Test-tube babies 'twice as likely' to suffer birth defects

Test-tube babies are almost twice as likely to suffer birth defects than children born naturally, according to the largest study of its kind.
Babies conceived through IVF have a significantly higher risk of being born with heart problems and malformed reproductive systems than those conceived naturally.

The scientists behind the shocking study called on fertility clinics to routinely warn prospective parents of the dangers - claiming that far too often, they are kept in the dark.

It follows a range of other studies which have found that IVF children are more likely to suffer from cerebral palsy and autism - while boys born through IVF are more likely to be infertile.

More than 120,000 children in the UK have been born using the technique since 1992. For the latest research, scientists carried out a survey of 33 French fertility centres, collecting data on more than 15,000 births from 2003 to 2007.

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First US study of attitudes towards donor conception published

A study into the attitudes of donor-conceived siblings has been published in the US. Said to be the first empirical study of its kind in the US, the report's authors - from The Commission on Parenthood's Future - surveyed nearly 500 donor-conceived adults aged between 18 and 45 aiming to feed into international debate on the ethics, meaning, and practice of donor conception.
The report, entitled 'My Daddy's Name is Donor' (the name was taken from a controversial T-shirt slogan produced by a company founded by two lesbian parents of a donor-conceived child), shows that although 45 per cent of donor offspring agreed with the statement 'the circumstances of my conception bother me' and that half expressed concerns or serious objections to donor conception itself, well over half (61 per cent) of donor offspring favour the practice and are far more likely than non-donor conceived adults to become donors themselves.

The findings also reported unease about payment for gametes with half the respondents being disturbed that money was involved in their conception. It also found that approximately two-thirds of respondents supported the right of donor-conceived offspring to obtain information about their biological father and to know his identity.

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Fertility Road Magazine launched across the UK and Europe

VIBRATION MEDIA UNVEIL GROUNDBREAKING MARKET-LEADING FERTILITY TITLE

Campaign media specialists VIBRATION MEDIA have just announced the launch of FERTILITY ROAD magazine, already installed as Europe’s number one fertility and pre-pregnancy title.

FERTILITY ROAD is a glossy, lifestyle-themed 68-page magazine designed to address the key issues surrounding female and male fertility, presented in a style and tone that is a world away from the stuffy, science-based material that dominates much of this subject area.

Issue One, launched at the end of April, 2010, comes with exclusive interview material from fertility expert Zita West, while model and actress Nancy Sorrell, wife of comedian Vic Reeves, is the cover star who, inside the magazine, talks in detail about her physical and emotional battles with IVF.

Other key features in the first issue include:

Misspent Youth… the real effects of alcohol, drugs and other vices
Man In The Mirror… the things men say about fertility, and the things they don’t
On The Fertility Road… travelling for treatment, the positives and the pitfalls
The Time Is Now… how to choose the right moment to start your family.

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IVF babies aborted 'after women change their minds about becoming a mother'

Dozens of women are aborting babies conceived by IVF because they have changed their minds about motherhood, figures suggest. Many are in their teens, twenties and early thirties, implying that numerous abortions were carried out for social reasons, rather than on health grounds. Relationship breakdowns, fears about motherhood and simple changes of heart are all likely to have played a part in the terminations.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority statistics, released by the IVF watchdog through the Freedom of Information Act, have angered family campaigners who accuse the women of treating babies like 'designer goods'. The revelation has also surprised fertility doctors who generally lose contact with patients after they become pregnant. Professor-Bill Ledger, a leading fertility doctor and member of the HFEA, said: 'I had no idea there were so many post-IVF abortions - and each one is a tragedy.'

He added: 'These women can't be surprised to be pregnant. You can't have an IVF pregnancy by accident.' The statistics show that an average of 80 abortions are carried out in England and Wales each year following IVF treatment. In 2007, the figure was as high as 97 - with almost a third of the women aged between 18 and 34.


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Zita West: Less stress to help conceive

For many couples, conception takes longer than you might think and one in six couples have problems conceiving. According to Britain's best-known midwife Zita West, the stress of it all can make conception even harder.
West has been baby guru to Hollywood A-listers such as Kate Winslet and Cate Blanchett as well as Sophie, Countess of Wessex. At her London clinic she takes an integrated approach to pregnancy and birth, combining sound medical advice with therapies and counselling. She has a reputation for getting amazing results with couples who are struggling to conceive, particularly those undergoing IVF.

Now, thanks to her new book, Zita West's Guide to Fertility and Assisted Conception, we can all benefit from her expertise. West says she interviewed "all the top doctors in the field of fertility and IVF" for the book. Their bottom line? "When you look at what is stopping people from getting pregnant," she says, "the common theme is stress."

Around 23 per cent of infertility cases are "unexplained". But West believes that around 80 per cent of these cases could be down to the wrong mindset.

This is an area of some clinical debate. After all, women conceive in war zones and famines. And surely the last thing any stressed couples need is to berate themselves for not being relaxed enough? West agrees. "You have to take the pressure off," she says. "And that's not easy."

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Researchers Develop Test to identify 'Best' Sperm

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have discovered a method to select sperm with the highest DNA integrity in a bid to improve male fertility. The method is comparable to that of the egg's natural selection abilities, according to the study published in the June/July issue of the Journal of Andrology.
"Our results could help address the fact that approximately 40 percent of infertility cases can be traced to male infertility," said the senior author of the study, Gabor Huszar, M.D., director of the Sperm Physiology Lab and senior research scientist in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at Yale.

Huszar said that past semen analysis focused on sperm concentration and motility. It was assumed that if a man had a high sperm count and active sperm, that he was fertile. But there was no information on the sperm's fertility or its ability to attach to its mark, the female gamete. In an ideal case, the egg naturally selects the optimal sperm, but during in-vitro fertilization treatment of men who had only a few sperm, clinicians did not know whether they were injecting the correct sperm into the egg for fertilization. "We have now found a biochemical marker of sperm fertility so that we can select sperm with high genetic integrity," Huszar said.



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Cool it, boys, if you want a baby

AVOID saunas and taking hot showers if you want to be a father. That is the frank advice to men from the fertility watchdog in its new guide to having babies published this week.
Men, whose fertility has fallen dramatically in recent years, should try to maximise the amount of sperm they produce by keeping themselves cool. The fall in sperm production has been linked to drinking alcohol.

Up to one in five healthy young men between the ages of 18 and 25 have abnormal sperm counts. Even the sperm they do produce is often of poor quality. In contrast, more than 90% of the sperm of a bull or a ram is normal.

The guide from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority advises men how to boost sperm production: “For maximum sperm production, the testes should be a couple of degrees cooler than the rest of your body. It may help to avoid tight-fitting clothing, saunas and hot showers.”

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