The ovaries of adult mice contain egg-generating germ cells, scientists revealed at the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology's annual conference. The results have prompted hopes of a treatment for women with few eggs, such as those treated for cancer or nearing menopause. The discovery had been published in...
In the first experiment of its kind, researchers used human stem cells to treat rats affected by symptoms of Parkinson's disease. The results are promising, with a reduction in symptoms and the absence of side-effects experienced by other studies. The researchers, from Hadassah University hospital, Jerusalem, grew cloned human embryonic...
Some children with parents who smoke could have a higher risk of developing asthma due to their genetic make-up, according to a new German study. Researchers at the Children's University in Munich found that children of smokers, who had also inherited an altered version of the glutathione S transferase (GST...
American researchers have revealed that cloning causes abnormalities in resulting embryos, but they found no evidence of defects in those created by other assisted reproduction techniques. The researchers were trying to investigate concerns that assisted reproductive technologies increase the risk of the rare genetic disorders Beckwith-Wiedemann and Angelman syndromes. Drs...
The European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) has suggested that the recent expansion of the European Union (EU) could lead to a rise in UK and other western European couples travelling to eastern Europe for fertility treatment...
BioNews reporting from the ESHRE conference, Berlin: Danish researchers have reported that they are on the verge of producing a pregnancy from frozen-thawed human ovarian tissue, while in Belgium it transpires that a woman is already 25 weeks pregnant following similar treatment - the first time this treatment has ever led...
BioNews reporting from ESHRE conference, Berlin: A form of IVF in which a single sperm is injected directly into the egg appears to slow down the growth rate of the resulting female (but not male) early embryos, according to a new Dutch study. The scientists, based at the Academic Hospital...
BioNews reporting from ESHRE conference, Berlin:Research has revealed that a majority of parents who use embryo donation in order to have children decide not to tell their child about its origins. Fiona MacCallum, from the Family and Child Psychology Centre at City University, London, said that the number of...
BioNews reporting from ESHRE conference, Berlin: Couples at risk of having a child affected by a genetic disease could benefit from new, faster tests to detect gene mutations in IVF embryos, Australian scientists say. The research shows that 'gene chips' can be used to carry out preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD...
BioNews reporting from ESHRE conference, Berlin: A chemical that occurs naturally in the leaves of an African plant could help couples conceive, UK scientists say. The research, carried out at King's College London, shows that chemicals released into the blood after chewing khat leaves may improve the ability of sperm...
BioNews reporting from ESHRE conference, Berlin: According to a study undertaken by German researchers, current legislation in Germany is 'out of step' with public attitudes towards the use of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), egg donation and surrogacy. All of these assisted reproduction procedures are currently prohibited in Germany, but the...
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'Fertility tourism': risk or choice?
by Professor Kirsty Horsey
Last week, the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) released data on IVF and ICSI success rates across Europe. This showed, among other things, that fertility clinics in some eastern European countries that have recently joined the European Union have success rates equal to or better than those...