Aaron Causey is among an unprecedented number of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans — 1,291 — who received devastating injuries to their groins, genitalia, bowels, buttocks and urinary tracts and lived to endure the recovery, from ongoing struggles with the psychological impact of losing all or a portion of one’s penis or testicles to sexual dysfunction, infertility and other medical concerns.
Month: December 2014
Rudimentary Egg and Sperm Cells Made from Stem Cells
Israeli and UK researchers have created human sperm and egg precursor cells in a dish, starting from a person’s skin cells. The achievement is a small step towards a treatment for infertility, although one that could face significant controversy and regulatory hurdles.
After IVF Shock, Mom Gives Birth to Two Sets of Identical Twins
A Utah couple whose journey through in-vitro fertilization captivated the nation welcomed quadruplets — two sets of identical twins – Sunday.
Women with Hot Flashes During Menopause Likelier to Fracture Hips Later
A new research has revealed the association between menopausal symptoms and bone health. The study at the University of California found that women who experience moderate to severe hot flashes and night sweats during menopause tend to have lower bone mineral density and higher rates of hip fracture than peers who do not have menopausal symptoms.
Embryo Transfers and Multiple Births: Doing the Math in Reproductive Endocrinology
Ever since several highly publicized and probably ill-advised multiple births became fodder for the media, the question of how many embryos should be implanted has been discussed openly. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) published a 2013 guideline addressing the number of embryos to transfer. Its guideline relied on empiric data to individualize patient care while minimizing the risk of high-order multiple (HOM; 3 or more offspring) births. The guideline considers patient age and prognosis also. One gap in the guideline is recommendations for women older than age 42; its authors noted that more study is needed before evidence-based recommendations can be made.
SOFT Yields Hard Data on Hormone Therapy
For decades, we have been wondering whether suppression of the ovaries in addition to tamoxifen would improve the outcomes of women with hormone-receptor–positive premenopausal breast cancer. The SOFT trial was designed to address that question on the basis of a lot of data that suggested that it might help, especially in very young women.
Do Women Need Their Own Viagra?
Some argue that a female sexual-dysfunction drug is a matter of equality among the sexes. Others say it creates a medical problem where none exists.
Stop Freaking Out About Having Babies in Your 30s. Your Great-Grandma Did It, Too
The shift toward late motherhood – commonly defined as motherhood after 35 – is often presented as a story of progress and technological liberation from the biological clock.While this triumphal narrative contains a few grains of truth, it is as simplistic as it is satisfying. History shows us that the “best age” to have a child is very much a product of the cultural and economic moment, not a just dictate of biology that we need to escape.
The IUD Comeback Continues Apace
New data, released last week as part of the National Survey of Family Growth, finds that 6.4 percent of women ages 15-to-44 are currently relying on intrauterine devices (IUDs) as a method of contraception. While this lags behind those who are using the pill (16 percent) and even sterilization (15.5 percent), it shows a renewed interest and increased trust in a highly effective birth control method that had fallen out of favor. This is good news for public health advocates—many of whom believe that long-acting methods like the IUD are the key to preventing unintended pregnancy in this country.
Docs May Be Too Conservative About Sex After Heart Attack
Most people get no advice from their doctors about whether or when it’s safe to have sex after a heart attack, according to a survey of American and Spanish patients under age 55.Just one in eight women and one in five men reported being counseled on sexual activity within the month following a heart attack. And those who did discuss the topic with their doctors were likely to get overly restrictive instructions, researchers found.