infertility-news

Dairy foods and ovulation Lactose is the main carbohydrate in milk and other dairy foods. In the intestine, lactose is broken down into two sugars, glucose and galactose, which are further broken down and used by the body. The ability to breakdown these sugars is an important factor in normal ovarian development. for example, women…

In January 2003, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of miniature acrylic copolymer beads to be used for treating symptomatic uterine fibroids. This procedure is known as uterine artery embolization or UAE. The uterine artery embolization procedure entails inserting a catheter through the femoral artery and into the uterine artery, where the beads…

A study was recently published that looked at the relationship between infertility and breast cancer. The study followed over 100,000 female registered nurses from the Nurses’ Health Study.

Depression in PCOS patients may be due to obesity A total of 35% of those with polycystic ovary syndrome also had depression in a recent study of 206 women. The study compared a total of 103 PCOS patients with 103 controls. PCOS was diagnosed by the criteria established by the Rotterdam conference in 2003.

Fertility specialists have known for some time now that a woman’s chance to become pregnant and deliver a baby declines as she gets older. This is in part due to the fact that a woman is born with all of the eggs she is ever going to have in her life.

PCOS Treatment with Zocor Zocor-simvastatin is a medication typically used to treat high cholesterol. Recent evidence suggests that Zocor may be a useful treatment for PCOS – polycystic ovary syndrome. PCOS Study A recent study presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation is the first to look at the effects of…

Laptop use and infertility This information was last updated on 12/10/2004 A study published recently in the journal Human Reproduction suggested that men who sit with their laptops in their lap may be at higher risk for infertility. The premise is the age old concern about heat exposure to the testicles. The study looked at…

Study fails to find link between fertility drugs and ovarian cancer This information was updated on 12/20/2004 A study performed by the National Cancer Institute studied over 12,000 women at five fertility clinics. These women received infertility treatment between 1965 and 1988. About 2/3 of them did not use fertility medications and about 1/3 did….

Device to improve sperm selection? A story in New Scientist Magazine stated a machine being developed at the University of Newcastle in New South Wales is intended to be able to select sperm with less DNA damage. The premise is that sperm with normal maturation and therefore less DNA damage is negatively charged. The “sperm…

Pregnancy after menopause? Not a big deal. Last published /updated on 1/6/2005 A report from a British newspaper and picked up by Reuter’s indicated that a woman rendered infertile by chemotherpay has delivered a baby without any treatment. Why this story made the news is anybody’s guess but it is certainly not that newsworthy. It…

Three dimensional structure of FSH is detailed – could lead to new drug forms Last published /updated 1/22/2005 Whenever you see a publication in the journal Nature, expect something big and important. This is no exception. Wayne A. Hendrickson and his colleague Qing Fan of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) have created detailed images…

Could Leptin be the next fertility medication? Leptin is a hormone produced in adipose tissue (fat cells). It has been the subject of much study in recent years. Leptin was first discovered in 1994. It is primarily thought of as an appetite and weight regulation hormone. However, leptin also functions to signal the brain and…

Indiana legislature rules in favor of lesbian couples using donor insemination Last published / updated on 02/04/2005 In a landmark decision, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled that lesbian partners who agree to conceive a child through artificial insemination are both the legal parents of any children born to them. In a unanimous ruling,…

Infertility increases risk of neonatal death Last published / updated 2/18/2005 A study just published in the British Medical Journal indicates that couples who take longer to conceive, are at greater risk for having babies that die. This is a very important study. The study looked at Danish women who were enrolled in a large…

Medical Varicocele Treatment Last updated / published 4/15/2005 Varicocele and infertility Varicocele is a finding in men where enlarged or dilated veins occur in the blood vessels of the scrotum. Normally the scrotal veins have valves that regulate the blood flow. However, in some cases, the valves are absent or defective and the blood does…

Folic acid supplementation does not increase risk for twins Last published / updated 05/09/2005 Folic Acid prevents birth defects For some time now, I have been recommending that women who are attempting to become pregnant should take 1000 micrograms of folic acid daily to reduce the risk of having a baby with birth defects. The…