Category Archives: Human Reproduction

By Neil Sears

PUBLISHED: 17:02 EST, 13 May 2012 | UPDATED: 03:14 EST, 14 May 2012

A controversial fertility doctor has raked in 25million in a single year.

Mohamed Taranissi and his wife received the colossal sum through their IVF clinic, giving fresh evidence to critics who say that the creation of human life has become a multi-million pound industry.

On Saturday the Daily Mail revealed that a human egg agency has offered thousands of Cambridge university students 750 to donate their eggs.

The 25m man: Mohamed Taranissi earned the vast sum as head of London's most successful fertility clinic

Mr Taranassi, 57, and his second wife Elly Fincham, 53, are the owners of the Assisted Reproduction and Gynaecology Centre fertility clinic in London. Rod Stewarts wife Penny Lancaster had their son Aiden after treatment there.

Its reputation has helped the couple build a fortune of 45million, including the newly published dividend of 25million they paid themselves in 2010.

Women pay 150 for an initial consultation and 2,500 for a course of IVF, with other procedures and drugs pushing the cost up higher. Customers are attracted by Mr Taranissis impressive listing at the top of pregnancy league tables for woman under 35 and over 40.

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The £25m IVF doctor: Clinic's profits fuel criticism of the 'human life industry'

Physics professor Elliott Brown and graduate student Anna Lukawska work in the lab on nanobiological characterizations.

There is hardly a greater discovery during the past century than DNAdeoxyribonucleic acidthe biomolecular material in every cell of the human body. DNA contains the genetic information necessary for cell replication, protein synthesis and reproduction.

Naturally, DNA sensing and identification has become a very important technology in such areas as biology, medicine and law enforcement. But positive identification without ambiguity is difficult because DNA is so sparse in the human organism and because it shares many of the same chemical bonds as other more common biomoleculesproteins and polysaccharides.

So traditional spectroscopic methods, such as infrared transmission, cannot distinguish DNA from these other molecules. More elaborate techniques are necessary, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by gel electrophoresis, which are expensive and time-consuming.

Fortunately, the large size of DNA molecules makes them amenable to other spectroscopic methods in the THz region of the electromagnetic spectruma region well below the infrared in frequency but well above common radio and radar frequencies.

Wright State University researchers led by physics professor Elliott Brown have been investigating these unique THz DNA signatures through a Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) funded by the U.S. Army Research Office. Their multi-year $600,000 grant has recently identified several unique and surprisingly strong signatures from DNA molecules between 0.7 and 1.0 THz.

The surprise is that we have recently measured these DNA signatures under physiological conditions in which the DNA was suspended in an aqueous buffer solution very similar to that in living cells, Brown said. Previously, the strong THz absorption by liquid water was thought to be too strong to observe signatures from any suspended molecular species.

So far, Brown said, the signatures appear unique to the DNA molecule at hand, be it single-stranded or double-stranded DNA.

The caveat is that so far we have only observed relatively short DNA strands well under the length of the human genome, he said. But we are moving in that direction.

The research project is headed by the University of California-Irvine, and along with Wright State University has collaborators at Marshall University, Yale University and the University of Chicago. The MURI Grant funds the research for up to five years.

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DoD basic research discovers new spectroscopic signatures from the 'Stuff of Life'

It isn't the most elegant of races.

In a study that attempts to elucidate one of the "central unsolved problems" in human reproduction what separates the tens of sperm cells that find an egg, from the millions of cells ejaculated? British researchers are reporting that sperm crawl, collide and crash head-on into the walls of the female reproductive tract in their frantic swim to the site of fertilization.

"Despite it being the thing that put all of us here, effectively, we still know almost nothing about how something so simple and key to life actually happens in the body," said Dr. Jackson Kirkman-Brown, a senior lecturer in reproductive sciences at the University of Birmingham in the U.K.

"Every time a woman gets or doesn't get pregnant, there is something going on where what to me is an incomprehensible number of sperm two hundred million get reduced to a countable amount, 10, maybe."

Popular wisdom holds that sperm follow each other in their swim through the female tract "rather like you or I might swim through a swimming pool," Kirkman-Brown said.

Instead, the researchers observed sperm travelling along walls, ceilings and particularly corners as they navigated the "narrow and convoluted channels" of the female tract, the team reports in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States.

