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(cz) The European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) has published a position statement on the impact of the life style factors obesity, smoking and alcohol consumption on natural and medically assisted reproduction.
In a literature study the ESHRE Task Force on Ethics and Law summarised the negative effects of obesity, smoking and drinking on the natural reproductive potential of patients, on IVF results, pregnancy complications and outcomes and finally on the health of the future child. The paper is published online on 19 January 2010 in the journal Human Reproduction. The group made five recommendations.
1) In view of the risks for the future child, fertility doctors should refuse treatment to women used to more than moderate drinking and who are not willing or able to minimize their alcohol consumption.
2) Treating women with severe or morbid obesity required special justification. The available data suggested that weight loss would incur in a positive reproductive effect, although more data was needed to establish whether assisted reproduction should be made conditional upon prior life-style changes for obese and smoking females. more…

From: »Science Daily«

(wz) European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) 26th annual meeting, Sunday 27 June - Wednesday 30 June 2010

Fiera Roma
Via Portuense, 1645-1647
00148 Rome
Italy
www.fieraroma.it

Reproductive medicine is one of the most exciting scientific and clinical areas. Every month different announcements of research developments, medical ‘firsts’, new rulings by regulatory bodies, or ethical controversies are published and often spark a heated debate among practitioners in the field, as well as ethicists, legislators, the media and the public.

ESHRE’s annual meeting is the forum where more than 8,000 of the world’s leading experts in reproductive medicine gather to give the first public presentation of their latest research findings and to discuss issues that are presenting law-makers and ethicists with some of the most challenging problems and difficult decisions currently facing society. Deadline for abstract submission is 1 February 2010. more…

From: »The Medical News«

ESHRE direct link

(cz) Male infertility and tackling falling birth rates across Europe will be among the topics addressed at this year’s British Andrology Society’s annual conference at Queen’s University in Belfast.
World leaders in the field of andrology - the study of male reproduction - will meet at Queen’s this week (Thursday and Friday) to discuss the latest developments in the field of fertility including the potential to create artificial sperm from stem cells.
The conference organiser, Professor Sheena Lewis from the Centre of Public Health in the University’s School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, says research into male fertility is vastly underfunded.
Professor Lewis said: “Male infertility is now a public health issue. Infertility affects one in six couples around Europe and the male partner is responsible for 40% of these problems.
“DNA damage to sperm is a major cause of male infertility. “We know sperm DNA damage is closely associated with all fertility check points and also longer times to get pregnant and increased pregnancy loss.”
Over the past 50 years birth rates have declined at an unprecedented rate so that instead of the 2.1 children a couple necessary to maintain population replacement current rates stand at 1.5 births per woman. Only a minimal increase to 1.6 is expected by 2030. more…

From: »The Medical News«

(sz) Under the EU Tissues Directive viral screening will incur in costs of EUR 140 million per year for fertility patients
With 900,000 assisted reproduction treatments annually such as IVF and intrauterine inseminations in Europe the Commission’s proposal to screen both partners before each treatment could lead to costs of over EUR 140 million annually. These figures do not include the additional overhead costs such as administration, personnel and documentation that the hospitals would have to carry on top of that. The new interpretation of the EU Directive would have substantial implications on the costs of fertility treatments in Europe.
On 19-20 October in a meeting with the National Competent Authorities, the Commission stated that in terms of the directive, all patients must be tested for HIV, hepatitis, Human T-lymphotropic virus, and syphilis prior to each treatment and that this is not open for national interpretation.
Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) is currently covered under the European Union Tissues and Cells Directive (EUTCD; EC/2004/23), a legal document originating from the European Union’s public health programme. The Directive covers donation of all tissues and cells within the EU (except blood and blood-products).
Sperm samples from couples who are married or have been together for several years are treated as ‘partner donation’. However, couples seeking assisted reproduction generally undergo a series of treatments in one year instead of one single donation as is the case for organ or tissue donations. So testing would have to be done for the same couple and for each treatment.
Currently 500,000 IVF treatments are performed in Europe, on top of these come 400,000 intrauterine inseminations (IUI). Since both partners need to be screened this would lead to 1.4 million tests a year. With an average cost of EUR 100 per test kit, this would result in a cost burden of EUR 140 million for the European ART sector. more…

From: »GEN«

(sz) Register now as media for the workshop on freezing of human sperm, eggs and embryos in Athens, Greece: “Cryobiology and cryopreservation of human gametes and embryos”
ESHRE invites you to attend its workshop on freezing of human sperm, eggs and embryos in Athens, Greece “Cryobiology and cryopreservation of human gametes and embryos”. The workshop provides a forum for clinicians and scientists to share research results and discuss problems and new developments.
Here a few of the new research findings that fertility experts from in and outside of Europe will announce:

