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(cz) Women in their 40s hoping to defy their biological clock are trying for test-tube babies in increasing numbers despite a one in 10 chance of success per treatment cycle.
Births of test-tube babies are booming, spurred by Medicare changes after earlier Government moves to discourage older couples from undergoing a treatment with little chance of success.
The average age of women having fertility treatment in 2005 was 35.5 years, slightly higher than three years previously. But the proportion of women older than 40 having treatment increased by a full percentage point to 15.3 per cent, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare figures published today show.
Babies conceived through assisted reproduction in Australia jumped overall to 8500 last year, a rise of nearly 40 per cent in two years, said Michael Chapman, an adviser to the institute on fertility statistics.
The Federal Government had proposed to limit Medicare payments to women older than 42 having fertility treatment because of very low success rates. more…

From: »The Sydney Morning Herald«

(sz) Women who receive acupuncture while undergoing IVF have less chance of becoming pregnant, a study published yesterday suggests.
However, research released last year found acupuncture could double a woman’s chance of getting pregnant, when combined with IVF. The theory is that the therapy could impact on the autonomic nervous system, making the lining of the uterus more receptive to receiving an embryo.
But yesterday’s study suggested that women given acupuncture were 37 per cent less likely to get pregnant than those who were not treated. Experts from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Centre split a sample of 97 patients into two groups.
The first group was given acupuncture for 25 minutes before and after embryo transfer by one of two acupuncturists at external clinics.
The second group received no such treatment before or after their IVF cycle and acted as controls.
The results showed that more of the women acting as controls (69.6 per cent) became pregnant following IVF than those given acupuncture (43.8 per cent). more…

From: »The Scotsman«

(cz) Pioneer Australian IVF scientist Alan Trounson’s new employer is scrutinising the review of his aborted $1 million research project.
The $A3.6 billion stem cell program in California, which named Prof Trounson as boss in September, was monitoring Monash University’s investigation into his dumped lung regeneration program.
A spokesman for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Dale Carson, said: “We’re aware of the situation and have it under careful review.”
Mr Carlson did not say when or how the centre had learned of the probe, which is focused on one researcher and several progress reports.
Prof Trounson is not under investigation.
He will head the institute from next year, on a salary package of $A580,000, after its board on September 14 unanimously agreed to his appointment, reportedly surprising US and Victorian experts in the field. more…

From: »The Herald Sun«

(sz) Childless couples will be able to benefit from a streamlined in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) method that will halve treatment times.
The therapy will be available in several IVF clinics around Auckland, including East Care Specialists on Botany Rd.
The medical director for the clinic, Dr Guy Gudex, says overseas research has discovered that short-cycle, patient-friendly IVF treatment that lasts under two weeks is just as effective as the standard month-long treatment.
“The new short-cycle treatment is significantly more convenient for women undergoing fertility treatment because it only requires around half of the amount of drugs used up until now,” says Dr Gudex. more…

From: »Howick and Pakuranga Times«

(sz) You’ve seen your patient struggle with one unsuccessful in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment after another. She’s been counselled, medicated, harvested and implanted. To no avail. It’s taking its toll on her mental health, her marriage and her bank balance. You know it’s time to advise her she should move on and explore other options. But how?
“It’s delicate,” says Janet Takefman, PhD, Director of Psychological Services at the McGill Reproductive Centre. Dr Takefman presented a talk on this very quandary at the 14th World Congress on IVF in Montreal on September 19.
“A patient-centred approach is optimal for this type of consult,” she says. Keep in mind you’ll need to deliver mind and body counselling in this situation, so speak and listen with empathy, Dr Takefman recommends. “Speak from an emotional point of view. Be compassionate and respectful of their emotions.”

Here are Dr Takefman’s nine tips to help you tackle this often painful task. more…

From: »National Review of Medicine«

(wz) A Victorian woman has launched legal action against a Melbourne IVF clinic, after her embryos were dropped on the floor, killing most of them.
The 45 year old’s frozen embryos were being thawed, when a lab worker at the Monash Clinic accidentally knocked them off a bench onto the floor.
The seven embryos that died could not be found as they were too small, while the surviving two embryos were recovered and implanted, but never developed.
When the accident happened, all the embryos had been fertilised by the woman’s partner, and had been allowed to develop for three days, before being frozen for 18 months. The woman claims she feels as though her children have been killed.
She has two teenage children from a previous relationship.
The woman is now considered too old for IVF treatment in Australia.

