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.

Ultraconserved elements in the genome: Are they indispensable?

Three years ago, "ultraconserved elements" were discovered in the genomes of mice, rats, and humans.

5 Sep 2007

Autoimmune response, triggered by genes, can be a barrier to producing a viable offspring

Plant biologists at the Max Planck Institute of Developmental Biology and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have discovered that an autoimmune response, triggered by a small number of genes, can be a barrier to producing a viable offspring.

4 Sep 2007

Women soon able to choose when to have children

Women in Britain may soon be able to choose just when they want to have a baby.

3 Sep 2007

Intrauterine contraceptive devices are underused in developed countries

Misconceptions around intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUDs) mean that they are underused in developed countries, despite being a safe and effective form of contraception, says a women's health expert in this week's BMJ.

3 Sep 2007

Infertility and obesity go together for some women

An Australian scientist says she has discovered scientific evidence that obesity is a key factor in infertility because of how it affects a woman's eggs.

27 Aug 2007

Effects of obesity on egg and infertility discovered

A researcher at the University of Adelaide, Australia, has discovered scientific evidence that obesity is a key factor in infertility – because of how it affects women's eggs.

24 Aug 2007

New insights into cell division process

Which genes are passed on from mother to child is decided very early on during the maturation of the egg cell in the ovary.

12 Aug 2007

Maternal obesity and birth defects

Mothers of babies born with some structural birth defectsincluding missing limbs, malformed hearts and underdeveloped spinal cordsappear more likely to be obese prior to becoming pregnant than mothers whose children are born without such defects, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

7 Aug 2007

Bone marrow restores fertility in female mice

A new study from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers confirms that female mice that receive bone marrow transplantation after fertility-destroying chemotherapy can go on to have successful pregnancies throughout their normal reproductive life.

31 Jul 2007

Proactive chlamydia screening does not represent good value for money

Proactive chlamydia screening for young adults is an expensive intervention that probably does not represent good value for money, concludes a study published on bmj.com today.

27 Jul 2007

Essential fatty acid intake drops as alcohol consumption increases, particularly among men

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are just that; an "essential" part of the total fat intake necessary for a healthy human diet. Most EFAs come from plants, but some are animal-sourced.

25 Jul 2007

Sperm freezing for young male cancer patients

A recent study at Hamilton Health Sciences proves that sperm freezing and banking is an effective way to preserve fertility in adolescents and young adult (AYA) males with cancer.

23 Jul 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

Chromosome disorders can arise when sex cells are formed

Chromosome disorders in sex cells cause infertility, miscarriage and irregular numbers of chromosomes (aneuploidy) in neonates.

9 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

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