Research Identifies Predictors for Successful IVF

  Ferring Pharmaceuticals Reports Landmark Infertility Study Results at
         American Society for Reproductive Medicine Annual Meeting

   MONTREAL, Oct. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Ferring Pharmaceuticals today presented
the results of a landmark clinical trial -- the largest in vitro fertilization
(IVF) trial powered on pregnancy rates ever undertaken in infertility.  Trial
results determined predictors for successful outcomes and were presented at
the 61st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine
(ASRM) in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, October 15 - 19, 2005.  A total of five
poster presentations and two oral presentations offered during the meeting
represented findings from this prospective, multicenter, multinational trial,
Menotropins versus Recombinant FSH In Vitro Fertilization Trial (MERiT).  A
total of 731 women underwent controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH)
following gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist down-regulation in a
long treatment protocol.

read News at Research Identifies Predictors for Successful IVF

Harsh IVF rules reduce chances of having babies for older women

Older British couples are looking dejected as stringent rules now prohibit fertility doctors in the UK to implant older women with more than two embryos.

Fertility experts in America asserted that British women considering in vitro fertilisation would have their chances of having a baby reduced immensely following instructions by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the British fertility watchdog, as per which couples aged below 40 could have only two embryos implanted while older women could be granted a maximum of three implants.

Even as this measure is proving quite successful in decreasing the amount of twin and triplet pregnancies, David Adamson, American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s new vice-president, reiterated that it would hit IVF success rates gravely.

He said that introducing “arbitrary government regulation” would leave many couples with fertility problems in distress as their chances of having a child through therapy will reduce drastically. Adamson added that this was pushing clinics in Britain far behind its US rivals.

read more at Harsh IVF rules reduce chances of having babies for older women

IVF defects higher than expected

Many eggs used for IVF carry genetic errors that can cause miscarriage, even those from young women, experts say.

Given the findings of three US studies presented at a fertility meeting in Montreal, some believe all eggs used for IVF should be screened for defects.

UK fertility guidelines recommend such screening only for women over 35 or women who have had repeated miscarriages or failed IVF attempts.

The screening involves testing a single cell from a three-day-old embryo.

Read news at IVF defects higher than expected

Fertility and Pollution

Dirty air, ozone linked to sperm troubles

Men might improve their fertility by reducing how much pollution they breathe in. The dirtier the air, the lower a man's sperm count and the more sperm with fragmented DNA he produces, two new studies suggest.

However, neither report directly links the decline in sperm quality to fertility problems.

"The decrease is not enormous," comments environmental chemist Brian McCarry of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, who was not involved in either study. "There's no evidence that it has an impact on fertility."

In one study, ozone appeared to be a culprit behind diminished sperm counts, suggesting that it's a "sperm toxicant," say Rebecca Z. Sokol of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and her colleagues. They had looked for a correlation between the quality of semen from 48 local sperm donors and air-quality data for the zip code in which each donor lived. The donors were healthy men who had given 10 or more donations to a sperm bank over at least a year.

Read the Article at Fertility and Pollution

PCBs Damage Sperm -- But No Dramatic Effect On Male Fertility

Research by an EU-supported international team of scientists has shown that polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)[1] -- synthetic organic chemicals found widely in the environment and absorbed in the diet -- may damage sperm.

But, lead author Dr Marcello Spanò, of the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and the Environment (ENEA), stressed that the study had found no dramatic effects on human fertility and had not revealed any serious public health threat. However, the findings were a warning and further research was needed.

The study, reported on line (Thursday 13 October) in Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction[2], also looked at dichlorodiphenyldichlorethylene (DDE) – a breakdown product of DDT[3] – but found that it did not appear to damage sperm DNA.

Read more at

EU Research Suggests That PCBs Damage Sperm -- But Finds No Dramatic Effect On Male Fertility

Should Age of Mother Factor in Fertility Insurance Coverage?

