Australian court rules no barrier to IVF treatment for sex offender

28 May 2013 By Antony Blackburn-Starza Appeared in BioNews 706 A court in the state of Victoria, Australia, has allowed a previously convicted sex offender and his partner to have access to IVF treatment. ABY, a former teacher's aide, was convicted in 2009 of sexual offences against a 16-year old girl with learning difficulties who was under his care. He received a custodial sentence, with part of it suspended, and was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 15 years. He was released from prison in 2010 having served one year of the sentence. Shortly after his release, ABY and his partner, ABZ, made an application for IVF treatment, but it was initially refused (reported in BioNews 615). Under the Assisted Reproductive Treatment Act 2008, if a criminal record check reveals that charges have been proven against a women or her partner for a sexual offence, there is a presumption against providing treatment. Their application was, however, allowed on appeal. The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) came to hear to case again after it the case was appealed up to the Court of Appeal, which sent it back to the VCAT last year saying the wrong legal test had been used in the previous decision to allow the couple access to treatment (reported in BioNews 679). The Court of Appeal had said the VCAT should look at the best interests of any resulting child, and had focused too heavily on the risks of reoffending. After hearing the case again in March 2013, the VCAT ruled that there was no barrier to IVF treatment. It said: 'After considering all of the potential risk factors together with the mitigating and protective factors, we have decided that there is no barrier to treatment'. The court heard evidence that ABY had undergone a treatment program for sex offenders and had greater insight into his past conduct, acknowledging the harm caused to the victim. It also found that ABY and ABZ were happily married and ABY's alcohol consumption, which was considered a possible risk factor, had reduced to moderate levels. Furthermore, the court said that ABY and ABZ have an extensive and supportive family network. It said: 'We conclude that to the extent we have found that there are identifiable or established risk factors, that there is no real risk of harm to a child to be born to ABY and ABZ as should constitute a barrier to treatment'. Article: 28th May 2013 http://www.bionews.org.uk/ Read more about IVF and sperm donation at www.prideangel.com

Considering co-parenting or using a known donor? How counsellors may hep

There are many issues to consider for parents considering conceiving with a known donor or co-parent. With a minefield of information to navigate, parents can be left asking: what do we need to know? How do we set things up? How do we avoid problems in the future? Where conception takes place at a fertility clinic, counsellors can play a key role in answering these questions. In the light of the recent landmark decision on known sperm donation, BICA – the association for UK fertility counsellors – asked NatalieGambleAssociates (NGA) to give some guidance on what fertility counsellors need to know about the law on known donation, to help them do their job effectively. Nicola Scott's recent article in the BICA journal gives an overview of UK law and the implications of the case, and explains how early intervention by fertility counsellors can shape known donor arrangements positively by encouraging parents and donors to iron out potential issues and mismatched expectations at an early stage. You can read the full article here NatalieGambleAssociates advise parents on a wide spectrum of arrangements by clarifying not only the legal issues but also the practical aspects which are all too often overshadowed. Please see our donor conception pages for more information, or contact us to discuss your arrangement and options here Article: www.nataliegambleassiciates.co.uk

