Monday, 17 November 2008
The truth about the male biological clock
If you're a man, worried about whether you've left it too late to have a baby with all the recent reports about the male biololgical clock, you may be interested in an informative piece from The Observer on the subject - see www.guardian.co.uk to take a look
Placebo acupuncture best for IVF
A fascinating new study has found that using a placebo for acupuncture in IVF patients increases the pregnancy rate. The researchers from the University of Hong Kong compared the pregnancy rates of patients undergoing acupuncture and those having a placebo instead. It found that the rates were markedly higher for the group who had the placebo treatment.
There is endless debate about acupuncture and IVF, and a whole host of studies with evidence supporting either side of the argument. This new research, published in the journal Human Reproduction, is an interesting new angle on the subject. You can find more at www.eshre.com
There is endless debate about acupuncture and IVF, and a whole host of studies with evidence supporting either side of the argument. This new research, published in the journal Human Reproduction, is an interesting new angle on the subject. You can find more at www.eshre.com
Ovary transplant success
The birth of the first baby born after a complete ovary transplant must offer hope to women who have been through an early menopause. The baby was born to a woman in her late thirties who had an ovary from her twin sister transplanted into her body after she went through a premature menopause.
The female biological clock is largely related to egg quality and quantity, and once this is in decline there is little that can be done to reverse it. The fact that the female body is still capable of maintaining a pregnancy after this stage can be illustrated by the fact that egg donation pregnancies are successful in women in their forties and fifties. However, this is the first pregnancy after an entire ovary has been transplanted and shows that a transplanted ovary can ovulate successfully.
You can read more here
The female biological clock is largely related to egg quality and quantity, and once this is in decline there is little that can be done to reverse it. The fact that the female body is still capable of maintaining a pregnancy after this stage can be illustrated by the fact that egg donation pregnancies are successful in women in their forties and fifties. However, this is the first pregnancy after an entire ovary has been transplanted and shows that a transplanted ovary can ovulate successfully.
You can read more here
New measures to recruit sperm donors
Finally, a call for measures to recruit more sperm donors... Anyone who needs treatment with donor sperm in the UK will be only too aware of the shortage of
donors here. It's often blamed on the removal of anonymity, although some say it has just as much to do with the lack of time and effort clinics have put into recruitment.
Now, the British Fertility Society has highlighted the problem, and is calling for new measures to encourage the recruitment of donors and to reduce waiting lists. The expert group suggests sperm sharing schemes could be considered, where couples who need fertility treatment could be offered it more cheaply if the male partner donates some sperm. They have also suggested that the limit on the number of children born from an individual's donation could be increased. You can read more about their proposals at www.britishfertilitysociety.org.uk
donors here. It's often blamed on the removal of anonymity, although some say it has just as much to do with the lack of time and effort clinics have put into recruitment.
Now, the British Fertility Society has highlighted the problem, and is calling for new measures to encourage the recruitment of donors and to reduce waiting lists. The expert group suggests sperm sharing schemes could be considered, where couples who need fertility treatment could be offered it more cheaply if the male partner donates some sperm. They have also suggested that the limit on the number of children born from an individual's donation could be increased. You can read more about their proposals at www.britishfertilitysociety.org.uk
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
High-pitched voices mark ovulation
Well, here's a novel way of testing whether you're ovulating - check the pitch of your voice... New research has found that a woman's voice gets higher when she is closer to ovulation.
A team at the University of California monitored and recorded women's voices at different times during their menstrual cycle. They found that the pitch rose when a woman was close to ovulation, and was significantly lower during less fertile times of the month.
The research is published in the Royal Society Journal Biology Letters, and you can read more about it on the Royal Society website
A team at the University of California monitored and recorded women's voices at different times during their menstrual cycle. They found that the pitch rose when a woman was close to ovulation, and was significantly lower during less fertile times of the month.