Reproductive medicine is one of today’s most exciting scientific and clinical areas. Every month brings announcements of research developments, medical ‘firsts’, new rulings by regulatory bodies, or ethical controversies - often sparking a heated debate among practitioners in the field themselves, as well as ethicists, legislators, the media and the public. ESHRE’s activities provide the media with the opportunity to hear the latest research news and interview the experts. All sessions are open to the media. more…

From:» The Medical News« (press release)

(sz) While celebrities have been making a habit of going to Africa to adopt children, couples looking to conceive through in vitro fertilization (IVF) may soon be journeying there as well. That’s because Sudan and Egypt will be the first countries where the Low Cost IVF Foundation (LCIF) and the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) establish their clinics to provide IVF at rock-bottom prices. Cheap IVF is another sign of how powerful technology is spreading and gaining momentum by being adopted by the masses. ESHRE will aim for a $360 price tag while LCIF could go lower than $300. These two foundations plan to cut out all the bells and whistles so that third world countries can benefit from IVF. If this procedure starts costing just hundreds in Africa, you can bet that prices in the rest of the world will plummet.
Few health care providers in the US will foot the $12,000 bill that accompanies most IVF attempts. In the UK, the national system will only cover its $8000 (USD) expense under certain conditions. And most IVF plans may require more than one attempt. This means that for many couples experiencing infertility, in vitro fertilization is a process that necessitates loans or years of savings. Bringing cheap IVF to the masses will mean more of those couples can get their families started sooner, and on sounder financial footing.
For those of you wondering why LCIF and ESHRE are targeting Africa, it all comes down to disease and social stigma. African countries have typical infertilities rates of 10-30%, compared to less than 10% in US and Europe. In Sudan, about 20% of adults are infertile, mainly due to untreated sexually transmitted infections, botched abortions, and post-delivery complications. Furthermore, women who cannot conceive are looked upon as abnormal and may experience a wide range of problems including divorce or even death. LCIF and ESHRE are hoping to combat the ravages of disease, especially HIV/AIDS, and the social injustices that plague Africa through cheaper IVF. more…

From: »Singularity Hub«

(wz) The World Endometriosis Research Foundation (WERF) and the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) are proud to announce the first ever prospective study to assess the hidden cost of endometriosis to society and to women with the disease.
13 centres in ten countries kick-off the EndoCost study today with a goal to identify areas which can be addressed for improvement and subsequent reduction in cost from a very prevalent - yet largely unknown - disease, which affects women during the prime of their lives.
Endometriosis affects an estimated 1 in 10 women during their reproductive years. An average diagnostic delay of up to 12 years, coupled with “hit and miss” treatments, has put an estimated cost to society in the United States alone at $22 billion a year - higher than the cost of migraine and Crohn’s disease. There are no comparable data - yet - in Europe, which WERF and ESHRE now seek to address.
Endometriosis is the biggest cause of infertility and chronic pelvic pain in women. All treatments have side effects and there is no known cure. Yet, there is a lack of government funding given to research into a cure - or even a long term treatment.
28-year old Lisa Gellert has suffered from endometriosis for nine years. “I have seen numerous doctors, and finally had surgery - where none of the disease was removed. Despite having supposedly had ‘treatment’ I still live in pain and take several days off every month because I am incapacitated”, said Gellert. more…

From: »Physorg.com«

(wz) Poor and war-torn, Sudan might be the last place you would expect to find an experiment in cutting-edge fertility treatments. But by the end of October, a clinic at the University of Khartoum plans to offer in vitro fertilisation to couples for less than $300, a fraction of its cost in the west.
The clinic is one of three funded by the Low Cost IVF Foundation (LCIF) of Massagno, Switzerland, the brainchild of IVF pioneer Alan Trounson, who is now president of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The other clinics are in Arusha, Tanzania, and Cape Town, South Africa.
Meanwhile a task force set up by the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) is also set to make IVF affordable for African couples, by vastly simplifying conventional IVF technologies. By the end of the year it plans to begin offering IVF at clinics in Cairo and Alexandria, in Egypt, for around $360.
If successful, such efforts could lower the cost of IVF everywhere. In the US, the price of one round of treatment can be up to $12,000 and is rarely covered by health insurance. In the UK, it costs about £5000 ($8000), which the National Health Service may or may not pay for, depending on where a couple lives.
“Most of what we do in the western world is overkill,” says Jonathan Van Blerkom of the University of Colorado at Boulder, a member of the ESHRE team. “If you get these procedures down to a low cost and they are successful, you cannot justify charging $12,000 for an IVF cycle.”
It may come as a surprise that the revolution in low-cost IVF is beginning in Africa, given its high birth rate. However, some 10 to 30 per cent of African couples are infertile, often as a result of untreated sexually transmitted diseases, botched abortions and post-delivery pelvic infections. In Sudan, 20 per cent are infertile, double the rate in Europe and the US.
What’s more, childless women in many African countries can face public ridicule, accusations of witchcraft, loss of financial support, abandonment and divorce, not to speak of their own shame and depression. “If you are not able to conceive, you are not [considered] normal,” says gynaecologist Abdelrahim Obaid Fadl Allah of the University of Khartoum clinic.
So how do the ESHRE group and the LCIF propose to lower the cost of IVF so drastically? “What we did was to say, ‘let’s take all the complicated high technology out of the process’,” says Trounson. “The idea is to provide a service rather than a business.” more…