Five surprising ways to boost your fertility

Infertility is a growing issue in North America, one that’s often seen as only a women’s problem. We had the chance to speak with Dr. Victoria Maizes, the executive director of the University of Arizona’s Center for Integrative Medicine and author of Be Fruitful, The Essential Guide to Maximizing Fertility and Giving Birth to a Healthy Child, about surprising ways women (and men) may be able to boost their fertility. And though we know there’s no quick-fix, we hope these ideas will provide a bit of insight into boosting your chances: 1. Switch to whole milk Put down the skinny decaf lattes and order yourself a whole milk one instead. "When women consume whole milk products, they are more fertile and more likely to conceive and less likely to have what's called ovulatory infertility, the most common cause of infertility, than when they do non- or low-fat," says Dr. Maizes. Why? One reason Dr. Maizes explains in her book is, "To prepare low- and non-fat dairy, whole milk is spun at high speeds to separate the fat from the water. Hormones separate differently according to their preference for fat. Estrogen and progesterone prefer fat, so that when milk is being separated, those hormones go into that layer. Androgens, insulin-like growth factor one (IGF-1), prolactin, and male hormones prefer the watery layer - hence a glass of low-fat milk gives you more male hormones and fewer female hormones." If you're not a milk drinker however, whole milk cheeses, yogurts and ice creams can also be an option. 2. Get your man to take a multivitamin Been taking your multivitamin with folic acid? Good work. But how about your partner? "About one third of the fertility problems are male, about one third are female and about one third are the combination of men and women," notes Dr. Maizes. "But it turns out men are four times as likely to impregnate their partner if they're taking a multivitamin." According to Be Fruitful, in a 2010 meta-analysis looking at 34 studies of more than 2,800 couples in fertility treatment, those men who took antioxidants were not only four times more likely to impregnate their partners but the rate of live birth was also five times higher. She notes that the antioxidants used in the studies included vitamins C and E, zinc, folic acid, and selenium. 3. Consider yoga…or swimming, or walking "With physical activity, you really have to be moderate," she says. "We have data from a number of very large trials that shows that if you are are vigorously exercising, it's going to reduce your ability to conceive a child. This is a time to take it back a notch and walk instead of run or try a more restorative, rather than vigorous yoga." She notes in the book: "A survey of almost four thousand women showed that increasing the frequency, duration, or intensity of physical activity was associated with increased difficulty in conceiving. Women who exercised on most days had a 3.2 times higher risk of being infertile, while women who at any point exercised to exhaustion had a 2.3 times increased risk. These findings were independent of age, smoking, or BMI, and suggest that intensive exercise can interfere with a woman's fertility." 4. Lose weight However, if you're obese (Health Canada characterizes obesity as having a body mass index or BMI over 30), exercise could increase your fertility. "Obese women have more trouble conceiving and exercise is helpful in regulating insulin levels and helping reduce obesity. As women lose weight, their fertility increases," says Dr. Maizes. Noting the mixed messaging, Dr. Maizes writes: "The relationship between women's fertility and exercise is complicated. Moderate exercise is recommended, and probably helps; extreme exercise could impair conception. For an overweight woman, exercise is particularly important as part of her weight-loss plan and enhances fertility." 5. Measure your alcohol While there are mixed results looking at alcohol and fertility, Dr. Maizes notes that in the Nurses' Health Study - a study of 238,000 nurses that began in 1976 and was then later expanded in 1989 - "showed a positive association of ovulatory infertility in women who drank one or more drinks a day; less than one drink per day had no negative effect. One drink is defined as 0.6 ounces of pure alcohol. This is equivalent to 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, 8 ounces of malt liquor, or 1.5 ounces or a ‘shot’ of 80-proof distilled liquor." Article: 23rd May 2013 www.ca.news.yahoo.com

Improve your chance of having a baby by avoiding selfish men

The new "Get Britain Fertile" campaign features a photograph of presenter Kate Garraway, made up to look elderly and pregnant. Her wrinkles and white hair juxtaposed with a fecund belly illustrate the main thrust of the campaign – to make British women aware of the decline in fertility by their 30s and 40s. However, is there a grown woman left in Britain who's not already aware of this? Moreover, when are we, as a society, going to address a painful truth: that where timing is concerned, female fertility is not, as is often supposed, controlled exclusively by women, but also very much in the power of the men they are with? There's much that's well intentioned about GBF. It claims to be aimed at both men and women. Garraway, an ambassador for the campaign, says she feels fortunate to have had children relatively late, and wants women to make "informed choices". However, GBF taps into the culture of misogyny surrounding female fertility. It feeds the urban myth of women "refusing" to have children because of careers, partying, or holding out for Leonardo DiCaprio. These delusional "picky" females have been figments of the collective imagination for so long they need to be dusted down. Indeed, GBF is accompanied by a survey, stating that many women aged 18-46 are concerned about practicalities: ranging from loss of earnings and workplace inflexibility, to childcare costs and housing. All crucial issues, but for the purpose of this article, let's look at the third of women who say they want children but haven't yet found the right partner. In my opinion that one-third is an underestimate. Even not finding the right man often turns out to be a euphemism for: "I met him, I spent years with him, but ultimately, he wouldn't have children." Put bluntly, many of these women at their fertile peak didn't refuse anything, their men did. Like it or not, this is how men influence female fertility and, ultimately, female infertility. The mere thought is enough to inspire feminist panic: women, not men, should control their fertility. Who could disagree? It's also true that some women don't want children, period. And yet how many of us have met (or even been) the thirty-fortysomething, forced to abandon a long relationship because the man wouldn't start a family? Such men may feel that the relationship isn't right, or don't want their freedom curtailed, or other reasons, all as valid as a woman making similar decisions. It only becomes unfair, verging on selfish, when men keep such insights to themselves for too long. These are the time-wasters, what I'd term the fertility-drifters, who think nothing of keeping women dangling for years on end. It's not that these women are pathetic wimps, rather that often they can't win: if they push, they're pushy (humiliating); if they don't push, if they're respectful and patient, they'll waste even more time. Frequently, these men go on to start families with younger women, leaving their original partners scouring dating sites, lampooned as desperadoes on the hunt for viable sperm. Some might say: "Diddums, that's life." Fine, so long as we acknowledge that this is something many women put up with during their fertile years, and that to castigate them is unfair. Sometimes it's not women who are picky, it's men. Ergo, such men should at least be part of the ongoing debate about late female procreation. After all, a stalled relationship at the wrong time with an immature, untruthful, or simply unwilling, man, is enough to compromise or even destroy a woman's fertility. If the GBF campaign really is aimed at both sexes, perhaps they need to include a photograph of a man with the caption: "Play fair and, by the way, sperm deteriorates too." Meanwhile, women may need another mantra – don't let anyone waste your precious time. Read more... Article: 19th May 2013 www.guardian.co.uk

