Semen News and Research

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Semen is an organic fluid, also known as seminal fluid, that usually contains spermatozoa. It is secreted by the gonads (sexual glands) and other sexual organs of male or hermaphroditic animals and can fertilize female ova. The process of discharge is called ejaculation.

Bacterial DNA and IVF contamination risk on New Scientist

Some children conceived by a common method of IVF could be carrying chunks of bacterial DNA in their chromosomes, according to a study in mice. The researchers who conducted the work say that such accidental genetic modification would be very rare, but they argue that fertility doctors should take more precautions to exclude it.

30 Nov 2005

Number of men interested in donating sperm has declined significantly

A study by a leading UK fertility centre has found that the numbers of men - especially students - coming forward as potential sperm donors fell sharply after 2000, almost certainly due to growing awareness that changes in the law would be removing the right to anonymity.

13 Nov 2005

Testicular cancer survivors can still have children

The overall rate of fatherhood after treatment for testicular cancer is high, but the ability to conceive and the time to conception are influenced by the type and intensity of treatment, according to a new study in the November 2 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

3 Nov 2005

Delaying having children defies nature and risks heartbreak

...say experts in the British Medical Journal. If women want families and room for manoeuvre they are unwise to wait till their 30s.

26 Sep 2005

As many as one in 25 men in the UK could be raising another man's child

In rather disconcerting news, it appears that as many as one in 25 fathers, could unwittingly be raising another man's child.

11 Aug 2005

Damage to DNA in sperm is significantly higher in older men

Damage to DNA in sperm is significantly higher in older men than in those who are younger, according to research presented today (Tuesday 21 June 2005) at the 21st annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.

20 Jun 2005

Men being treated with alpha-blockers for an enlarged prostate may not have to endure sexual dysfunction

Research conducted by Hellstrom comparing the impact of two commonly prescribed medications on men's ability to ejaculate was presented today at the 100th annual meeting of the American Urological Association May 23.

23 May 2005

Little evidence found for IVF as most effective infertility treatment

In vitro fertilization can improve pregnancy rates among couples with unexplained infertility, but there is little evidence to show whether IVF results in more live births than other treatments, according to a new review of recent studies.

1 May 2005

Pollutants appear to have an affect on sex chromosome

A team of researchers from Lund University in Sweden have found that exposure to a class of environmental pollutants can change the ratio of sperm carrying male and female chromosomes.

1 May 2005

HIV virus removed from fathers sperm

27 babies in Japan have been born virus-free after the virus was removed from the the sperm of HIV-positive fathers.

7 Mar 2005

Way to detect early signs of testicular cancer

Danish researchers have discovered a way to detect early signs of testicular cancer before it has started to spread. Their findings are the first step towards developing a simple screening test for men at risk of the disease.

2 Mar 2005

Animal model helps explain how AIDS virus spreads throughout the body following oral exposure

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have utilized an animal model to trace how the virus that causes AIDS in humans may enter and spread throughout the body following an oral exposure.

3 Dec 2004

Sexual competition among males is evident at the molecular level, as well as at behavioral and physiological levels

In what could be termed a truly seminal discovery, researchers have shown that when females are more promiscuous, males have to work harder -- at the genetic level, that is. More specifically, they determined that a protein controlling semen viscosity evolves more rapidly in primate species with promiscuous females than in monogamous species.

8 Nov 2004

Sperm cells grown in laboratory culture

A team of researchers working with cells from mice has overcome a technical barrier and succeeded in growing sperm progenitor cells in laboratory culture.

4 Nov 2004

Prostate cancer treatment leads to declines in sexual and urinary function

Treatment for prostate cancer leads to significant five-year declines in sexual and urinary function, according to a new study. However, general and other specific health-related quality of life factors, such as bowel function, are not affected.

27 Sep 2004

A more direct lateral approach to minimally invasive procedures

Surgeons at the Cedars-Sinai Institute for Spinal Disorders describe in the August 1 issue of the journal Spine a minimally invasive approach that enables them to perform fusion surgery on the difficult-to-access upper lumbar region of the spine with a reduced risk of serious complications.

2 Aug 2004

TUNA therapy results in significantly reduced erectile dysfunction

Comparing five-year results of Medtronic TUNA® Therapy (transurethral needle ablation) to surgery for 121 men in their mid-60s with lower urinary tract symptoms caused by an enlarged prostate, a team of urologists found that “for appropriately selected patients with bothersome voiding symptoms, TUNA is an attractive treatment option.”

1 Jul 2004

Women exposed in adulthood to cytomegalovirus may be at greater risk of breast cancer

A study just published in the prestigious British Journal of Cancer by researchers at the University of Otago's Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences and Dunedin School of Medicine, and the University of Melbourne, has found evidence of a link between a common virus and breast cancer in women under the age of 40 years.

31 May 2004

Baby born from 21 year old cryopreserved sperm

"We believe this is the longest period of sperm cryopreservation resulting in a live birth so far reported in the scientific literature," according to one of the authors, Dr Elizabeth Pease, Consultant in Reproductive Medicine at the Department of Reproductive Medicine at St Mary's Hospital, Manchester.

25 May 2004

FDA finalizes new rule on donor eligibility for human tissues and cells

FDA today published a final rule establishing donor eligibility criteria for donors of human cells, tissues, and cellular and tissue-based products (HCT/Ps) to help prevent the transmission of communicable disease when these products are transplanted.

20 May 2004