UK MPs To Vote On Hybrid Embryos
As part of a two-day series of reforms to update the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill in line with scientific advances, members of the UK parliament's House of Commons are voting later today, Monday, on whether stem cell researchers should be allowed to use hybrid human and animal embryos.
Calif. Supreme Court Weighs Whether IVF Can Be Denied Based On Sexual Orientation
The California Supreme Court on Wednesday heard arguments in the case of a woman who claims she was denied in vitro fertilization by her physicians because she is a lesbian, the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 5/29).
Is Tubal Ligation Permanent?
Almost every publication about tubal ligation stresses that it is a permanent method of birth control. The public, and even most doctors, believe this to be true. Although tubal sterilization is intended to be permanent, the procedure can be reversed by an experienced microsurgeon in over 95% cases.
Thinking About Being A Father?
The National Center for Health Statistics data indicate that Georgia had 149, 919 new babies born in 2005, the latest year statistics are available. That means, obviously, not only were there many thousands of new mothers, there also were thousands of new fathers as well.
FDA Clears ExAblate Fertility Enhancement Study In Women With Uterine Fibroids
InSightec Ltd. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared the company to conduct a clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the ExAblate(R) 2000 system utilizing MR-guided Focused Ultrasound Surgery (MRgFUS) for the enhancement of fertility in women with non-hysteroscopically resectable uterine fibroids who are diagnosed with unexplained infertility.
Opioids And Cannabinoids Influence Mobility Of Spermatozoids
A PhD thesis from the University of the Basque Country has concluded that there are opioid and cannabinoid receptors in human sperm and that these influence the mobility of spermatozoid. The research by Mr Ekaitz Agirregoitia opens the door to more effective treatment of fertility problems.
C-Sections A Critical Factor In Preterm Birth Increase
Cesarean sections account for nearly all of the increase in U.S. singleton preterm births, according to an analysis of nine years of national birth data. Between 1996 and 2004 there was an increase of nearly 60, 000 singleton preterm births and 92 percent of those infants were delivered by a cesarean section, (c-section), according to research by investigators from the March of Dimes and the U.
A First In Fertility Research: The Use Of DNA Fingerprinting To Identify Viable Embryos
Fertility researchers have used DNA fingerprinting for the first time to identify which embryos have implanted after in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and developed successfully to result in the births of healthy babies. The technique, combined with sampling cells from blastocysts (the very early embryo) before implantation in the womb, opens the way to pin-pointing a handful of genes that could be used to identify those blastocysts most likely to result in a successful pregnancy.
Disabling Mouse Enzyme Increases Fertility
Changing the sugars attached to a hormone produced in the pituitary gland increased fertility levels in mice nearly 50 percent, a research group at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has found. The change appears to alter a reproductive "thermostat, " unveiling part of an intricate regulatory system that may one day be used to enhance human fertility.
DNA Fingerprinting Identifies Viable IVF Embryos
An international team of scientists has discovered a way of testing IVF embryos using DNA fingerprinting that could one day be used to select the ones that are more likely to implant successfully and grow to full term and thereby increase the likelihood of a successful pregnancy.