Are you soon to be a new gay or lesbian parent?

I’m Adam and currently working on the second series of the prime time show Don’t Just Stand There….I’m Having Your baby which airs on BBC3 at 9pm. Last series, first time Dads-to-be were shown how to be more supportive during their partner’s pregnancy and during the birth itself. In one to one sessions with a fully trained midwife, the Dads were taught about many aspects of pregnancy and labour including cervical dilation, pain relief, massage, breathing techniques and birthing positions. They were also given practical home work like wearing an empathy belly, looking after a robotic baby and watching a birthing video. We wanted to help him become the perfect birthing partner for Mum and make the whole experience more positive than petrifying! Last year we worked closely with the Royal College of Midwives in the making of this series and they were very pleased with the result. The first series was very successful and the Dads we filmed found the experience both positive and rewarding as they became more equipped to deal with the arrival of their little ones. This series we would love to meet and speak with gay and lesbian couples who are currently on the journey into parenthood. I would really like to hear your story and find out, as a first time parent, what this means to you and also how we could help. If you have any questions and fancy a chat about the series please feel free to call me on 0208 008 4901 or email me on adam.lonergan@bbc.co.uk. Thanks for your time and hopefully speak soon. Adam. Article: 21st May 2013 www.prideangel.com

Most exciting new breakthrough in IVF treatment for 30 years

Thousands of infertile couples could benefit from a new IVF procedure that can dramatically improve the success rate of having a baby through artificial reproduction. Scientists believe they can double or even triple the proportion of healthy babies born as a result fertility treatment with a relatively simple technique that takes a series of time-lapse photographs of the developing IVF embryos. On average only about 24 per cent of IVF embryos implanted into women in the UK lead to live births but the researchers believe this could be increased to 78 per cent using the new technique for selecting the best embryos. I believe it is the most exciting breakthrough we've had in probably 30 years,” said Professor Simon Fishel, managing director of the CARE Fertility Group, where the technique was developed. “Every IVF practice in the world is unintentionally and unwittingly putting back into the womb unviable embryos that don't make babies,” Professor Fishel said. “We hope to see a paradigm shift in terms of IVF. It's a game changer for everybody to have such an uplift in live birth rates. This is the beginning of something revelatory,” he said Each year, licensed clinics in Britain carry out about 60,000 IVF treatments but most of them end in failure, causing immense emotional upset to couples, many of whom have paid between £5,000 and £10,000 for each treatment cycle. The new procedure, which costs £750, identifies the best embryos to be implanted into the womb based on the time it has taken to develop between two key stages in the early life-cycle of the embryo. Thousands of time-lapse pictures are taken during the first few days of an IVF embryo's life and these are used to identify the time between the first appearance of the fluid-filled cavity, called the blastula, and the final moment before the embryo “hatches” from its protective shell. Scientists have discovered that when this period lasts longer than about six hours, the IVF embryo is likely to be carrying an abnormal number of chromosomes, called aneuploidy, which will lead to a failure of the pregnancy. A preliminary study, published in the journal Reproductive Medicine Online and based on a retrospective analysis of 88 IVF embryos of 69 couples, found that the time-lapse technique could have improved the success rate of life births in this particular group of patients from 39 per cent to 61 per cent. Even better success rates can be expected once the procedure is refined and applied to the wider population of infertile couples seeking IVF treatment, Professor Fishel said. “Our work has shown that we can easily classify embryos into low or high risk of being chromosomally abnormal. This is important because in itself this is the largest single cause of IVF failure and miscarriage,” he said. “The beauty of this technology is that the information is provided by a non-invasive process. So far we have seen a 56 per cent uplift compared to conventional technology, giving our patients the equivalent to a 78 per cent live-birth rate,” he added. Normally, IVF embryos in an incubator are checked manually each day by embryologists but the time-lapse cameras are able to do this automatically by taking pictures every 10 minutes without interfering with embryo development, said Alison Campbell, embryology director at Care Fertility in Nottingham, who developed the computer algorithm controlling the analysis. “With time-lapse we have the ability to view more than 5,000 images over the same time period to observe and measure more closely each stage of division and growth. As a result of continuous monitoring we have demonstrated that delays at defined points indicate abnormal development,” Ms Campbell said. Martin Johnson, a fertility expert and editor of the journal where the work is published, said further “prospective” studies comparing the technique to existing methods of embryo selection are still needed before the procedure is recommended as standard treatment. “There are caveats with this research….and for these reasons we have to be cautious,” he said. Sue Avery, director of Birmingham Women's Fertility Centre, said: “Unfortunately the study does not compare this exciting new approach with standard practise in embryology in which embryologists already look for the best embryos to place in the womb. Until the new technique is compared to current practise we cannot know whether different embryos are being chosen.” Egg timing: Key stages The developing embryo (image one, above) goes through two key stages when the fluid-filled cavity or “blastula” first forms (image two) and when the blastula is fully formed before the embryo “hatches” (image three). The time between the two is used to judge whether the embryo is viable, with no defects in chromosome numbers. If the period is longer than six hours, the embryo is at high risk of abnormal chromosomes, which will inevitably lead to complications. Time-lapse photographs can indicate which embryos have a shorter time-period between these two points, and so which embryos are best for implantation into the womb. Article: 17th May 2013 www.independent.co.uk Read more about IVF and alternatives to IVF at www.prideangel.com

