Author: brigitte

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After Cancer, Stem Cells Restore Male Fertility

brigitte

U. PITTSBURGH (US) — After an injection of banked sperm-producing stem cells, male primates who become sterile due to cancer drug side effects were once again fertile.

A study published in Cell Stem Cell, describes how previously frozen stem cells restored production of sperm that was able to successfully fertilize eggs to produce early embryos.

Some cancer drugs work by destroying rapidly dividing cells. Since it isn’t possible to discriminate between cancer cells and other rapidly dividing cells in the body, the precursor cells involved in making sperm can be inadvertently wiped out leaving the patient infertile, explains senior investigator Kyle Orwig, associate professor in the department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and an investigator at Magee-Womens Research Institute. Read full article.

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NYU Fertility Center: Embryos Frozen Eggs And Sperm Safe After Hurricane Sandy Power Outage

brigitte

The embryos are safe. So are the frozen eggs and sperm at the NYU Fertility Center. But saving them required dramatic effort on the part of hospital workers, as Hurricane Sandy took down power and the backup generator failed.

“There were heroes here,” Dr. Jamie Grifo, the fertility center’s program director said in an interview today, describing the scramble Monday night and Tuesday.

The building that houses the Fertility Center is located at 38th Street and First Avenue, which is outside the flood zone. But by Monday evening the power had failed, the basement had filled with water, and the fire department warned they needed to shut down the generator because they feared it was a fire hazard. The staff at the center offered to pump out the water in order to keep the generator functioning, and did so through the night. Read full article.

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High Tech Incubator May Help Fertility Outcomes

brigitte

CLEVELAND (WKYC) — Ed and Caroline Marks fell in love in college and eventually married. Like so many couples, they hoped for children. But after a year of trying without success, they did some investigating. A genetic test showed Ed had a chromosomal defect that makes conception difficult.

They went through two rounds of Invitro Fertilization without success. That’s when they became candidates for something new in the world of reproductive science at Cleveland Clinic.

It’s called an Embryoscope. It’s not a magic bullet, but it is a high-tech incubator and time-lapse camera that captures the beginning of life.

“Imagine you’re able to see every minute of the embryo’s development, even before it’s transferred to the uterus, before it implants on the uterine wall you’re able to see this embryo. It’s never been possible before,” says Dr. Nina Desai. Read full article.

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Births Assisted By Clinics Way Up, Numbers Triple

brigitte

The number of babies born with the help of fertility clinics has almost tripled since 1996, but these children are also more likely than others to have difficult births because so many are born as twins or triplets, the federal government says in a report released this week.

In 2009, a total of 60,190 babies were born via assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures, according to data compiled from 441 fertility clinics.

This is almost three times as many as the 20,597 babies reported in 1996, when ART data were first fully reported, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says in its new Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Read full article.

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Soy: No effect on menopausal hot flashes

brigitte

(Medical Xpress)—A team of investigators led by UC Davis found that eating soy products such as soy milk and tofu did not prevent the onset of hot flashes and night sweats as women entered menopause.

Unlike previous studies investigating the relationship between soy and these menopausal symptoms, the current study included a very large population over a long period of time: more than 1,600 women over 10 years. The article, titled “Phytoestrogen and Fiber Intakes in Relation to Incident Vasomotor Symptoms: Results from the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation,” was published online today in Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society and will appear in the March 2013 print issue of the journal. Read full article.

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How Far Would You Go to Pay for Infertility Treatments

brigitte

It’s no surprise when insurance companies see the word infertility or in-vitro fertilizationthey run, not wanting to help cover some of the cost. However, about six years ago, Brandi and Shelton Koskie was diagnosed with infertility, and could pay up to $20,000 for in-vitro fertilization, which was not covered by insurance, ABC News reported today. After being told about this news, they came up with a plan, to build a website, and call itBabyorBust.com, and to ask visitors for $1 donations towards their IVF.

Soon the couple were being invited to appear on national television and radio shows, raising $7,500 in small donations from all over the world. Through investing and saving money on their own, they did reach their goal of $20,000 within two years. Welcoming their daughter named Paisley on their first IVF attempt, who is now a toddler. Read full article.

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Stressed, depressed women terrible at using birth control

brigitte

SAN FRANCISCO – Depression and stress can cause lapses in proper use of contraception, a new study suggests.

In the study, women with moderate to severe depression and stress symptoms were less likely to use contraception consistently — that is, use it each time they had sex — compared to women with mild or no symptoms. Women with depression or stress were also more likely to say they did not use contraception at all in the past week compared to women with less severe symptoms.

The findings, presented here on Monday at the annual meeting of the America Public Health Association, are concerning because, although preventing unplanned pregnancies is important for all women, it may be especially important for women with mental health issues, said study researcher Kelli Stidham Hall. Read full article.

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US Supreme Court Rejects Oklahoma Personhood Appeal

brigitte

OKLAHOMA CITY — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to take up an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling that said a proposal to grant “personhood” to human embryos would be an improper ban on abortion.

The proposed constitutional amendment, which was never considered by voters, would have given human embryos the rights and privileges of citizens in Oklahoma and was called “clearly unconstitutional” by the state Supreme Court in an April ruling.

The measure was challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union and the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights on behalf of several Oklahoma doctors and residents before it could be placed on the ballot.

“Today’s rejection by the highest court in the nation is yet another resounding message to the opponents of reproductive freedom that such extremist assaults on our fundamental rights will not stand,” Nancy Northrup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights said Monday. Read full article.

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During IVF, Sex and Satisfaction Can Suffer

brigitte

An Indiana University study has found that women undergoing in-vitro fertilization report that the process of infertility treatment has many negative impacts on their sexual relationship with their partner. Little attention has been given to the sexual dynamics of couples as they navigate infertility and treatments such as IVF, despite the important role that sex plays in a couple’s attempt to conceive a child.

“Sex is for pleasure and for reproduction, but attention to pleasure often goes by the wayside for people struggling to conceive,” said Nicole Smith, a doctoral student with the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington. Smith is conducting the study in collaboration with Jody Lyneé Madeira, associate professor in the IU Maurer School of Law. Read full article.

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ASRM: Dietary Glycemic Load Linked to Sperm Concentration

brigitte

(HealthDay News) Increased carbohydrate intake and dietary glycemic load and increased intake of full-fat dairy products are associated with worse semen quality, according to two studies presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, held from Oct. 20 to 24 in San Diego.

Jorge E. Chavarro, M.D., Sc.D., from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues examined the association between carbohydrate intake and semen quality using data from 189 men, aged 18 to 22 years, recruited for the Rochester Young Men’s Study in 2009 to 2010. The researchers found that there was a suggestion of an inverse association for total carbohydrate intake with sperm concentration (P = 0.08 for trend). Dietary glycemic load correlated with lower sperm concentration (P for trend = 0.04). Sperm motility and morphology were unrelated to carbohydrate intake or glycemic load. Read full article.