More than 7 million people in this country want to have a baby but cannot without some medical intervention. But infertility treatment is very expensive — one course of in vitro fertilization (search) can cost more than $12,000.

Across the country, states have been addressing the problem by passing laws mandating that insurance companies offer some form of coverage for infertility treatments (search). But many of the laws include age limits, cutting off fertility treatments for women over a certain age, and adding a new twist to the debate over how old is too old to become a mother.

Read full article at Should Age of Mother Factor in Fertility Insurance Coverage?

Senator fights plan for stem cell bank

NATIONAL Party Senate leader Ron Boswell has attacked a proposal to compulsorily centralise the storage of all stem cell lines in one bank.

In a submission to the Government-sponsored inquiry into embryo research and cloning, Senator Boswell said such a bank would be impractical and amount to nationalising research in the area.

The Australian Stem Cell Centre in Melbourne had called for more public funding "to set up and control every single stem cell line in Australia", he said.

The idea of a single centre was presumably to store stem cell lines for use by researchers and in potential therapies. If the aim was for patients to be able to look for genetic matches, the bank would have to hold millions of lines.

"This is a cross between nationalising stem cell research and creating an all-powerful monopoly," Senator Boswell said.

Read full news at Senator fights plan for stem cell bank

Children of IVF often ill early on: study

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Long-term rates of illness appear to be higher among children conceived after in vitro fertilization (IVF) than for other children, Swedish researchers report. However, this might be influenced by parents of such children being more likely to seek medical advice.

"An increased morbidity in IVF children exists at least for the first few years of life," Dr. Bengt Kallen from the University of Lund told Reuters Health. This is partly due to singleton infants born prematurely but also to a large extent to multiple births, the researcher said.

Kallen and colleagues analyzed hospitalizations and cancer occurrences in more than 16,000 children born after IVF during a follow-up period of 1 to 20 years.

According to their report in the journal Fertility and Sterility, IVF children were nearly twice as likely as other children to require hospitalization during a median observation period of 5.5 years. The hospitalization risk was higher among children born in multiple births than in singleton children.

Read news at Children of IVF often ill early on: study

Fertility Test Kit Breakthrough

The test tells would-be mothers how close they are to menopause by measuring hormone levels. The mail-order kit is already being hailed as a breakthrough as big as the Pill.

"It will give people warning of when their fertility starts to decline before it is too late," said the test's inventor, Professor Bill Ledger, of Sheffield University, in the UK.

"I spend too much of my life in clinics with very intelligent, sensible women who have left it until 40-something.

"They find the right guy and their career is in place and they are desperately upset when they suddenly find that they can't conceive, even with IVF.

"Over 40, IVF is a very inefficient process and most people are going to be disappointed."

Read more at Fertility Test Kit Breakthrough

Finding Fertile Ground.Infertility and IVF

THERE are two great F-words that form the central equation of the population debate: fertility equals family. Why aren't we having children? The reasons have to do with lack of family formation, or family formation that is simply too late.

That the family-fertility nexus isn't obvious is the fault of late 20th-century feminism, because the feminist obsession with "career" not motherhood as the central element of women's self-definition made fertility the enemy.

In fact babies became the enemy, hence abortion as the first feminist article of faith. Babies can really wreck your career. They consume your life and your heart. Unlike the carefully planned career path, motherhood is instinctive, even making you irrationally unwilling to go out to work, as I was when I left my first child in care and promptly threw up on the footpath outside the creche.

Read more at Finding Fertile Ground.

Barbados, IVF tourist destination.

The highly specialised in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) procedure is turning out to be a godsend for Barbados as a medical tourism destination.

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr Joy St John, speaking during the official opening of the In-vitro Fertilisation

Unit at the Barbados Fertility Centre (BFC), Hastings, Christ Church, yesterday, said health tourism was rapidly growing in Barbados.

She said this was evidenced by the fact that last year 50 per cent of people who sought this service came from outside of Barbados.