Sperm failing to get to the egg dooms fertility. "But equally some of the most common things in contraception are based on sperm motility," Kirkman-Brown said. Oral contraceptives the Pill work by thickening cervical mucous and stopping sperm from getting to the egg.

With ever more people undergoing fertility treatment and the pharmaceutical industry looking to develop new contraceptives, "There has been a lot more interest in sperm motility," he said.

To try to get a better handle on the "individual and group behaviours" that occur, the researchers watched sperm swimming not on slides or in petri dishes, but through tiny, hair-thin mini-mazes etched into silicone and barely visible to the naked eye.

The micro-channels were filled with fluid mimicking the viscosity of fluid within the female reproductive tract, giving sperm a more realistic environment. The mini mazes "have lots of different twists and turns, so we can see how sperm cope with swimming around these," Kirkman-Brown said.

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The great sperm race? Study reveals chaotic reproductive journey

Public release date: 8-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Emma Mason wordmason@mac.com European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology

Intrauterine devices (IUDs) should be used routinely to provide emergency contraception, according to the authors of the first systematic review of all available data from the past 35 years. They found that IUDs had a failure rate of less than one per thousand and were a more effective form of emergency contraception than the "morning after pill". In addition, IUDs continued to protect women from unwanted pregnancy for many more years if they were left in place.

The research, which is published online in Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction [1] today (Wednesday), analysed data from 42 studies carried out in six countries [2] between 1979 and 2011 and published in English or Chinese. IUD use in China is the highest in the world with 43% of women using them for contraception compared with 13% in the rest of the world, according to a 2006 report. The studies included eight different types of IUDs and 7034 women.

An IUD, sometimes known as a "coil" is a small plastic and copper device that is inserted into the womb by a trained doctor or nurse. It can be left in place for between five and ten years, depending on brand. In recent years, intrauterine systems (IUS) have been developed; these are small, plastic devices that release a very low dose of the hormone progesterone. The current study looked at IUDs only, which have been used for emergency contraception for at least 35 years.

The first author of the study, Ms Kelly Cleland, a staff researcher at the Office of Population Research at Princeton University, Princeton, USA, said: "Unintended pregnancies are a significant health problem worldwide. It is estimated that globally at least 36% of pregnancies are unintended. We already know from previous research that IUDs are very cost-effective forms of regular contraception. This study is the most comprehensive review to date of the efficacy of IUDs used for emergency contraception, and our results provide clear evidence that they are a highly effective method of emergency contraception, as nearly 100% of users overall did not become pregnant after unprotected sex when an IUD was inserted post-coitally. In contrast, failure rates are at least 10-20 times as high for emergency contraceptive pills such as ulipristal acetate and levonorgestrel. IUDs also offer very effective ongoing contraception. Therefore, we conclude that IUDs should be included routinely as an emergency contraceptive option whenever feasible and appropriate."

When IUDs are used for emergency contraception they normally should be inserted within about five days of unprotected intercourse. The maximum timeframe in the current review ranged between two and ten days or more. However, in the majority of the studies (74%) insertion occurred within five days.

Out of the 7034 post-coital IUD insertions, there was a total of 10 pregnancies: six occurred among 5629 women in China, and the remaining four pregnancies in 200 women in one Egyptian study.

The researchers believe the unusual and abnormal results in the Egyptian study made it an "outlier" study, probably due to the way the women were chosen and, therefore, should be ignored for the purposes of their review. "This high failure rate can possibly be explained by the fact that women were specifically selected if they had had intercourse around the time of ovulation; in any event Egypt is a clear outlier," write the authors. "If the unusual results from the Egypt study were excluded, the overall failure rate would be 0.09% . . .; this is our preferred estimate."

By comparison, the "morning after pill" ulipristal acetate is the next most effective with a failure rate of approximately 1-2%, followed by levonorgestrel with a failure rate of approximately 2-3%. Both ulipristal acetate and levonorgestrel become less effective with increasing body mass index (BMI), but the researchers say that IUDs do not lose their effectiveness with increasing BMI.

