Sperm News and Research

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The term sperm refers to the male reproductive cells. In the types of sexual reproduction known as anisogamy and oogamy, there is a marked difference in the size of the gametes with the smaller one being termed the "male" or sperm cell. The human sperm cell is haploid, so that its 23 chromosomes can join the 23 chromosomes of the female egg to form a diploid cell.

World-first stem cell research may help male infertility

Scientists have shown for the first time that sperm grown from embryonic stem cells can be used to produce offspring.

10 Jul 2006

Mice sperm grown in a lab produces baby mice

In ground breaking research scientists have for the first time produced mice using sperm grown in the laboratory from embryonic stem cells.

10 Jul 2006

Vasectomies create abnormal sperm

Scientists are warning men to freeze some of their sperm before having a vasectomy because the procedure may damage sperm.

22 Jun 2006

Injection may prevent infertility in men receiving cancer chemotherapy

It may be possible to protect the testes of cancer patients against the loss of fertility caused by chemotherapy.

20 Jun 2006

New technology allows women to preserve their eggs for use later

Japanese scientists have come up with a new method of preserving human embryos which will make the process of freezing them safer and more reliable.

20 Jun 2006

New highly successful method of freezing human eggs

A new and highly successful method of freezing human eggs will help to even out the current inequality between men and women.

19 Jun 2006

New method of testing eggs for abnormalities could solve problems of embryo freezing

Italian researchers have shown for the first time that it is possible to test a woman's egg, before fertilisation, for chromosomal abnormalities that might make an embryo less likely to implant successfully or more likely to miscarry at a later stage.

19 Jun 2006

Study links high levels of nitric oxide to infertility and sperm DNA damage

Iranian scientists have linked a chemical that plays an essential role in many bodily functions to sperm DNA damage and male infertility, the 22nd annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction heard.

19 Jun 2006

Study results may aid battle against insect-borne diseases

Scientists studying the widespread symbiotic bacteria Wolbachia have long been interested in its ability to proliferate.

6 Jun 2006

Men have a biological clock too and produce poor quality sperm as they age

Researchers in the U.S. say that even though men are able to father children well into old age, the quality of the sperm declines as men age.

6 Jun 2006

Single embryo transfer as successful as double transfer in older women

Research by fertility experts in Finland has demonstrated for the first time that in many cases transferring a single embryo to the womb in women undergoing IVF is just as likely to result in pregnancy and a live birth in those aged 36 to 39 as it is in younger women.

1 Jun 2006

Sperm donor passes rare dangerous disease on to four children

According to a new report in the U.S., a sperm donor may have unwittingly passed an extremely rare and dangerous genetic ailment to five children born to four couples.

22 May 2006

New understanding of chromosomal glue

Researchers have a new understanding of the process cells use to ensure that sperm and eggs begin life with exactly one copy of each chromosome - a process that must be exquisitely regulated to prevent problems such as miscarriages and mental retardation.

8 May 2006

New male contraceptive

Men and women have long been promised a male version of the female contraceptive pill. But the first new male contraceptive to market may not be hormonal at all.

8 May 2006

Sperm-producing stem cells found in testicles could be extracted, grown in the lab, and frozen for future use

Men may cringe at the idea, but sperm-producing stem cells found in testicles could be extracted, grown in the lab, and frozen for future use.

2 May 2006

Brits warned against foreign IVF treatment

British couples considering going abroad for in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) and other types of fertility treatment have been warned against the practice.

1 May 2006

A contraceptive pill for men!

According to a Sydney scientist a hormone-based contraceptive for men has the ability to reverse its effect just four months after stopping its use.

1 May 2006

Why males produce sperm and females produce eggs

An Australian research team has solved one of biology's most fundamental questions - why males produce sperm and females produce eggs. The finding is a breakthrough that could lead to improved infertility treatment, cancer therapy and pest management.

4 Apr 2006

Many men who have vasectomies do not return for follow up tests

A quarter of the men who had vasectomies at a U.S. clinic didn't return for any follow up tests to make sure that the procedure had worked, according to research published in the April issue of the British - based urology journal BJU International.

4 Apr 2006

Pigs help study of links between polycystic ovary syndrome, obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes

Despite the exaggerated, wrinkly snout and long, coarse, spiky hair reminiscent of the 1980s television space alien ALF, some very special swine are helping researchers at Purdue and Indiana universities understand human infertility, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

4 Apr 2006