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(cz) A 60-year-old single Japanese woman has become pregnant from a donated fertilised egg. Doctors believe the woman will be the oldest single mother in Japan to give birth from a donated egg.
The woman, whose name is not disclosed owing to privacy concerns, received her In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatment in the United States. However, upon returning to Japan, she was rejected by other clinics because of her age.
As she progressed 15 weeks into her pregnancy, she found an obstetrician Dr. Yahiro Netsu who willing to handle her case. Netsu is a high-profile obstetrician at Suwa Maternity Clinic in Nagano, central Japan who has handled controversial pregnancies involving surrogate mothers.
“I had to make a tough decision about whether to handle the pregnancy,” Netsu told the Associated Press.
“But she wanted a child, and I decided to do all I can to help her through expected difficulties,” he added.
According to Kyodo News, it would be the first case of a single woman giving birth to a child from a donated embryo in Japan since fertility treatment is provided almost exclusively to married couples. more…

From: »AHN«

(sz) US sperm banks are adamantly opposed to the removal of donor anonymity, despite the risks of genetic disease and unintentional incest, reports LA Weekly, in a fascinating look into the US$75 million industry. The article focuses on California Cryogenics, in Los Angeles, which is run by Dr Cappy Rothman. As the biggest player in the largely unregulated industry, his company’s policies set the pace for his competitors.
At the moment, all records of sperm donors are destroyed after their samples are sold. So it is impossible for mothers or children to become familiar with the father’s medical histories or to know how many siblings they have. The industry fears that if donor anonymity is abolished, no one will donate sperm. Currently, qualified men can earn between US$11,000 to $17,000 by signing up for an 18-month contract. One company, Northwest Andrology, even displays bundles of $100 bills on its website.
In the face of growing pressure to allow donor-conceived children to know who their fathers are, Dr Rothman is prepared to make some concessions. He says that he is trying to coordinate an “industry- wide donor tracking system” which would stop the destruction of records. He still would refuse to release the names of donors. But other companies fear that even these concessions would devastate the industry. more…

From: »BioEdge« (Australia)

(cz) A UK couple has received approval from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to have their IVF embryos screened or early onset Alzheimer’s disease (EOAD).
Alzheimer’s disease is characterised by adult-onset progressive dementia. The majority of cases are thought to involve a number of different genetic and environmental factors and only become apparent once a person reaches their seventies and eighties. In contrast, EOAD is a rare dominant genetic condition that can manifest from the age of 35.
The couple involved have a strong family history of EOAD; the man’s mother and two uncles died prematurely from the condition. Although the man in question does not know himself whether he carries the disease mutation, the couple do not wish to run the risk of passing it onto their child. The Bridge Centre in London has been granted a licence to screen embryos to ensure that the specific chromosome that could carry the disease mutation is not passed on to the child.
In determining whether embryo screening would be appropriate for EOAD, the HFEA looked at eight factors including the degree of suffering and the speed of degeneration associated with the condition. more…

From: »PHG Foundation«

(sz) Women older than 35 seeking in vitro fertilization may not need multiple embryo transfers to optimize pregnancy, according to investigators here.
More than half of a group of women (mean age 37.3) became pregnant or had successful live-born delivery after single blastocyst transfer, Amin Milki, M.D., of Stanford, and colleagues, reported in the October issue of Fertility and Sterility. According to the CDC, more than half of all in vitro fertilization cycles using fresh non-donor eggs involve women older than 35. For that age group, the American Society of Reproductive Medicine recommends transfer of two to three embryos to enhance pregnancy rates.
But transfer of multiple embryos increases the likelihood of multiple gestations, the authors noted. Among women older than 35, almost a third of transfers result in multiple gestations. Multiple-gestation pregnancies increase the risks for both the mother and fetus, and those risks are further increased in older mothers, the authors continued.
The benefits of single-blastocyst transfer have been demonstrated previously, but primarily in younger women. Reviewed their experience with single-blastocyst transfer in women older than 35, Dr. Milki and colleagues identified 45 who underwent elective single-blastocyst transfer when multiple blastocysts were available. more…

From: »MedPage Today«

(cz) The Fertility & Reproductive Health Institute In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Laboratory at Fertility Physicians of Northern California in San Jose, CA (FPNC) has been awarded an accreditation by the Commission on Laboratory Accreditation of the College of American Pathologists (CAP), based on the results of a recent on-site inspection. For the third time in a row, the rigorous CAP inspection resulted in zero deficiencies indicating that the laboratory is one of an exclusive group of reproductive laboratories around the country that meet the accreditation standards with excellence.
“An outstanding lab is critical to a successful IVF program and programs such as ours in the fertility arena demand that every procedure is performed with the highest standards,” said Dr. Marina Gvakharia, director of Laboratory Services at the Fertility and Reproductive Health Institute IVF Laboratory. more…

