Wednesday 26 March 2008

Premature birth risks

We've always known that there were many short-term risks for babies born prematurely, but new research suggests that some of these health risks may carry on into adulthood.

This may be of particular interest to anyone going through fertility treatment, as the question of whether to put one or two embryos back is often a difficult one for patients. Of course, everyone wants the best possible chance of getting pregnant, but at the same time, the risks associated with multiple pregnancy cannot be denied.

Prematurity is the greatest danger for twins and triplets, and this new research suggests that those born before 37 weeks may face long term complications throughout their lives even if they don't seem to have any immediate problems. The teams from Duke University Medical School and Bergen University found that the earlier you are born, the higher those health risks will be.

You can read more about the study at www.dukemednews.org

Tuesday 25 March 2008

Using the pill in IVF

The idea of using contraceptive pills as part of an IVF treatment cycle may sound bizarre, but a team at Tel Aviv University have found that taking the pill can give more control over the timing of treatment.

It's often difficult to manage treatment because it isn't clear when each stage is likely to occur, or even exactly when you will be able to start an IVF cycle. If you're trying to arrange it around your job, this can make things particularly tough.

The Israeli study involved 1,800 women, and researchers gave them the pill at the point when they'd normally have started treatment as this apparently enabled them to control the timings more precisely.

I'm still not entirely clear whether this was just because it enabled them to pinpoint when they'd start treatment more accurately, or whether there was some additional benefit, but if you want to know more, you can see further details of the research here

Folic acid for men

New research suggests it's not just women who should be taking folic acid when they're trying to conceive, but also their male partners.

A team at the University of California found that men who had high levels of folic acid also had sperm with a good genetic quality, which meant their partners were less likely to be carrying babies with genetic problems.

The team admit that more research is needed in this area before all men are advised to start taking folic acid supplements if they are hoping to become fathers, but it does support the growing belief that diet can play a role in sperm quality.

There's certainly no harm to be done in making sure you both eat a healthy diet if you're trying to conceive, and this research suggests it could make a real difference. You can read more about the research here

Monday 17 March 2008

Sperm for tickets

The shortage of sperm donors causes problems for many fertility patients, but apparently a novel project aimed at helping to solve the problem in Ireland was so overwhelmed with volunteers that it couldn't cope and has had to close.

The aim of this pilot scheme was to offer anyone who was willing to become a sperm donor free tickets to the European music festival of their choice, which would be paid for by fertility clinics. However, the website offering the deal was swamped with men wanting sperm donation packs, and the scheme had to be put in hold.

It wasn't entirely clear from the details I read how the samples were to be screened, or what information about the donors was to be kept, but it does raise interesting questions about how we recruit sperm donors, and whether schemes like this may be a way to generate interest at the very least.

The website itself is now closed to new donors, but you can have a look at it at www.spermfortickets.com

(PS If you're interested in this, read the comments below - the sperm for tickets scheme wasn't ever functional, although many men did try to register - perhaps there's a lesson to be learnt here about how to recruit more donors!)

Thursday 13 March 2008

New drug for male infertility

Trials have been carried out in Australia of a new drug for male infertility called Menevit, which researchers believe can help men who have abnormal sperm.

The drug is an anti-oxidant, and works on the theory that sperm are often damaged by free radicals and that taking an anti-oxidant can help. Initial trials showed an increased pregnancy rate when the drug was used for male factor problems, but more clinical trials will be carried out before the drug becomes widely available.

The drug has been developed by Repromed, and you can find details on their website

Wednesday 12 March 2008

National No Smoking Day

I know there's nothing worse than a reformed smoker, but just in case it has escaped your notice, today is National No Smoking Day and anyone trying to have a baby, or even thinking about trying, ought to be thinking about trying to stop smoking, too.

It's not easy when it may seem you're being told to give up everything you enjoy in order to achieve something you don't seem to be able to get, but smoking really does make a huge difference to your fertility. It can affect both male and female fertility, and even the partner of a smoker is at risk.