Testosterone pills may affect fertility by reducing sperm count

Testosterone supplements are touted as a cure for low libido, but men who take them may reduce their odds of fathering a child, new research suggests. Many men who sought infertility treatment at two U.S. clinics reported taking prescription testosterone supplements, according to a new study. And in most cases their sperm counts skyrocketed after they stopped taking the male hormone. The study, limited to a pair of clinics in Alabama and Kansas, looked at the years 2005 to 2011. The researchers don't know if testosterone supplements, which continue to gain popularity, are contributing to even more cases of infertility now. Nor is it clear whether the hormone is harming fertility across the nation. Still, the research suggests that testosterone spells trouble for many American men who want to have children, said study co-author Dr. Peter Kolettis, a professor of urology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "This has become a preventable cause of infertility." Use of testosterone supplements -- or "T" -- is rapidly rising in the United States, and some observers think usage will remain inflated as more men see it as a possible cure for fatigue and flagging sex drive. Critics, however, question whether testosterone treatment is being prescribed to men who don't need it. "More men are coming into [doctors'] offices asking for testosterone because they've seen the advertisements, and it looks like the fountain of youth: It will reduce fat, make them look sexier," said Dr. Bradley Anawalt, an endocrinologist and chief of medicine service at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, who was not involved in the study. But testosterone can cause side effects such as male breast growth and blood clots. And "very few physicians are warning that it will turn off their sperm production," Anawalt said. Adding testosterone to the body through supplementation spurs a process that impedes sperm production, Anawalt said. "Men struggling with fertility should not be on testosterone," he said. "[But] this is not something that most physicians or patients are thinking about." The study, presented Wednesday at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association in San Diego, aimed to find out how many infertile men take the supplements despite the risks. The researchers examined medical records of more than 1,500 men with an average age of 35 who sought fertility treatment at the two clinics. Seven percent of the men were taking supplemental testosterone prescribed by a physician. The study focused on 34 men who agreed to stop using the hormone supplements. Overall, the sperm counts of most patients bounced back. Average sperm concentration in semen jumped from 1.8 million per milliliter to 34 million per milliliter after supplemental testosterone was discontinued. But the sperm counts of six of the 34 patients didn't recover. Testosterone treatments normally don't hurt fertility permanently, and it's not clear if they played a role in the men's continued infertility. The study also did not prove a direct cause-and-effect relationship between testosterone supplements and lowered sperm count. Anawalt said it typically takes between one and six months for a man's sperm count to recover after he stops using a testosterone supplement. Kolettis, the study co-author, said certain men should avoid testosterone supplements. "I tell men not to take it until they're done having their own biological children," he said. The supplemental testosterone in question is prescription-only, and unrelated to over-the-counter supplements marketed to increase testosterone production. Data and conclusions presented at meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal. Article: 10th May 2013 www.men.webmd.com Test your sperm count using Fertilcount Male Fertility Test at www.prideangel.com