»Laboratory Network«

(wz) Ungewollte Kinderlosigkeit ist als Krankheit anerkannt, doch die Kassen übernehmen nur einen Teil der Behandlungskosten. So muss ein Paar mit rund 5.000 Euro Selbstbeteiligung rechnen, wenn beide Partner einer Behandlung bedürfen, wie der Präsident des Berufsverbandes der Frauenärzte, Christian Albring, berichtet.
In der Diskussion um die niedrige Geburtenrate in Deutschland ist das Problem unfreiwilliger Kinderlosigkeit allenfalls ein Randthema, obwohl laut Albring in Deutschland rund 1,4 Millionen Frauen und Männer zwischen 25 und 59 Jahren davon betroffen sind. Anspruch auf Leistungen durch die gesetzlichen Krankenkassen zur künstlichen Befruchtung besteht für Frauen, die das 25. Lebensjahr vollendet haben, und endet mit Beginn des 41. Lebensjahres.
Wenn aus ärztlicher Sicht hinreichend Aussicht auf Erfolg besteht, übernehmen die Kassen die Kosten zur Hälfte. Das Paar muss den Angaben zufolge verheiratet sein, und es dürfen ausschließlich Ei- und Samenzelle der Eheleute verwendet werden. Für die Ehemänner beginnt der Anspruch ebenfalls mit dem 25. Geburtstag und endet mit Vollendung des 50. Lebensjahres.
In der Regel wird die Samenübertragung (Insemination) von den Kassen bis zu acht Mal gewährt. Dabei werden potenziell fruchtbare Spermien gezielt in die Gebärmutter eingebracht. Eine In-vitro-Fertilisation (IVF), bei der die Befruchtung der Eizelle im Reagenzglas erfolgt und später in die Gebärmutter eingesetzt wird, wird bis zu drei Mal bezahlt. Dies gilt ebenso bei der Intracytoplasmatischen Spermieninjektion (ICSI). Hier wird eine männliche Samenzelle direkt mit einer feinen Nadel in die Eizelle eingebracht, um sie zu befruchten. more…

From: »Net Tribune«

(sz) As women delay having babies and - consequently, since fertility decreases with age - more couples turn to in-vitro fertilization, numbers of multiple births are increasing.
Since 1979, the number of multiple-birth babies has increased 35 per cent, while the total number of births has decreased 7.7 per cent, according to Statistics Canada.
In 1982 there were 6,794 twins born in Canada, 138 triplets and four quads. By 1990 that had grown to 8,322 twins, 237 triplets, and 32 quads. In 1999, there were 8,867 twins, 375 triplets, 20 quads and five quintuplets.
Nearly half the women in Canada who gave birth in 2003 were 30 or older; that same year, Nova Scotia recorded 8,706 births - including 269 multiples. The following year, there were 300 multiple births here.
But experts in the field aren’t exactly happy with the growing multiple-birth rate, said David Young, head of obstetrics and gynecology at Dalhousie Medical School and the IWK Health Centre.
“Although it went up, we’re hoping it’s on its way down again,” said Young, whose IWK department oversees the Atlantic Assisted Reproductive Technologies, where local in-vitro fertilization treatments happen.
“The risk of perinatal mortality and morbidity goes up significantly with everything above one (fetus) … somewhere in the future, the goal is single-embryo transfer.” more…

From: »The Daily News« (Hailfax)

(sz) A major advance in fertility treatment is signalled today as doctors unveil details of a technique that will allow human eggs to be grown in the laboratory from ovarian tissue samples.
The procedure, which is being pioneered by two British fertility clinics, involves taking a piece of ovary tissue from a woman and “banking” it in a laboratory until she is ready to start a family. It would allow career women, or those waiting to meet the right partner, to delay motherhood for years.
It could also eliminate many of the health risks associated with IVF treatment. It is expected to be offered to patients within five years. Patient groups last night said the technique was an “exciting development” which would improve the safety of fertility treatment.
One in seven couples experiences difficulty conceiving and each year more than 30,000 undergo IVF treatment. More than 10,000 children are born each year as a result of IVF.
The first stage of the technique involves removing slivers of ovarian tissue through keyhole surgery. Although these would be just millimetres wide, each sample would contain thousands of immature eggs.
The ovarian tissue is then frozen until the woman is ready to try for a baby. At that time, it will be stimulated with hormone chemicals to grow the immature eggs into mature ones ready for IVF treatment. more…

From: »The Daily Telegraph«