I always used to say I'd give up the moment I got pregnant, but what I didn't realise was how much harder I was going to find it to get pregnant if I carried on smoking. In fact, I finally managed to give up six months before my second IVF cycle, and it may not be entirely unconnected that I got pregnant. Women who smoke are twice as likely to have fertility problems as non-smokers, and one study has suggested smoking could reduce your reproductive life by ten years.

Giving up can be tough, but there is help at hand on the National No Smoking Day website

Tuesday 11 March 2008

Warnings about home testing

A new guide out today warns of the dangers of the wide range of home tests for medical conditions now on the market. Apparently some are not properly researched, and scientists have concerns that patients may not be aware of the limitations of their results.

In the fertility field, the only home test available used to be the home pregnancy test. Now, you can buy an ovulation prediction kit, a home test for your ovarian reserve and even tests for sexually transmitted diseases which may affect your fertility. Although these tests can prove very useful, it is true that they do all have limitations and the results should always be taken with a degree of caution.

An ovulation test may show a rise in hormones, but doesn't prove that an egg has been released from the ovary. Using an ovarian reserve test to check your fertility if you want to know how late you can leave it to have a baby may show that you have a good supply of eggs, but it won't indicate other fertility problems.

The new guide has been produced by the charity Sense about Science along with the Association of Clinical Biochemistry, the PHG Foundation and the Royal College of Pathologists. You can read more about it here

Friday 7 March 2008

A tribute to Elizabeth Bryan

I was sad to hear of the recent death of Elizabeth Bryan from pancreatic cancer. She was a paediatrician and a founder of the Multiple Births Foundation, which is the leading source of information and advice on multiple births, and has helped many of those who find themselves pregnant with more than one baby after fertility treatment,

I had come into contact with Elizabeth Bryan when she wrote her incredibly moving memoir, Singing the Life , about the impact of living with an inherited cancer gene on her entire family. She pulls no punches describing the effect pancreatic cancer and treatment had on her own life. What is truly incredible about her book is that it somehow manages to be uplifting and inspiring, despite the subject matter. We exchanged emails when the book was published, and somehow discovered that we'd both been on holiday to the same little town in Northern Italy at exactly the same time the year before, I often wondered whether I might have walked past her in the street without knowing who she was.

What has any of this got to do with a blog about fertility, you may be wondering. Well, Elizabeth Bryan may have spent most of her life surrounded by children, but she was unable to have any of her own. She writes very openly about this in her memoir, and about the sadness it caused her, and I think anyone who has experience of fertility problems would find it a moving read, The book was due to be published in paperback at some point this year, so look out for it - or buy the hardback now. It will be money well spent.

Tuesday 4 March 2008

Night work and fertility

I read an interesting article about night work at the weekend, and was fascinated to discover that there had been questions about possible effects of working nights on your fertility.

I spent two years working nights on a breakfast news programme, and although I loved the job, I found the hours unbearable and often wondered what effect it was having on my body. The most difficult thing was the constant changes to your body clock from working four nights a week, and then having three nights off when you tried to get back to normal again. We used to joke that it was like commuting weekly to Australia.

Apparently studies have linked night work to increased risk of cardiac illness, gastro-intestinal problems and possible reproductive problems, as well as the more commonly recognised impaired judgement and concentration that occurs when you're trying to work when most people are fast asleep.

If your job involves shift work you may want to read the article on The Guardian website

Monday 3 March 2008

Laboratory-made eggs and sperm

It may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but medical advances mean that we could soon be able to create viable human eggs and sperm in the laboratory. In fact, it is such a realistic prospect that Progress Educational Trust held an open meeting to discuss the issues it raises.

There's something about the way we think of sperm and eggs that is very different to the way we might think about other human cells, and we're many ethical debates away from a world where lab-made gametes will be used routinely in fertility clinics. However, there are undoubtedly people who could be helped by these developments, such as women who have had an early menopause or same sex couples who would be be able to have their own genetic child,

Anyone who wants to know more about this may be interested in reading a summary of the Progress Educational Trust meeting held in Newcastle just a few weeks ago here