There is a much disputed claim that “injury” to the lining of the uterus — whether inadvertent or deliberate — increases the chance of embryo implantation and thus the chance of pregnancy in certain groups of women having IVF. The “injury” has usually been performed as a biopsy from the womb lining (endometrium), whose action is believed to cause a favourable inflammation (“scratch”) within the endometrium thereby making it more receptive to an implanting embryo. Indeed, the success of more complex uterine surgery in some studies has even been attributed to the scratch and not to the surgery itself.
Tag: embryo
Male Mitochondrial DNA Found to Self-Destruct After Arrival in Embryo
A team of researchers with members from Taiwan, the U.S., China and Japan has found that mitochondrial DNA from sperm that makes its way into an embryo begins to self-destruct before autophagosomes in the cytoplasm can reach it. In their paper published in the journal Science, the researchers describe their study involving the close monitoring of male mitochondrial DNA activity immediately after an embryo has been fertilized and as it is subsequently destroyed—they also offer some theories regarding why this occurs.
Rethinking Embryo Research Rules
For more than 35 years, there has been broad international agreement that no scientist can experiment on an embryo that is more than 14 days old. This red line was established as scientific guidance in the United States in 1979, and it was incorporated into British law after the 1984 Warnock inquiry into in vitro fertilization. Other nations, including Australia, Sweden and China, have since adopted the same limit, either in law or through scientific regulation.
Young Female Cancer Survivors Not Clear on Infertility Risks
Many young women who survive cancer don’t understand how tumor treatments affect their reproductive health even though the therapy can trigger infertility, a survey suggests. Researchers focused on 346 women who were around 30 years old on average and had typically finished cancer treatment about five years earlier. At the time participants completed the survey, 106 women said they had been told they would not be able to become pregnant or carry a baby to term as a result of their cancer treatment, and 21 women said they had taken steps to preserve fertility before treatment such as egg or embryo freezing.
Placental RNA May Help Protect Embryo from Viruses, Study Finds
A new University of Pennsylvania study found that placental cells are rich with lncRHOXF1 (red), which appears to offer the developing embryo protection from viruses.
Are We Ready for Prenatal Children?
Let’s assume that Alabama voters pass a referendum approving the constitutional amendment that Rep. Ed Henry, R-Hartselle, perennially offers – the personhood amendment which decrees that life begins at “fertilization” and an embryo or fetus is a person. Supporters of the bill contemplate that “prenatal children” would receive the equal protection of all the same laws that others enjoy. This is an example of many of the bills sponsored by Republican legislators over the past five years. They are at best, ill-conceived, and at worst, absurd.
These Women are More Likely to Have IVF Success
According to a new study done by startup FertilityIQ, women who have more money are often more successful at in vitro fertilizations — an alternative form of creating an embryo in which a male’s sperm and woman’s egg are joined together outside the body.
Radiant Zinc Fireworks Reveal Human Egg Quality
A stunning explosion of zinc fireworks occurs when a human egg is activated by a sperm enzyme, and the size of these “sparks” is a direct measure of the quality of the egg and its ability to develop into an embryo, according to new research from Northwestern Medicine.
In IVF, Questions About ‘Mosaic’ Embryos
The couple wanted a baby boy, but the male embryo they had chosen — the only one available after an expensive round of in vitro fertilization — received a troubling test result. A handful of cells from the five-day-old embryo were deemed abnormal, apparently missing Chromosome 21, an absence that can lead to developmental defects.
Early Fetal Abnormalities May Correct Themselves in Time
Abnormal cells in the early embryo may not necessarily mean that a baby will be born with a birth defect such as Down’s syndrome. Research published in Nature Communications suggests that abnormal cells can be eliminated and replaced by healthy cells, potentially leading to complete repair.