Scientists in China have reported genetically modifying human embryos in what is only the second published experiment of its kind. Last year, a different team of Chinese researchers edited human embryos in an attempt to remove genes responsible for a dangerous blood disorder. In this new research, scientists from Guangzhou Medical University tried to add a mutation to embryos instead, attempting to make them HIV-resistant. In both cases, the experiments were only partially successful, and were carried out using non-viable human embryos that were incapable of growing into adults.
Author: ASRM News and Research
Infertility Linked to Higher Birth Defect Risk
As assisted reproductive technologies (ART) treatments have developed, treatments like in vitro fertilization (IVF) have become more accessible to a wider population. Accordingly, the number of women using fertility treatments to conceive has increased such that in 2012, roughly 1.5 percent of all liveborn infants in the United States were conceived using some method of ART.
Can’t Lose Weight or Get Pregnant? Maybe it’s PCOS
It’s a disease that affects as many as 10 percent of women. It can lead to infertility, diabetes and heart disease. Yet fewer than half of the women who have it will ever be diagnosed, according to experts’ estimates.
Scientists At Northwestern Restore Fertility In Mice With 3D-Printed Ovary
According to a team of Northwestern University researchers, the future of treating certain fertility issues may descend from a tiny, 3D-printed prosthetic ovary–one that’s already brought forth new generations in mice.
Utah Woman With Rare Infertility-Causing Disease Faces Challenges with Hope
A local mental health therapist was recently diagnosed with a rare disease that causes infertility, and she is trying to get pregnant despite the small chance of success.
Y Chromosome Study Suggests Neanderthals Suffered From Fertility Issues
The first examination of a long-extinct Neanderthal’s Y chromosome suggests that fertility problems may have prevented Neanderthal men from successfully mating with modern human females, researchers said.
Women With PCOS May Have Higher Asthma Rates
Survey data from more than 8,000 women revealed a higher prevalence of asthma in women who had PCOS compared with women who did not have PCOS (15.2% versus 10.6%, P=0.004), and this relationship persisted even after adjustments for weight, Anju Joham, MBBS, of Monash University in Melbourne, and colleagues, reported at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society.
RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association to Observe National Infertility Awareness Week
RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association will recognize National Infertility Awareness Week®, April 24 through April 30, 2016. The movement brings together millions of women and men living with infertility, healthcare, mental health and adoption professionals, and lawmakers to raise awareness about the disease.
How Your Underwear Affects Your Sperm
You may have heard that tightie whities hurt your sperm. The theory is that if underpants hold your scrotum close to your body, it makes your testicles too warm, creating a hostile environment for sperm production.
Doctors Urge Congress to Fund Zika Research, Preparation
Dozens of organizations joined the March of Dimes on Tuesday in urging Congress to approve an emergency funding measure to protect pregnant women and to promote research on the Zika virus.