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.

Paternal exposure during pregnancy may affect man's ability to father a child

According to the California Teratogen Information Service (CTIS) Pregnancy Health Information Line, more studies are needed to evaluate men and the potential effect of illnesses, medications and lifestyle habits on fertility and pregnancy. For couples suffering fertility problems, the issue is linked to the potential father approximately 50 percent of the time. In close to a quarter of these cases, a specific cause is unknown.

18 Jun 2011

OptumHealth names Women & Infants as Center of Excellence for Reproductive Resource Services

Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island has been named a Center of Excellence for Reproductive Resource Services by OptumHealth, an independent audit company.

18 Jun 2011

Varicocele surgery may increase testosterone production

17 Jun 2011

Low testosterone linked to varicoceles

As many as 15 percent of men have varicoceles, masses of enlarged and dilated veins in the testicles. There is new evidence that varicoceles, long known to be a cause of male infertility, interfere with the production of testosterone -- a crucial hormone to maintaining men's health. There is good news too: Microsurgery can increase testosterone levels in these men. Results of new research by physician-scientists at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center are in a recent edition of BJU International.

16 Jun 2011

Bariatric surgery may treat polycystic ovarian syndrome in women of child-bearing age

Obesity has been linked to infertility and now a new study shows bariatric surgery may treat its most common cause, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal imbalance that affects up to 10 percent of women of child-bearing age -- 33 to 50 percent of whom are overweight or obese.

15 Jun 2011

Antimullerian hormone test can help indicate number of eggs, pregnancy in women

Given how much patients invest in in vitro fertilization (IVF), both financially and emotionally, tools to inform couples about what they might expect during their treatment can be welcome. A study by researchers at Brown University and Women & Infants Hospital shows that as the IVF cycle is beginning, a blood test for levels of a hormone called AMH, or antimullerian hormone, can help predict the number of eggs that will be harvested.

10 Jun 2011

Patient enrollment complete in cilengitide Phase III study against glioblastoma

Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, announced today that patient enrollment in the global pivotal Phase III clinical study CENTRIC has been completed.

9 Jun 2011

Non-steroidal, oral contraceptive for men

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center are honing in on the development of what may be the first non-steroidal, oral contraceptive for men. Tests of low doses of a compound that interferes with retinoic acid receptors (RARs), whose ligands are metabolites of dietary vitamin A, showed that it caused sterility in male mice.

7 Jun 2011

Anti-Mullerian hormone test can indicate reproductive function in young women with cancer

A test that shows how many eggs a woman has in her ovaries may help young women with breast cancer know what their reproductive function will be after chemotherapy, a new study finds. The results will be presented Sunday at The Endocrine Society's 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.

6 Jun 2011

Queen's University develops groundbreaking new test for male infertility

A groundbreaking new test for male infertility, which will save time, money and heartache for couples around the world, has been developed at Queen's University Belfast.

6 Jun 2011

Study links exposure to BPA with lowered male fertility

Daily exposure to a chemical that is prevalent in the human environment, bisphenol A (BPA), causes lowered fertility in male mice, according to the results of a new study that will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society's 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.

6 Jun 2011

SpermComet: New test for male infertility

A new test for male infertility will save time, money and heartache for couples around the world, scientists have claimed. Queen's University Belfast said that more than a decade's research by Professor Sheena Lewis, who leads its Reproductive Medicine research group, had delivered a medical breakthrough.

5 Jun 2011

NHS directive to fertility clinics

NHS fertility clinics will be ordered to meet their responsibilities and provide adequate levels of IVF treatment, amid growing concerns. There are claims that a “postcode lottery” is reducing couples' chances of having a baby.

5 Jun 2011

Delayed treatment could prove effective in certain medical conditions

In today's fast-paced world, waiting — whether it's at the doctor's office, in line at the grocery store or for an Internet connection — is rarely considered a good thing.

3 Jun 2011

Pacific Reproductive Center celebrates Annual Baby Reunion in Torrance

When April Gooding was born 19 years ago in Torrance, infants like her were called "test tube babies" and in vitro fertilization was still considered experimental. Nearly two decades later, almost 4 million IVF babies have been born, including several hundred who will join April and the fertility expert who helped create her as one of his first successes.

1 Jun 2011

Infertility centers under scrutiny

Private infertility treatment centers in Britain are set to come under increased scrutiny. These centers have come under scrutiny for exploiting vulnerable couples with their high fees and exaggerated success story claims.

23 May 2011

New Seattle IVF program cuts expense of women conceiving child with donated egg

A new, first-of-its-kind Seattle in vitro fertilization program can save women 30 percent on the expense of conceiving a child with a donated egg. The cost-savings comes through Seattle Reproductive Medicine's new shared-donor program that lets two women use eggs provided by a single donor.

21 May 2011

Gene variant linked to infertility in women

A variation in a gene involved in regulating cholesterol in the bloodstream also appears to affect progesterone production in women, making it a likely culprit in a substantial number of cases of their infertility, a new study from Johns Hopkins researchers suggests.

16 May 2011

Insight into male infertility

Around one in 20 men is infertile, but despite the best efforts of scientists, in many cases the underlying causes of infertility have remained a mystery.

16 May 2011

IVF causing multiple birth rates fall

Birth rates for IVF twins and triplets have begun to fall in line with government targets aimed at reducing health risks caused by multiple pregnancies. This fall shows the efficacy of the guidelines brought in by the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) that urged UK fertility clinics to limit multiple births to no more than 24% in 2009/10. Among naturally-conceived babies, only around one in 70 is a twin.

15 May 2011