varoblog

(sz) There are no systems of human body spared from the pronged harmful effects of smoking – heart, lungs, brain, blood vessels and what not. But very few of us know about the harmful effect of smoking on our sexual and reproductive health.
Studies carried out on the effect of smoking on male reproductive ability have shown that cigarette smoking is associated with a significant decrease in sperm density, total sperm count, total number of motile sperm and citrate concentration in semen. Besides, smoking has been shown to have deleterious effects on sperm morphology, sperm vitality, and ejaculated volume of semen. The available biologic, experimental, and epidemiological data indicate that up to 13 percent of infertility may be attributable to cigarette smoking.
The poisonous elements of cigarettes can change the sperm morphology which is an important indicator in fertility and fertilization chances are also reduced according to the percentage of sperm affected. It becomes more important for those who have sperm concentration near the lower limit. Smoking has also been found to affect accessory glands of male reproductive system.
Smokers require nearly twice the number of In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) attempts to conceive as nonsmokers. more…

From: »The Daily Star«

(sz) Changes in the thickness of the uterus lining or “endometrium” during in vitro fertilisation predict the likelihood of pregnancy, according to a report in the journal Fertility and Sterility.
“Good-prognosis patients will experience an endometrial response quickly,” Dr John L Frattarelli told Reuters Health.
“Patients who have a slower endometrial response have significantly worse pregnancy outcomes.”
Frattarelli from Reproductive Medicine Associates of New Jersey, Somerset, and Dr. Grant D E McWilliams assessed how changes in endometrial thickness are associated with pregnancy in 132 women undergoing in vitro fertilisation, a common treatment for infertility.
As noted, women who became pregnant experienced endometrial thickening much sooner after undergoing in vitro fertilisation than did their peers who did not become pregnant.
Further analysis suggested that a delay in endometrial thickening made it more difficult for the developing embryo to “implant” in the uterus wall, which is needed for normal development of the fetus. more…

From: »Brisbane Times«

(sz) The chances of successful IVF treatment on the NHS are lowered because doctors do not always see patients at the best time, a BBC investigation has found.
The key moments in an IVF cycle are when eggs are collected and when the fertilised eggs are transferred back to the womb.
The top five clinics carry out these procedures at least five days a week.
But more than half of NHS clinics that responded to a Five Live Report survey did so fewer than four days a week. Some only did it one or two days a week.
Kavita, 38, from London has been trying for a baby for eight years, during which time she has had treatment both privately and on the NHS.
She said her private treatment was always more likely to result in pregnancy. She said: “They are waiting to see the optimum moment for when it’s best to collect the eggs and monitoring the condition. more…

From: »BBC News«

(wz) THE long-term health of IVF babies is of special interest to University of Adelaide research student Deirdre Zander.
Her mother became pregnant with her in 1979 as a result of the “ovulation induction technique” performed at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital by university researchers.
Now Ms Zander works for independent medical service Repromed, making human embryos. She says it can be surreal and quite daunting, but also rewarding.
“What we’re doing is outside the body, it’s not in a natural environment, even though we’re trying to make it as natural as possible,” she said.
Ms Zander is researching how embryos deal with stress in the first five days.
“That’s the real hot topic at the moment, understanding how what happens in those first five days can affect you for the rest of your life,” she said.
Research Centre for Reproductive Health director Professor Robert Norman said there were still questions over the long-term health of IVF babies. more…

From: »AdelaideNow«

(wz) Parents-to-be Nicole Brown, 45, an acupuncture physician and her husband Scott 39, an insurer, hope to conceive in India and deliver a child in the US after a full term of pregnancy. Yet this is no ordinary baby.
While Nicole has her origins in Vietnam, Scott is Caucasian. The couple live in Miami, Florida. Issueless even after three years of marriage, they decided to try other options.
In order to preserve Nicole’s oriental ethnicity, they chose a Vietnamese egg donor. In addition, they searched through three continents, traveling through Argentina, Greece, Vietnam for top medical expertise. Finally they decided for India.
This multi-racial, transcontinental, two-and-a-half-year travelogue is an indication of the personal touch and professional maturity of India’s medical outsourcing industry. Not only can India offer the world top-rung artificial reproductive techniques, it can also do things that count a lot, like running insurance checks for US companies and verifying genetic information for clients in Europe. more…

