About 20 percent of infertile couples in the U.S. have some unexplainable reason for their lack of ability to reproduce. A new study by Catherine Racowsky, PhD, director of the Assisted Reproductive Technologies Laboratory at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), recently showed that, exposure to BPA could have affected their reproduction system.
Month: July 2013
New Law in France Loosens Restrictions on Human Embryo
The French National Assembly yesterday approved a new law that aims to ease regulation of research involving human embryos and embryonic stem cells. Although French researchers say that the shift will bring little immediate change to their day-to-day work, they hope that the new law will bring more academic freedom and collaboration.
Scientists Analyze Genetic Makeup of Human and Mouse Embryos in Unprecedented Detail
UCLA scientists, in collaboration with teams in China, have used the powerful technology of single-cell RNA sequencing to track the genetic development of a human and a mouse embryo at an unprecedented level of accuracy.
Men’s Sperm Quality Decreases at Age 35
IT’S not just women who have to worry about their ticking reproductive clock. Men’s sperm quality seems to deteriorate after the age of 35. The proportion of sperm carrying an X chromosome also seems to increase, meaning older dads are more likely to have daughters.
Birth Rates in N.J. Shore Towns Jump Nine Months After Hurricane Sandy, Study Finds
An analysis by the Asbury Park Press found that births at shore-area hospitals this month — nine months after Hurricane Sandy struck the coast — showed a significant increase year over year that doesn’t surprise some experts in post-storm fertility. (Yes, there are professionals that study that.)
Contraceptive Mandate Divides Appeals Courts
A federal appeals court ruling on Friday increased the chances that the Supreme Court in its coming term will need to settle whether secular, for-profit corporations must provide contraceptive coverage to employees despite the owners’ religious objections.
Taller Women May Face Higher Cancer Odds After Menopause, Study Suggests
Sizing up cancer risk after menopause, scientists say taller women may face higher odds of developing a malignancy than their shorter peers.
Infertility Struggles Brings Sisters Together
Johnston and her husband Joby tried fertility treatments, including in vitro fertilization twice. Still, after years of trying, the loving, young couple was childless. Annie hadn’t even had one positive pregnancy test in all the years she had been trying to conceive. …Annie didn’t have the baby she had hoped for, but she did have an older sister to turn to who had watched Annie struggle through infertility.
Houston Researcher May Find Solution to Reproductive Organ Cancer and Infertility in Mice
Baylor College of Medicine‘s Dr. Martin Matzuk has advanced new mouse models that should be helpful in in conducting future research on cancers of the reproductive organs and associated infertility.
FDA Approval Sought for Female Sexual Disorder Drug
Flibanserin, a non-hormonal drug for the treatment of hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in post-menopausal women, has been resubmitted for a New Drug Application, the drug’s maker, Sprout Pharmaceuticals, of Raleigh, NC, announced.