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(sz) Heavier women are more likely to have baby girls after IVF treatment, and boys are more common among lighter mums, Australian research suggests.
But Western Australian specialists behind the small study say while the data is “fascinating” they don’t advise prospective parents to change their eating habits.
“It’s very interesting indeed to see such a clear gender trend, and we understand it might be quite alluring to couples who desperately want a girl or a boy, but we still need to look at it on a larger scale,” said study leader Dr James Stanger, an embryologist at Pivet Medical Centre in Perth.
Dr Stanger analysed the clinic’s database over the past five years to look at trends in body mass index (BMI) and baby’s sex among the 800 children born.
“I found that women who were very thin, with a BMI under 20, were more likely to have boys, with about six boys to every four girls,” he said. “And women who were overweight, with a BMI over 30, were more likely to have girls by the same rate.” more…

From: »The New Zealand Herald«

(sz) Getting acupuncture during IVF treatment could significantly increase a woman’s chance of a successful pregnancy, a controversial new study has found.
A review presented at a medical conference in Brisbane shows that acupuncture administered for 25 minutes both before and after an embryo is transferred to the uterus improves the likelihood of a live birth.
“On the basis of the current level of evidence we have, if nine women have acupuncture around the time of embryo transfer with IVF there will be one extra live born baby,” said lead researcher of the New Zealand study, Professor Neil Johnson, medical director of Fertility Plus in Auckland.
“That figure looks pretty good, especially to women wanting to do all they can to have a baby.”
But Australian specialists have received the findings with scepticism, saying the statistic “stretches the current scientific data too far”.
Prof Johnson reviewed the latest major studies on the benefits of the ancient Chinese therapy on assisted reproductive technology, and fertility in general, to find a definitive answer on its effectiveness.
“In a nutshell there is evidence that acupuncture administered around the time of embryo transfer really does help,” he said.
“But doing acupuncture at other times in IVF treatment doesn’t appear to be helpful, and there’s no really robust evidence about the effectiveness of acupuncture for couples trying to get pregnant naturally.”
He said while traditional Chinese practitioners believed acupuncture worked by improving energy flow through pathways in the body, the view in conventional medicine was that it inhibited the nervous system, which improves pelvic blood flow or makes the uterus “quieter”. more…

From: »The Sydney Morning Herald«

(cz) Up to 14,000 women seeking fertility treatment every year will have to undergo criminal checks if landmark legislation is passed in State Parliament.
Doctors yesterday accused the Government of acting as “fertility policeman” and said the proposed law was unwelcome and unnecessary.
The Government confirmed its proposed Assisted Reproductive Treatment Bill, to be debated in the Upper House today , would require criminal and child protection order checks to be carried out.
It would deny people access to treatment if a conviction for sexual, serious violent offence had been recorded or if the person had a child protection order made against them.
Dr Richard Henshaw, Chairman of the IVF industry organisation, the IVF Directors Group, said patients already had to undergo a rigorous clinical assessment to ensure suitability for treatment.
“I just can’t believe Victoria wants to turn infertility treatments into a matter for the police,” Dr Henshaw said. more…

From: »The Herald Sun«

(cz) A “genetic MoT” which would allow parents using IVF treatment to screen embryos for a wide range of genetic diseases could be available as early as next year, according to reports.
The test at £1,500 aims to help people at risk of passing on genetic defects to conceive healthy children through IVF, The Times reported.
It is believed to be able to detect almost any known genetic disease and involves testing a cell from a two-day-old IVF embryo using a technique called karyomapping.
Currently only 2% of the 15,000 known genetic conditions can be detected in this way.
The test, developed at the Bridge Centre in London, can identify the genetic defects behind conditions such as muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis and Huntington’s disease.
It could also enable scientists to screen unborn children for risks of developing heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s in later life.
Professor Alan Handyside, who developed the technique, told the Times he was applying to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority for a licence for the technique. more…

From: »The Press Association«

(sz) Older women are not alone in their fertility troubles, according to Australian research confirming the male biological clock is ticking too.
A new study has found a man’s fertility starts a steady decline from his mid-30s when sperm starts to fragment.
Researchers at Sydney IVF analysed the DNA of semen samples taken from 3,300 men in NSW and Tasmania, and found older men hadless chance of fathering a child.
The find, presented at a fertility conference in Brisbane this week, is the biggest in Australia to show infertility dogs both sexes as they age.
“Drops in fertility from the age of 35 have been traditionally thought of as a fact of life for women but our study shows the same is true of men,” said the centre’s medical director Dr Mark Bowman.
The study showed that from the age of 35, a significant proportion of men’s sperm is damaged, a process called DNA fragmentation. And the percentage of damaged sperm climbs from about 17% at 35 to 22% at 45. more…