From: »Sky News Online«

(sz) A new private fertility clinic in Auckland aims to halve treatment times for in-vitro fertilisation.
IVF Auckland, which opens its doors officially today, aims to use a procedure that is still relatively little-used in New Zealand as its default option for couples needing help to conceive.
Its medical director, Dr Guy Gudex, said overseas studies had shown that the shorter cycle IVF treatment the clinic was championing was just as effective as the standard month-long cycle used to stimulate a woman’s egg production.
The current standard treatment used in New Zealand, known as down regulation, requires two to three weeks of daily injections of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist to hold off ovulation. This effectively allows the doctor to control the timing of the woman’s cycle.
After two weeks, a second daily injection of egg follicle-stimulating hormone is introduced to promote multiple egg development. The patient self-administers the two injections for a further 10 to 12 days before a final hormonal “trigger” injection is given to allow for the eggs to be harvested. more…

From: »New Zealand Herald«

(cz) A pensioner is to become the sperm donor for his own “grandchild”, it was revealed yesterday. The 72-year-old will donate his sperm in order that his son and daughter-in-law can have a baby.
If successful, the procedure would result in a baby that was its grandfather’s genetic child and its father’s half-brother.
It has been approved by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and will be performed at the London Women’s Clinic.
The husband and wife couple’s attempt to become pregnant by IVF treatment failed because the man’s sperm was not of a high enough quality.
Dr Kamal Ahuja, science director at the London Women’s Clinic, said he believed it was the first case of its kind in Britain. He said: “This is a decision that the clinic has made to help this couple.
“It has exercised us over the many months, as it was the first case of its kind. We needed to be sure that we were headed in the right direction. We looked at the couple’s request and consulted with counsellors, with the couple and with an independent ethics committee.” more…

From: »The Daily Telegraph«

(wz) Die intrazytoplasmatische Spermieninjektion (ICSI) ist bei männlicher Infertilität in puncto Fehlbildungen der Kinder offenbar ähnlich sicher wie die konventionelle In-vitro-Fertilisation (IVF). Darauf deutet eine aktuelle Auswertung deutscher IVF-Zentren hin.
In der Studie wurde die Gesundheit von 3000 Kindern, die aus Schwangerschaften nach ICSI geboren wurden, mit dem Zustand von 8000 Kindern verglichen, die spontan gezeugt wurden. Die Untersuchung hat Professor Michael Ludwig vom Hamburger Endokrinologikum auf dem Deutschen Urologen-Kongress in Berlin vorgestellt.
Der Anteil schwerer Fehlbildungen betrug bei den mit ICSI gezeugten Kindern etwas über 7 Prozent und lag damit etwa 20 Prozent höher als bei den spontan gezeugten Kindern mit 6 Prozent schweren Fehlbildungen. Anders ausgedrückt: Jedes 15. Kind aus einer spontanen Zeugung und jedes 12. Kind nach ICSI hat eine Fehlbildung. “Diesen Unterschied sehen wir auch bei Kindern, die mit Hilfe einer IVF gezeugt wurden”, sagte Ludwig in Berlin. more…

From: »Ärztezeitung«

(sz) Transferring one embryo instead of two or more to minimize the risk of multiple births is a viable option for some infertile women over 35 undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF), new research shows.
The review included 45 women in their mid-30s or older with good-quality embryos who had single blastocyst transfer. The average age of the women was 37, and the oldest was 43.
Half the women in the review became pregnant after having the procedure - a rate that is roughly double the national average for women in this age group undergoing IVF.
Researcher Amin A. Milki, MD, makes it clear that the women were carefully selected, and that most women of this age group do not have enough good-quality eggs in reserve to allow the transfer of just one embryo. more…

From: »CBS News«