From: »Bor Globe Network«

(sz) In a national population-based controlled, follow-up study, Danish researchers have reported better neonatal outcomes in singletons born after the transfer of cryopreserved embryos as opposed to fresh cycle embryos. The study results were published in the online issue of the journal, Fertility and Sterility.
Anja Pinborg from the Fertility Clinic, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark, and colleagues, conducted the study using data of 957 cryo singletons (Cryo-IVF=660; Cryo-ICSI=244; Cryo-IVF/-ICSI=53) between 1995 to 2007 to evaluate the postnatal outcome following the transfer of cryopreserved embryos. Two control groups were selected during the same study period: the first comprised of all singleton births after fresh IVF (n=6904) or ICSI (n=3425), and the second involved the random selection of non-ART singletons (n=4800). Preterm birth (PTB; <37 weeks), congenital malformations, low birth weight (LBW; <2500 g), mortality, and morbidity were the main outcomes measured.
The study results showed that the mean birth weight of the cryo, fresh, and non-ART singletons were 3,578 g, 3,373 g, and 3,537 g, respectively. The adjusted risk of LBW (OR=0.63) and PTB (OR=0.70) was found to be lower in the cryo group compared to the fresh subset. Similar findings were observed on comparing cryo and non-ART groups; however, the perinatal mortality rate (1.6% vs. 0.8%) and adjusted risks of very low PTB (<34 weeks) and neonatal hospital admission was higher in cryo singletons. Also, no substantial variation was noticed between the cryo and the 2 control groups with respect to the prevalence rates of neurological sequelae, birth defects, imprinting-related diseases, and malignancies. The comparison between the total fresh and non-ART groups, however, demonstrated comparatively higher rates of malformation and cerebral palsy in the offspring born after the transfer of fresh embryos. more…

From: »IVF News.Direct!«

(sz) In the first, long-running study that systematically assessed the use of ART in infertile women with cystic fibrosis (CF), researchers have concluded that such techniques are safe and effective in helping patients conceive without any morbidity and mortality, either in the mother or offspring. The results of the study were presented at the 25th annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology held at Amsterdam, from June 28 to July 1, 2009.
Sylvie Epelboin and colleagues from the Hôpital Cochin Saint Vincent de Paul, Paris evaluated 24 infertile patients with CF from 1998 to 2008. Fertility treatment was given to 15 subjects (median age=29.6 years) who presented with various negative post-coital tests, with other fertility factors being normal. The male partners of the participants had no CF gene mutation and the couples underwent genetic counseling. The couples were subjected to 38 attempts of intrauterine insemination (IUI), which resulted in 15 successful pregnancies and 2 failures. Of the 2 failures, IVF led to conception in one woman, while the other patient who had ovarian failure, reported positive result after oocyte donation.
Overall, 12 live births, 2 ongoing pregnancies, and 3 miscarriages were reported. At an average of about 37 gestational weeks, all patients had a normal vaginal delivery, except for one who underwent cesarean section. It was noted that 50% of the women had gestational diabetes, with a slight reduction in pulmonary function during the year of their pregnancy. The birth weights of the babies varied from 1,910 g to 3,500 g, with 18.2% below 2,500 g (low birth weight). The researchers reported that the mothers and 12 children born till date, aged between 1 month and 10 years, are all healthy.
Cystic fibrosis, an inherited life-threatening disease, affects around 30,000 people in the United States, with an additional 10 million being carriers of the defective CF gene. The advancements in the treatment and management of CF patients have led to an increase in the median predicted age of survival from 32 years in 2000 to 37.4 years in 2008. Women with CF are less fertile when compared to those who are healthy, and usually have thick cervical mucus that makes it difficult for them to conceive naturally. Since a large number of CF patients are reaching reproductive age, many are seeking various reproductive options to achieve parenthood. more…

From: »IVF News.Direct!«