Speaking in the absence of official figures, she said this trend was expected to increase this year and projected that over the next five years 70-80 per cent of those who were visiting for the service would be medical tourists.

read more at Fruitful tourism gains

Noted Atlanta Infertility Practice to Offer Free PCOS Event

Woodstock, GA (PRWEB) October 13, 2005 -- Atlanta Center for Reproductive Medicine, an infertility research and treatment center with four locations in metropolitan Atlanta, will host a seminar for PCOStrategies, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndome ( PCOS) develop a healthy lifestyle. The free two-day seminar "Syndrome O Survival Strategies" will benefit the thousands of Atlanta-area women affected by PCOS.

An incurable condition, PCOS is caused by the body's failure to respond to insulin correctly. Symptoms include lack of, infrequent or irregular menstrual cycles, infertility, excessive body or facial hair growth, weight gain or obesity, thinning hair or baldness, adult acne or depression. Left untreated, PCOS puts women at risk for heart disease, stroke and cancer. Participants will learn how adopting a healthy diet, an exercise program, and stress management tools are critical factors to success in restoring hormonal balance.

Read more at Noted Atlanta Infertility Practice to Offer Free PCOS Event

New Connecticut law requires coverage for infertility treatment

Spring is not the only season that brings new life -- this fall, a new law will help Connecticut families grow.

Following the lead of 14 other states including Massachusetts and New Jersey, the State of Connecticut on Oct. 1 began to enforce a new law requiring insurance companies to cover the cost of infertility treatments. The bill, which was signed on July 5, adds treatment costs to policy holders' insurance plans as they renew their contracts.

Read more at Yale Daily News

Evaluation of the infertile couple

Infertility is defined as the inability of a couple to become pregnant after one year of unprotected intercourse. Infertility is a common condition: in any given year, about 15 percent of the couples in the United States who are trying to conceive are infertile.

The ability of a couple to become pregnant depends on several factors in both the male and female partners. Among all cases of infertility, about 20 percent can be traced to male factors, 40 percent can be traced to female factors, 30 percent can be traced to factors in both the male and female partners. In about 15 percent of couples, the etiology for infertility cannot be traced to specific factors in either partner.

Because fertility involves a complex interaction of male and female factors, doctors routinely involve both partners in the evaluation of infertility. Today, many tests are available for evaluating infertility, although these tests may require a substantial commitment of time, money, and effort. It is important to gather information about these tests and to carefully discuss the many options with your doctor.

Read the article at Evaluation of the Infertile Couple

The Top Ten Myths about Infertility

Fertility and infertility are areas that invite a lot of speculation and myth. The problem is that most of the things you'll think are common knowledge aren't born out by medical science. Here are some of the most common myths about trying to get pregnant busted.

1. Getting pregnant is easy
2. If you have periods, you'll get pregnant
3. If you adopt, you'll get pregnant
4. Fertility problems are always the woman
5. If you're over 35, seek infertility treatment immediately
6. Your fertility problems are all in your head
7. If you want it enough it will happen
8. Infertility will break up your marriage
9. If you've previously had a baby you are not infertile
10. You can self medicate to get pregnant

This list is taken from About.com, You can read more info on the article following this link: Top 10 Infertility Myths

Dealing with Infertility on Holidays

Infertility effects more than six million couples every year. No other time is this more apparent to you than during the holidays. Any time you gather with your family for a party or gathering it can make you even more painfully aware of what is missing in your life.

Whether the issue is kid centered activities for Christmas, Easter or Chanukah or simply seeing other children enjoying these activities depends on the couple. Sometimes what is so annoying is being asked about your plans for a family, by well meaning, but nosey relatives.

Continue Reading: Infertility & Holidays

Promising IVF research

As research and progress continues in the field of in-vitro fertilization(IVF), insurance companies are starting to cover some of the astronomical costs.

The process of IVF removes eggs from a woman's body and fertilizes them with sperm outside the body. The fertilized eggs are then returned the woman's uterus where they can develop as a normal pregnancy.

Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System recently released a study on an IVF option that more closely mirrors natural fertilization.

