Labels inside every box of morning-after pills, drugs widely used to prevent pregnancy after sex, say they may work by blocking fertilized eggs from implanting in a woman’s uterus. Respected medical authorities, including the National Institutes of Health and the Mayo Clinic, have said the same thing on their Web sites.
Month: June 2012
The Ongoing Discussion Around Reproductive Rights
by Iris Waichler, L.C.S.W.
The Chicago Tribune just released the results of a survey done by the independent,
non-partisan Kaiser Family Foundation. They polled …
CDC Seeks Comments on Draft National Action Plan on Infertility
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is requesting comment on its draft National Public Action Plan for the Detection, Prevention and Management of Infertility. ASRM members may recall the outline for a draft plan was developed in 2010 by an infertility working group within the CDC’s Division of Reproductive Health.
Contraceptive Health Insurance Bill Awaits Nixon’s Decision
The fate of a bill allowing employers in Missouri to refuse to provide health insurance coverage for contraception, sterilization or abortion is in the hands of Gov. Jay Nixon, who over the years has managed to sidestep taking a stand on abortion legislation.
Dr. Howard Jones Authors Opinion Piece on Personhood Bills
A thoughtful and articulate opinion piece on the personhood debate authored by IVF pioneer Dr. Howard Jones, Jr. has been printed in the Virginian-Pilot. We thought you would appreciate the opportunity to read it.
The Social Implications of a Male Contraceptive Pill.
By S. Fenella Das Gupta, PhD Neuroscience
A team of researchers led by Dr. Lee Smith at the University of Edinburgh have identified a gene, Katnal1, involved in male infertility.
The expression of this gene is required for the release of …
Parents Hope Reborn with Gestational Carrier
Kim Christian knew when she was 32 that she could not bear children. For the next decade, she and her husband, Dan Rominski, saved and planned for fertility treatments…So the Montvale couple gambled — legally and medically. They crossed state lines to make a deal with a 30-year-old Illinois woman who agreed to bear a child for them.
Israeli Health Ministry Considers Cutting Fertility Treatment Subsidies for Older Women
The Health Ministry is considering subsidizing fertility treatments through the third child and canceling subsidies for older women who face problems becoming pregnant.
Men and women receive different fertility advice following cancer diagnosis
There are significant gaps in the information women receive about their future fertility following cancer diagnosis, suggests a new paper published today (30 May) in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Infertility can be a side-effect of cancer treatment and there are increasing numbers of people of reproductive age undergoing such treatment.
This study – led by the University of Aberdeen and NHS Grampian – looks at perceptions and use of fertility preservation techniques in both men and women of reproductive age who have recently been diagnosed with cancer.
It is the first study to explore the experience of discussing future fertility at the time of cancer diagnosis amongst younger men and women.
Sixteen men and 18 women aged 17-49 took part along with 15 health professionals concerned in cancer care. Patients were receiving treatment for blood related and other cancers between August 2008 and June 2010.
Give Me Back My Sperm, Donor Says
An Israel woman has filed a petition at the Supreme Court against the Health Ministry in an attempt to regain access to five units of sperm from a man who now regrets his donation.
The woman, whose name has not been revealed, is the mother of a two-year-old daughter who was conceived artificially using the donor’s sperm.
In order to provide her child with a biologically related sibling, the woman acquired five further units of the same donor’s semen from a sperm bank.
The donor, whose name also remains protected, claims that a recent religious epiphany made him wish he had never donated.
Israel is a global centre for assisted births, including artificial insemination. Sperm donors can expect to earn between £50 to £130 per donation, and in exchange, are guaranteed absolute, lifelong anonymity.