Originally posted here:
Intrauterine devices provide the most effective emergency contraception

Public release date: 7-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Sheri Ledbetter sledbett@chapman.edu 714-289-3143 Chapman University

ORANGE, Calif. A groundbreaking study lead by Chapman University professor Brennan Peterson, Ph.D. on fertility awareness of American college students will be published in the May 5th edition of Human Reproductiona top-tier international journal in reproductive biology. It is the first such study on fertility awareness among American undergraduate university students. In the USA, the postponement of childbearing is reflective of contemporary social norms of delaying marriage, pursuing education and securing economic stability prior to having a baby. However the awareness of the impact of age on fertility among American college students is low.

Dr. Peterson, an expert in infertility, and the lead author on the study, notes, "The findings from this study show that while undergraduate university students in our sample believed they are educated about fertility issues, they consistently overestimate the ages at which fertility declines in women, as well as their chances of success if they used fertility treatments to achieve pregnancy. It is important that men and women are educated regarding fertility issues so they make informed reproductive decisions, rather than relying on inaccurate information which may ultimately result in involuntary childlessness."

Infertility or the inability to conceive or give birth to a child after one year of regular sexual relations without the use of contraceptives impacts between 80 million to 160 million people in the world today. In the United States, 4.3 million married couples (15%) have been diagnosed with infertility.

For women, fertility rapidly declines between ages 35 and 37. Couples who unknowingly delay pregnancy past a woman's window of fertility may be faced with involuntary childlessness and unexpected cope with the stresses of infertility. When a couple is diagnosed with infertility they are likely to experience unexpected stress, increased depression and changes to their social family networks. These stresses, coupled with the burdens of fertility treatments, can be an enormous challenge for couples which often takes years to resolve.

Infertility has many causes which are often not preventable (e.g., irregular ovulation, low sperm count). However, avoiding the decline in fertility associated with age is well within a person's control. Despite this, many young men and women are unaware of the exact nature of the relationship between fertility and age and new research conducted at Chapman University suggests American college students lack fundamental awareness of reproductive issues as well as the impact of age on fertilityoverestimating their chances to get pregnant at ages when pregnancy is unlikely. For example, young people see celebrities having children into their 40's and conclude that they can wait and "simply" get fertility treatment to get pregnant later in life.

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The research, called Fertility awareness and parenting attitudes among American male and female undergraduate university students (HUMREP 11 1203.R1) is published in Human Reproduction doi:10.1093/humrep/des011. The online publication is attached. The article also appears in the May 5th version of the print journal.

Consistently ranked among the top universities in the West, Chapman University provides a uniquely personalized and interdisciplinary educational experience to highly qualified students. Our programs encourage innovation, creativity and collaboration, and focus on developing global citizen-leaders who are distinctively prepared to improve their community and their world. Visit http://www.chapman.edu.

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New study published on fertility awareness among American university students

Mother's arm cradles an hour-old baby girl.

By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter

SATURDAY, May 5 (HealthDay News) -- Birth defects are more common after certain infertility treatments, but whether the cause is the assisted reproduction techniques themselves or the underlying biology preventing conception isn't clear, Australian researchers say.

"While treatments appear quite safe, we cannot ignore that there are significant risks that require urgent investigation with additional ongoing studies," said lead researcher Michael Davies, an associate professor at the Robinson Institute of the University of Adelaide.

For the study, published online May 5 in the New England Journal of Medicine, Davies and colleagues collected data on more than 6,100 births achieved using assisted reproductive technology in South Australia.

[Read: Can't Get Pregnant?How Stress May Be Causing Your Infertility.]

The investigators compared these births with a registry of more than 300,000 births, looking for the risk of birth defects associated with infertility treatments compared to unassisted pregnancies. "Spontaneous" pregnancies in women who previously had infertility treatments were also considered.

Overall, with assisted reproduction methods, the risk of any birth defect was 8.3 percent compared with 5.8 percent for unassisted pregnancies. These included cleft palate, and heart, gastrointestinal and esophageal defects.

For in vitro fertilization (IVF), the risk for birth defects was 7.2 percent. For intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), it was 9.9 percent. In IVF, eggs are retrieved from a woman's ovaries and fertilized by sperm in a lab before being returned to her uterus. With ICSI, a form of IVF, a single sperm is injected into the center of an egg cell to aid fertilization.

Women using clomiphene citrate at home to stimulate ovulation had triple the risk of birth defects, the researchers noted.

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Birth Defect Rates Vary Depending on Fertility Treatment