Read more at Promising IVF Research

Twins joy for mother who froze her eggs

A Birmingham mother has given birth to Britain's first set of "frozen egg" twins, it was revealed yesterday.

Margaret McNamee has given birth to twin girls Anna and Isabella, and in doing so has given hope to thousands of women.

The 36-year-old, who lives in Sutton Coldfield with husband Michael Fahey and their 22-month-old son Matthew, gave birth last month following treatment at Midland Fertility Services clinic in Aldridge, Walsall. Read more at Twins joy for mother who froze her eggs

IVF enters new generation as babies come of age

THE first generation met the new generation of in-vitro fertilisation success stories in Brisbane yesterday, as more than 1500 people gathered to celebrate 21 years of the life-creating technology.

Queensland's first IVF baby Alana Mew – now 21 and working as a children's fitness instructor – was among the crowd at the Roma Street Parklands picnic.

Ms Mew's birth was as controversial as it was groundbreaking in its day, with religious and other groups questioning the ethics of IVF. Read More at IVF enters new generation as babies come of age

Microfluidics May Be a New Method of IVF

University of Michigan technology more closely mirroring natural fertilization process is showing promise as a new method of in-vitro fertilization.

Researchers in the university Health System say microfluidics -- an emerging area of physics and biotechnology that deals with the microscopic flow of fluids -- can be used for IVF in mice. They also found lower numbers and concentrations of sperm were required when using microfluidic channels instead of culture dishes. Read more at Microfluidics May Be a New Method of IVF

No Fast Food and Loose Pants Can Help Revive Sperm Count

Male fertility is plunging. And nearly one in 10 men may be suffering, according to a survey published last month. The Male Fertility Study, compiled by Norwich Union Healthcare from a survey of GPs, suggests that 2.5 million British men are affected, and many do not even know they may be at risk.

In this article: Low fertility: The daddy of all problems, Kate Hilpern discusses the "everyday cuases" that can cause a low sperm count on men. Driving, Fast Food, Traffic Pollution, Laptops and even Water is analyzed to let us know some causes of low sperm count. Read the article.

Connecticut sets age limit on infertility treatments

STRATFORD, Conn. - Teresa Pica-LeRuo thought her dreams of becoming a mother finally would come true this year.

She and her husband, Jim, have been trying for years to have a child. They attempted infertility treatments. Then they adopted a child, but were devastated when the birth mother took the infant back.

Pica-LeRuo pinned fresh hopes on a new state law requiring insurers to pay for infertility treatments. But the law is the only one in the country that denies benefits to women older than 40, and she won't qualify. Pica-LeRuo is 42.

Read full story

Frogs Helping Human Infertility

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 5 (HealthDay News) — Studies in immature frog eggs are giving scientists insights into human infertility.

In studies with frog oocytes — immature eggs — a team at Duke University in Durham, N.C., found that the yolk plays an important role in regulating the survival of the eggs. Depleting the yolk triggered programmed cell death (apoptosis) while adding nutrients to the yolk prolonged the life of the frog oocytes.

Read full story

Facing Pregnancy with Self Forgiveness

Spiritual teacher Walter Makichen says that couples dealing with fertility and pregnancy problems,
 must learn to have compassion for themselves.
This also involves getting used to the spiritual side of parenting which will
lead people to be better parents.

"Couples that I work with facing either infertility issues or the loss of
miscarriage feel very isolated. In these circumstances women especially feel
like their bodies have let them down. In order to find some sense of balance
and peace they need to have compassion for themselves and the process they're
going through," says Makichen  Read more

New Infertility Treatment opens up Options

GAINESVILLE, Fla., Oct. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- After suffering the heartbreak of years of infertility, scores of U.S. couples claim their dreams came true due to a newly developed therapy. Over one hundred babies have been born or are expected by women diagnosed infertile after receiving a new physical therapy treatment, similar to a deep massage.

This new therapy doesn't involve drugs or surgery. It is a 20-hour therapy program. Read story