The UK's fertility regulator published a report last Thursday that it says indicates its success at reducing multiple births from fertility treatment by promoting elective single embryo transfer (eSET)....
The UK's House of Lords has voted for the first time on an amendment that, if passed, would have impeded the Government's power to abolish its fertility regulator. The amendment to the Public Bodies Bill, which said the cost-effectiveness of the Conservative-Lib Dem Government's abolition plans must be assessed first, was narrowly defeated...
A study of over 400,000 IVF treatment cycles in the UK has found a 'strong association' between the number of eggs retrieved prior to a woman undergoing IVF and live birth rate. The findings suggest that chances of a live birth increased with the number of eggs collected up to the number of 15, after which it began to decline....
US researchers claim women who give birth to twins live longer than those who give birth to single babies. They speculate that the ability to successfully birth twins reflects a general biological robustness in the health of these women. A twin pregnancy is known to be more taxing on the mother's body and therefore was not thought to be biologically advantageous....
A fertility clinic in Amsterdam has announced it is to offer egg freezing techniques on social grounds despite professional bodies recommending that the procedure be investigated further....
Screening for breast and prostate cancer based on genetic risk factors as well as age could reduce the number of people screened without a significant reduction in the number of cancers detected, a new study suggests....
US scientists have designed a genetic test which could predict how a patient with breast cancer responds to chemotherapy. Researchers say the test, which works for those with certain newly diagnosed forms of cancer, could help women avoid unnecessary chemotherapy....
This documentary is a follow up of the BBC3 series 'Love Me Love My Face', which first introduced the public to Jono Lancaster, 26, who suffers from Treacher-Collins syndrome. It followed Jono and Laura as they explored the idea of starting a family, and the consequences of Jono's genetic condition...
Comment
Discretion isn't the better part of regulation
by Ruth Saunders
The market for direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic tests has grown dramatically as more companies offer tests for disease susceptibility, carrier status and drug response. While ethical and policy debates surround the tests, they have remained largely unregulated...
My daddy's name is adoption
by Vince Londini
On November 2, 2010, Elizabeth Marquardt testified before the Australian Senate. Her remarks included this statement: 'But I also want to make clear that - even with openness - the problems [allegations that donor-conceived children are more prone to social and legal trouble] do not completely go away. There seems to be something else about knowing that the person who raised you also deliberately denied you your other parent before you were even born'...