In 2008, a friend sent me a link to a Czech company called IVF Holiday. Clicking the link, I saw images of quaint European towns. These were accompanied by pictures of smiling white babies – and promises of affordable and safe rounds of in vitro fertilization (IVF). I soon realized I’d stumbled into a new type of tourism: fertility holidays.
Month: March 2016
Dawn of The Unisex Contraceptive Pill? Scientists Discover What Powers Sperm Towards an Egg, Paving The Way to Cut Off its Energy Supply
A contraceptive pill that could be taken by men as well as women could be on the horizon.A breakthrough in the understanding of the biology of sperm could lead to a unisex version of the Pill, US government-funded scientists said last night.
Human Stem Cell With Half a Genome Could Help Infertile Couples
Sometimes less is more. Scientists have created a new kind of human stem cell that has just half a genome. The cells can be turned into any tissue in the human body, despite only containing one set of chromosomes. The discovery will provide a vital tool for developing therapies to treat a range of conditions, including cancer and infertility, and may even shed light on why we reproduce sexually via two parents rather than one.
Nine Signs You Might Be Infertile
Even if you’re not thinking about having children or becoming pregnant any time soon, it’s not a bad idea to learn how to spot the signs that you might be infertile or have fertility issues. Fertility problems are much more common — in both men and women — than you might think: the CDC reports that 6.7 million American women are either unable to conceive or carry a pregnancy to term. Additionally, the CDC reports that 7.5 percent of all sexually experienced men under the age of 45 in the U.S. have seen a medical professional regarding fertility issues — meaning that 3.3 to 4.7 million American men have sought help with fertility in their lifetimes.
ART Amendment Bill Eases Restrictions For Lesbian Families
The Assisted Reproductive Technology Amendment Bill passed the Lower House yesterday. Amongst the amendments, the Bill redefined the 5-woman limit to a 5-family limit for access to sperm from a single donor in order to remove the impact on lesbian families.
In Vitro Fertilization Bill Would Define Embryos as Human Life
Jasha McQueen created four embryos with her
then-husband through in vitro fertilization (IVF) in 2007. Two of those embryos
became her twin sons, but the other two have become the subject of a lengthy
and grueling court battle when McQueen and her husband started divorce
proceedings in 2010.
The Weird, Offensive Argument At The Heart Of The Supreme Court Case Against Birth Control
Two years ago, the
justices met to consider Burwell v. Hobby Lobby. It was supposed to be an epic
showdown between working women and bosses with religious objections to birth
control. Hobby Lobby’s owners claimed the right to defy federal rules requiring
them to include many forms of contraceptive coverage in their employees’ health
plans — and they won! Moreover, they won in a decision that threatened to upend
the balance of power between religious objectors and the rule of law.
What Your Parents Ate Before You Were Born Might Affect Your Risk of Obesity
New research in mice has found that the food parents eat
before their offspring come into the world can also end up affecting the next
generation’s health.
Teen Girls on Long-Acting Contraceptives Skip Condoms
A study in JAMA Pediatrics demonstrated that the use of long-acting reversible contraceptives such as IUDs was associated with lower condom usage among teenage girls. In this 150-second analysis, MedPage Today clinical reviewer F. Perry Wilson, MD, examines the data and the future of IUDs in adolescents.
You know the Seven Cardinal sins? I Have My Own Version for Infertility
Trying to conceive for an extended period is brutal. It can change a couple, leading to all sorts of strong and unexpected emotions including envy, anger and lust (or, more accurately, lack of it but with plenty of sex).