From:»OneNews«

(wz) A lack of regulation surrounding fertility services in India and the lucrative returns on offer to those that provide them has turned India into a popular hub of ‘IVF tourism’
WE are actively recruiting egg donors!” reads the advertisement on the website of one of India’s top in-vitro fertilisation clinics. “Our patients are happy to pay generously for your generosity! They pay you up to rupees 40,000 (800 dollars) every time you donate”.
A lack of regulation surrounding fertility services in India and the lucrative returns on offer to those that provide them has turned India into a popular hub of “IVF tourism”. Childless couples from overseas are attracted by the relatively low-cost treatment, as well as “friendly rules” when it comes to egg donors and surrogate motherhood.
According to the private Indian Society for Assisted Reproduction (ISAR), there are some 400 IVF clinics in the country, providing an estimated 30,000 assisted reproductive treatments a year. There are no precise estimates for what percentage is taken up by foreigners, but doctors say overseas demand is fuelling a boom. “Nearly half of our patients come from overseas. Of them, nearly half are of Indian origin,” said Aniruddha Malpani, whose IVF clinic in Mumbai is considered among the country’s best. A full IVF cycle at the Malpani clinic costs 4,500 dollars, including medicines. In the United States, the average cost is 12,400 dollars, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
Malpani offers a top-end service, but the same treatment is available from other Indian clinics at less than half the price. While cost is a big factor in drawing people from abroad, equally important is the lack of effective regulation. “India has friendly rules. There are no restrictions on egg donation,” said Manish Banker, vice president of the ISAR. In Britain, the British Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has outlawed payments to surrogates and British IVF clinics allow doctors to implant only two embryos into the uterus in a treatment. In India, five implants are allowed, substantially increasing the chances of pregnancy, and there is no shortage of egg donors. more…

From: »The Daily Times« (Pakistan)

(sz) Teenagers born through IVF may be more prone to aggression and conduct problems at school than other youngsters - and “softer” parenting could be to blame.
British researchers have found that while children conceived through assisted reproductive technology are “extremely well adjusted”, there was a weak trend towards behavioural problems at the age of 18.
But Australia’s first test tube baby, Candice Reed, now 28, has challenged the findings, which suggest these children are slightly more likely to be suspended or expelled from school, or show signs of aggression.
The University of Cambridge study, presented at a fertility conference in Brisbane today, compared 26 IVF children with 38 kids who were adopted and 63 who were conceived naturally.
“We found very few differences between the groups and found that the IVF adolescents were on the whole functioning extremely well and very positive about their IVF conception,” said researcher Lucy Blake from the Centre for Family Research.
“But we did have a small difference in conduct problems which is worthy of further study.”
The research, which included interviews with both parents and the child, found IVF mothers had higher levels of warmth and so-called disciplinary indulgence towards their children.
“This finding that IVF mothers were slightly more easygoing could perhaps be related to how the adolescents behaved,” Ms Blake said. more…

From: »The Australian«

(wz) Couples seeking IVF are “extremely ignorant” of the fertility basics, with most unaware that weight and lifestyle affect their pregnancy chances and 20 per cent unsure of the best time to have sex.
A survey to be presented to a national fertility conference has revealed what specialists are calling “disappointing” data on fertility knowledge which may be contributing to Australia’s rising infertility rates.
“Basically we have found that an alarming number of people coming forward for IVF treatment are failing the test of basic factual information, like when is the right time to have intercourse,” said study leader Professor Michael Chapman from IVF Australia.
“That’s worrying to say the least.”
Clinicians tested the knowledge of 60 women going through their first IVF cycle at a Sydney clinic and found nearly a third did not think that age was a factor, despite the fact they were at the point of seeking IVF treatment.
“Only 30 per cent knew that smoking, alcohol, caffeine and weight had an impact on their potential fertility - even though this is well known in science circles - and of those, only 60 per cent had actually done anything to alter it,” said Prof Chapman, head of women’s and children’s health at the University of NSW.
“Clearly we’re not getting the message through.” more…

From: »News.com.au«

(cz) As many as 50 per cent of Australian women undergoing IVF treatment want to be able to choose the gender of their baby, a study has found.
And if sex selection was allowed, most women would like to have a girl while their male partners want a boy.
Researcher Carmel Carrigan said the marked differences in gender choice were likely to create conflict in arelationship.
“If sex selection was permitted in Australia, there would have to be mandatory counselling to help couples resolve differences in their preferences for a boy or a girl,” she said.
The research, which will be presented at the Fertility Society of Australia this week, is expected to reignite the controversial issue of parents choosing the gender of their baby.
Ms Carrigan, a senior nurse coordinator at the Queensland Fertility Group, said that while gender selection was prohibited in Australia, fertility centres regularly received requests from patients.
She had interviewed 149 patients, aged from 21 to 47.
At least 70 per cent of the patients who were trying for their first child wanted a girl. more…

From: »The Sunday Telegraph« (News.com.au / Australia)

(sz) IVF success rates will fall by up to 20 per cent because of a government policy designed to cut the number of damaging twin pregnancies, research has suggested.
An initiative to limit multiple births by persuading IVF patients to use only one embryo at a time will cause a “significant reduction in treatment success”, according to an analysis of a clinic’s patients.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority strategy, which aims to cut the twin birthrate by 2012 from one in four to one in ten, would in practice reduce the IVF success rate at St Mary’s Hospital in Manchester from 21 per cent to 17 per cent, the study found.
Daniel Brison, of the University of Manchester, said that the strategy was right to encourage single-embryo transfer because a multiple birth was the greatest IVF risk to mothers and babies, but its implementation needed to be backed by better NHS access to IVF, especially for follow-up courses using frozen embryos.
Evidence from Scandinavia and King’s College London has indicated that some women’s chances of conceiving are just as high with one embryo as with two, if a second frozen-embryo cycle is available.
About a third of NHS trusts do not offer frozen back-up treatment and 85 per cent do not provide the three full cycles that the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recommends. more…

From: »The Times«