Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) News and Research

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A group of technologies called assisted reproductive technology (ART) that involves achieving conception with artificial assistance

Infertility is a growing problem

Infertility will become more prevalent in generations to come, but interpreting these trends is complicated, say researchers in this week's BMJ.

17 Feb 2008

Biotechnology Industry Organization supports FDA's safety conclusions on animal cloning

Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Greenwood today issued the following statement in response to a risk assessment published today by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the safety of milk and meat products from cloned animals and their offspring:

15 Jan 2008

FDA says meat and milk from animal clones safe to eat as food from conventionally bred animals

After years of detailed study and analysis, the Food and Drug Administration has concluded that meat and milk from clones of cattle, swine, and goats, and the offspring of clones from any species traditionally consumed as food, are as safe to eat as food from conventionally bred animals. There was insufficient information for the agency to reach a conclusion on the safety of food from clones of other animal species, such as sheep.

15 Jan 2008

Study looks at progesterone therapy

Progesterone therapy does not reduce the chances of preterm birth in women pregnant with twins, reported researchers in a network sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.

3 Aug 2007

Study reveals surge in male-factor infertility technique

A national study reveals that the use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection or ICSI -- an assisted reproductive technology used to treat male-factor infertility -- has increased dramatically in the United States since 1995, while the proportion of patients receiving treatment for male-factor infertility has remained stable.

18 Jul 2007

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

Complex assisted reproduction procedures more likely to lead to umbilical cord abnormality

The more complex the assisted reproduction procedure, the more likely the umbilical cord develops in an atypical place or have other abnormalities, a scientist told the 23rd annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.

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

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

Embryos that are selected out as abnormal can undergo chromosomal modifications

Ms Tsvia Frumkin, from the Racine IVF unit, LIS Maternity Hospital, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Centre, Tel Aviv, Israel, will tell the conference that her team's findings meant that the results of preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) for chromosomal abnormalities were not always reliable and should be interpreted with caution.

19 Jun 2007

Health of babies not affected by embryo screening

New research has shown that babies born after pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) are as healthy as those born after conventional IVF treatment.

18 Jun 2007

Maternal alcohol use during pregnancy contributes to substantial increase in risk for extreme preterm delivery

Preterm delivery, and particularly "extreme prematurity", defined as less than 32 weeks of gestation, are major contributors to perinatal sickness and death worldwide.

28 May 2007

Double-standard exists in the way that men and women donors are valued by the fertility industry

When Sociologist Rene Almeling decided to look into the operations of U.S. sperm banks and egg agencies, the UCLA Ph.D. candidate in sociology thought she knew what she would find.

24 May 2007

Steroid use fails to boost pregnancy rates in infertility treatments

There is no clear benefit from a hormone commonly prescribed to enhance the effectiveness of infertility treatments, according to a new review of studies.

1 Mar 2007

Increased demand, compensation for egg donors in U.S.

The AP/Boston Globe on Monday examined how increased demand for egg donations and compensation for donors in the U.S. has prompted more young women to donate their eggs. According CDC data, about 10,000 women donated eggs to federally monitored programs in 2004, compared with 3,800 women in 1996.

22 Feb 2007

Most fertility clinic web sites do not conform to advertising guidelines

The majority of fertility clinic Web sites do not adhere to their own association's advertising guidelines, according to a University of Illinois at Chicago study published in the January issue of Fertility and Sterility.

18 Jan 2007

Japanese Government considers supporting assisted reproductive technologies

The Japanese government will consider potential legislation to support assisted reproductive technologies, including surrogate pregnancies, for infertile couples, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said during a news conference on Monday, the Kyodo News/Yahoo! News reports.

19 Oct 2006

$26 billion dollar bill for prem babies each year

According to experts one in every eight babies now is born prematurely and they are calling for earlier ultrasound examinations during pregnancy and tighter guidelines for infertility treatment as essential in the battle to control what they say is a growing problem.

17 Jul 2006

In vitro fertilisation could be causing genetic errors in embryo

The conditions in which embryos are cultured in the laboratory during in vitro fertilisation could be causing genetic errors that are associated with certain developmental syndromes and other abnormalities in growth and development, such as low birth weight.

19 Jun 2006