The doctor behind a groundbreaking IVF technique which prevents disabling genetic disorders from being passed on to future generations has been knighted.
Month: June 2016
Most Fertility Apps Miscalculate the Fertile Window
Fertility websites and smartphone apps vary in how they calculate a woman’s fertile window, and many get it wrong, according to a new study. For example, 78.8% of apps and 75.0% of websites included days after ovulation as part of the fertile window, even though conception is unlikely to occur during that part of a woman’s cycle.
Surprisingly, This Is the Best Age to Freeze Your Eggs
Egg freezing is slowly becoming mainstream. From a medical standpoint, it’s no longer considered experimental. Tech companies are starting to offer it as a perk. And cryopreservation banks even throw “egg-freezing parties” to convince women that it’s a smart way to extend their childbearing windows.
China’s Call to Young Men: Your Nation Needs Your Sperm
If you’re a man in China between 20 and 45, the government has a message for you: For the sake of your country, please donate sperm. China’s sperm banks are facing severe shortages, for a variety of political and cultural reasons. Comparatively few Chinese men offer to donate, and a study found that almost half of those who do volunteer are screened out. Now that government policy allows more Chinese couples, including older couples, to have a second child, officials are concerned that the sperm shortages will get much worse — and they are doing everything they can to find new recruits.
W.H.O. Tells People in 46 Countries to Delay Pregnancy Because of Zika
The World Health Organization has told people living in areas with active transmission of the Zika virus that they should consider delaying pregnancy, presumably until further notice. The guidance affects people in 46 countries, mostly in Latin America and the Caribbean — often heavily Catholic areas that frown upon any method of contraception more advanced than the rhythm method.
Study Indicates that More Than Half of the Population Carries Mutated Genes
56% of the population are carriers of genetic mutations susceptible of causing major hereditary diseases, according to a study published in the journal Human Mutation. The research, which has been awarded by the Spanish Fertility Society, proposes to offer, systematically, genetic screening tests for recessive mutations in reproductive medicine units.
Draft Defense Bill Seeks to Scuttle Pentagon Egg, Sperm Storage Benefit
A single line in the Senate’s 1,166-page proposed defense policy bill could derail the Pentagon’s plan to give troops the option of freezing their sperm or eggs for future use.
Improving Mitochondrial Replacement Therapy
In a study published today (June 8) in Nature, researchers at Newcastle University in the U.K. and their colleagues report having improved upon the pronuclear transfer technique, increasing the number of viable zygotes produced and reducing the number of defective mitochondria transferred along with nuclear DNA to the donor cell.
Female Reproductive Tract Not a Sterile Environment, Study Finds
Researchers have found bacteria in women’s ovaries and fallopian tubes — locations previously believed to be sterile. The investigators also discovered that women with ovarian cancer have a different bacterial population in these locations than women without the cancer. This finding raises the question of whether bacteria in the upper reproductive tract might play a role in the development or progression of ovarian cancer.
Zika Virus Forces Tough Choices on Couples Seeking Fertility Treatment
The day after she returned from her destination wedding in Puerto Rico, Elizabeth Agraz, of Los Angeles, received some unexpected news at a fertility appointment: Due to concerns about the Zika virus, she would have to delay her long-awaited pregnancy at least two more months.