Preimplantation genetic testing proposed to predict risk of common diseases
A new study claims to have mapped the genomes of embryos created by IVF and suggests that the same techniques used could also be used to enable preimplantation genetic testing (PGT). The paper, published in Nature Medicine, outlines molecular and statistical techniques for inferring the whole genome sequence of three- and five-day-old in vitro embryos […]
Optimal body mass index to support fertility
High body mass index (BMI) in both women and men is associated with subfertility in observational studies. This relationship is further substantiated by a few small randomized controlled trials of weight reduction and success of assisted reproduction. Women with low BMI also have lower conception rates with assisted reproduction technologies. The results of a study […]
Exposure to high and low temperatures during pregnancy may result in reduced fetal growth
An Israeli nationwide study of more than 600,000 births, led by a researcher at Bar-Ilan University’s Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, reveals consistent links between high and low temperatures and low fetal birth weight, particularly exposure to heat during the second and third trimesters. Published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, the study evaluates critical windows […]
Adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes after in vitro fertilisation
According to a study published in JAMA Network Open, twin pregnancies after in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and advanced maternal age are independently associated with adverse obstetric outcomes, and their coexistence may aggravate the obstetric risk. The analysis included 16,879,728 pregnant women aged 20 to 49 years. The researchers analysed 16 obstetric outcomes among women […]
Treating infertility with drug-delivering microspheres
For an embryo to survive, it must attach to the lining of the uterus within days of conception. However, if this lining, called the endometrium, is too thin, the embryo can’t latch on. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering have developed a new system intended to treat infertility in women with […]
Life-saving test to rule out pre-eclampsia in pregnant women
A same-day blood test that can rule out preeclampsia in pregnant women is being rolled out across the National Health Service (NHS) in England. The new assessment is the first of its kind in the world to exclude the life-threatening condition for both pregnant women and their babies. It is hoped the same-day result […]
Fertility drugs do not increase breast cancer risk
Drugs routinely used during fertility treatments to release eggs do not increase the risk of developing breast cancer, new research has shown. Researchers from King’s College London, in partnership with King’s Fertility, analysed studies involving 1.8 million women undergoing fertility treatments. These women were followed up in studies for an average period of 27 years […]
Healthy diet before during pregnancy linked to lower complications
A healthy diet around the time of conception through the second trimester may reduce the risk of several common pregnancy complications, suggests a new study. Expectant women in the study who scored high on any of three measures of healthy eating had lower risks for gestational diabetes, pregnancy-related blood pressure disorders and preterm birth. […]
Sperm help ‘persuade’ the female to accept pregnancy
Sperm are generally viewed as having just one action in reproduction — to fertilise the female’s egg — but studies at the University of Adelaide are overturning that view. Published in Nature Research journal Communications Biology, new research shows that sperm also deliver signals directly to the female reproductive tissues to increase the chances of […]
Risk of developmental difficulties remains high among children born early
Children born preterm (before 37 weeks of pregnancy) remain at high risk of developmental difficulties that can affect their behaviour and ability to learn, finds a study published by The BMJ today. These difficulties were found not only in children born extremely preterm (22-26 weeks) but also in those born very and moderately preterm (between […]