From: »MedIndia. com«

(sz) Women undergoing IVF treatment may soon have their chances of conceiving increased through a computer programme that calculates the precise amount of drugs they need.
About 90 per cent of women are thought to get the wrong dose of drugs that are used to stimulate the ovaries into producing eggs.
Heavy doses of drugs cut the chances of conception, as they lead to the production of too many eggs of reduced quality. High drug doses also increase the risk of potentially life-threatening side effects, besides costing a lot of money.
The Consort Calculator offers “bespoke” treatment by ensuring that women receive drugs customised to their individual needs, based on age, weight, egg-producing potential and blood hormone levels.
The dose calculator was tried out by 161 women in an international study, led by Dr. Geoffrey Trew of Hammersmith Hospital in West London.
The researchers found that 75 per cent of the volunteers should get a lower dose than they would normally receive, while 15 per cent should get a higher dose. more…

From: »Malaysia Sun«

(cz) Free-IVF.com, Inc., a registered 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization based in Columbus, GA, that provides financial support and services to infertility sufferers in the continental United States, is pleased to announce the launch of its first annual fundraising initiative, the Send A Stork Campaign.
The Send A Stork Campaign is designed to raise general operating support for the organization. The campaign goal is $50,000. In addition to raising vital general operating support for the organization, the Send A Stork Campaign will also serve to heighten awareness of the organization and its mission.
There are currently more than 7.3 million Americans suffering from infertility. That figure equates to 1 in 8 couples battling this devastating health crisis. However, despite the vast number of people suffering from this disease, there is a serious lack of education and a real need for increased awareness of the causes of infertility, available treatment options, and methods of prevention.
“I strongly believe that the effort of Free-IVF.com to assist men and women who suffer from the disease of infertility is a worthwhile endeavor,” said Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. “It is worth noting that this disease is not covered by most medical insurance carriers in the United States.” more…

From: »MMD Newswire« (press release)

(cz) Couples who donate their excess IVF embryos may be able to choose the prospective recipients under a radical policy change being considered by Victorian health authorities.
The change could involve following the approach of New Zealand, where couples who donate excess embryos must meet prospective recipients before deciding to whom they go.
In Victoria, donors are not supposed to influence who receives their embryos — unless they are donating to people they know. The same applies to sperm and egg donation.
But in recognition of the policy vacuum in this highly complex and sensitive area, Victoria’s Infertility Treatment Authority is working to develop guidelines on embryo donation. Last week one of the key drivers of the NZ policy came to Melbourne and gave a presentation on the country’s experience to the authority. more…

From:»The Age«

(wz) A storage tank at a University of North Carolina fertility clinic holds five frozen embryos belonging to Tim and Kelly Jo Vancelette.
The Vancelettes had these embryos created in 2003 to start a family when they could not conceive on their own. In 2004, their twins, Abby and Alex, were conceived using in vitro fertilization. In 2006, Kylie was conceived naturally.
Now the Vancelettes are faced with an increasingly common dilemma: what to do with their unused embryos.
Their choices are limited. With a ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, they have few avenues for scientific donations. They could give the fertilized eggs to another couple, they could have the embryos destroyed, or they could freeze them.
For now, they’re freezing them. The Vancelettes think they may want one more child, though they probably won’t need five embryos for that. The couple frequently talks about their options, especially when they get the $250 storage bill each year. So far, they have not come up with a good solution. more…

From: »The Atlanta Journal-Constitution«

(sz) Arkansas laws controlling surrogacy arrangements are seen as some of the most favorable in the country, although the state has only a handful of doctors doing in vitro fertilization, a procedure that implants the parents’ embryo into the surrogate mother.
Limiting options more, the state-funded University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is the only hospital in the state that does in vitro fertilization and, until recently, provided services only to married couples.
That meant couples wanting to use a single surrogate to carry their baby had to leave the state for the medical procedure. Same-sex couples using a surrogate were also out of luck.
Many in surrogate circles weren’t aware that the UAMS Fertility Center abandoned the restriction three years ago with a shift in leadership. Some single surrogates were traveling to California and New Jersey, states without restrictions, to have embryos implanted.
The process is “physically and emotionally demanding, very complex and will require the full cooperation of husband and wife at all times,” a Web site for the UAMS Assisted Reproductive Technologies program still said this week. more…

From: »NWAnews«