown for the first time that embryos can be made from non-egg cells, a discovery that challenges two centuries of received wisdom.

3 Oct 2016

Researchers link RHOX gene mutations to infertility in men

The underlying cause of male infertility is unknown for 30 percent of cases. In a pair of new studies, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine determined that the reproductive homeobox (RHOX) family of transcription factors — regulatory proteins that activate some genes and inactivate others — drive the development of stem cells in the testes in mice.

27 Sep 2016

Global study assesses countries on health-related Sustainable Development Goals

Worldwide, good progress has been made towards some of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) since 2000, particularly in reducing under-5 and neonatal mortality, family planning, and the rollout of universal health care.

24 Sep 2016

High stress during ovulatory window reduces chances of conception in women

What many have long suspected, has been scientifically confirmed - women's high stress reduces their probability of conception.

13 Sep 2016

Women find men with full beards more attractive when judging long-term relationships, study shows

New research suggests that women tend to find beardedness attractive when judging long-term relationships, perhaps as a signal of formidability among males and the potential to provide direct benefits, such as enhanced fertility and survival, to females.

12 Sep 2016

Male signals trigger female animals for reproduction but with harmful effects

A research team led by a Northwestern University scientist has discovered that male animals, through their invisible chemical "essence," prime female animals for reproduction but with the unfortunate side effect of also hastening females' aging process.

12 Sep 2016

Measuring blood levels of newly identified hormone may improve diagnosis of PCOS in teenagers

Measuring blood levels of the recently discovered hormone irisin may improve diagnosis rates of teenagers with polycystic ovary syndrome, according to research presented today at the 55th Annual European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology Meeting.

11 Sep 2016

Steroids for treating infertility in women may have harmful effects on pregnancy and child

Researchers at the University of Adelaide are urging doctors and patients to refrain from using a specific steroid treatment to treat infertility in women unless clinically indicated, because of its links to miscarriage, preterm birth and birth defects.

9 Sep 2016

UBC research reveals pregnancy rates of transgender youth similar to other young people

Sexually active transgender youth have pregnancy rates similar to their non-transgender peers--dispelling the notion that trans youth are less at risk for pregnancy, according to new UBC research.

7 Sep 2016

New demographic datasheet provides comprehensive details on migration and aging

The European Demographic Datasheet 2016, produced by demographers at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis and the Vienna Institute of Demography, provides a comprehensive look at key demographic indicators and main population trends for all European countries, including population projections for 2050.

1 Sep 2016

New study reveals physicians not discouraging Egyptian women from practicing female circumcision

Women in Egypt are seeking out doctors' opinions on whether they should circumcise their daughters and, though it is illegal there, physicians are not discouraging the practice, giving legitimacy to a procedure that has serious medical risks, according to a new study led by a former Stanford University School of Medicine researcher.

26 Aug 2016

$Developmental exposure to fracking chemicals may pose threat to fertility$

Developmental exposure to fracking chemicals may pose threat to fertility

More than 15 million Americans live within a one-mile radius of unconventional oil and gas operations. UOGs combine directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," to release natural gas from underground rock.

26 Aug 2016

Preimplantation genetic screening using next generation sequencing: an interview with Dr Luis Alcaraz

PGS, Preimplantation Genetic Screening, is a genetic test that analyses biopsied cells from embryos produced by in vitro fertilization (IVF) techniques. PGS determines whether the embryos are chromosomally normal (euploid) or not (aneuploid), thus giving the chance to transfer chromosomally normal embryos that are more apt to successfully implant and develop into a pregnancy.

24 Aug 2016

Scientists discover less invasive, cheaper technique to improve woman's chances of becoming pregnant

For those facing infertility, IVF has long been the established option to have a baby. Now Australian and Belgian medical scientists have discovered how to improve a woman's chances of becoming pregnant using a less invasive and cheaper alternative.

23 Aug 2016