The research is published in the Royal Society Journal Biology Letters, and you can read more about it on the Royal Society website
Tuesday, 14 October 2008
HFEA conference
I had the pleasure of speaking at the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority conference yesterday, where the regulation of IVF treatment was up for discussion. I'm always pleased when the HFEA want to hear patient views but I must admit, I'd been rather daunted when I was given the title of the talk - "What patients want from a regulator". The reality is that most people going for IVF treatment are only concerned with one thing - whether they are going to be successful - and the role of the regulator is one of the last things on their minds.
However, it made me realise how much of what the HFEA does we take for granted as patients. We expect clinics to be inspected and treatments monitored, we expect to be able to feel confident that our eggs, sperm and embryos are kept safe, we expect to be able to get accurate information about clinic success rates. In the UK, our fertility treatment is quite tightly regulated, and it can seem that the pendulum has swung too far and that the regulation has become interference. Many fertility doctors complain openly about the HFEA, about the paperwork and the endless requests for information but for us as patients, it is absolutely crucial that we can feel secure and know we will be safe at any licensed clinic.
Meanwhile the HFEA has just published the latest national figures on IVF success - the numbers of patients having IVF has risen once again and the success rates have also gone up slightly. You can read more on the HFEA website
However, it made me realise how much of what the HFEA does we take for granted as patients. We expect clinics to be inspected and treatments monitored, we expect to be able to feel confident that our eggs, sperm and embryos are kept safe, we expect to be able to get accurate information about clinic success rates. In the UK, our fertility treatment is quite tightly regulated, and it can seem that the pendulum has swung too far and that the regulation has become interference. Many fertility doctors complain openly about the HFEA, about the paperwork and the endless requests for information but for us as patients, it is absolutely crucial that we can feel secure and know we will be safe at any licensed clinic.
Meanwhile the HFEA has just published the latest national figures on IVF success - the numbers of patients having IVF has risen once again and the success rates have also gone up slightly. You can read more on the HFEA website
Tuesday, 7 October 2008
Procreation vacations
I've just been reading about the latest fertility-enhancing idea from the States - the procreation vacation! Yes, seriously...
They range from weekend breaks in luxurious and romantic hotels to full-on holistic fertility treatment extravaganzas with acupuncture and dietary supplements thrown in. We all like to imagine that maybe a bit more of this, or a bit less of that, accompanied by a few sessions of acupuncture or reflexology could make us fully fertile. Unfortunately, the reality is that for many people no amount of complementary therapy or romance is going to make a difference - unless it is accompanied by some medical treatment.
I'm not against complementary therapies - far from it - but I do worry that some people end up feeling they're never going to get pregnant if they don't opt for every fertility-enhancing offering available. The cost of many of these procreation vacations runs into hundreds of dollars a night - fine for those who have the spare cash, but that's not many of us in the current economic climate. If you can afford it and it will help you relax, then a procreation vacation may be for you. For most of the rest of us, there are probably far less expensive ways of helping ourselves feel suitably calm and relaxed - try a yoga class, or even a glass of wine!
They range from weekend breaks in luxurious and romantic hotels to full-on holistic fertility treatment extravaganzas with acupuncture and dietary supplements thrown in. We all like to imagine that maybe a bit more of this, or a bit less of that, accompanied by a few sessions of acupuncture or reflexology could make us fully fertile. Unfortunately, the reality is that for many people no amount of complementary therapy or romance is going to make a difference - unless it is accompanied by some medical treatment.
I'm not against complementary therapies - far from it - but I do worry that some people end up feeling they're never going to get pregnant if they don't opt for every fertility-enhancing offering available. The cost of many of these procreation vacations runs into hundreds of dollars a night - fine for those who have the spare cash, but that's not many of us in the current economic climate. If you can afford it and it will help you relax, then a procreation vacation may be for you. For most of the rest of us, there are probably far less expensive ways of helping ourselves feel suitably calm and relaxed - try a yoga class, or even a glass of wine!
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