The truth about the male biological clock

If you're a man, worried about whether you've left it too late to have a baby with all the recent reports about the male biololgical clock, you may be interested in an informative piece from The Observer on the subject - see www.guardian.co.uk to take a look

Placebo acupuncture best for IVF

A fascinating new study has found that using a placebo for acupuncture in IVF patients increases the pregnancy rate. The researchers from the University of Hong Kong compared the pregnancy rates of patients undergoing acupuncture and those having a placebo instead. It found that the rates were markedly higher for the group who had the placebo treatment.

There is endless debate about acupuncture and IVF, and a whole host of studies with evidence supporting either side of the argument. This new research, published in the journal Human Reproduction, is an interesting new angle on the subject. You can find more at www.eshre.com

Ovary transplant success

The birth of the first baby born after a complete ovary transplant must offer hope to women who have been through an early menopause. The baby was born to a woman in her late thirties who had an ovary from her twin sister transplanted into her body after she went through a premature menopause.

The female biological clock is largely related to egg quality and quantity, and once this is in decline there is little that can be done to reverse it. The fact that the female body is still capable of maintaining a pregnancy after this stage can be illustrated by the fact that egg donation pregnancies are successful in women in their forties and fifties. However, this is the first pregnancy after an entire ovary has been transplanted and shows that a transplanted ovary can ovulate successfully.

You can read more here

New measures to recruit sperm donors

Finally, a call for measures to recruit more sperm donors... Anyone who needs treatment with donor sperm in the UK will be only too aware of the shortage of
donors here. It's often blamed on the removal of anonymity, although some say it has just as much to do with the lack of time and effort clinics have put into recruitment.

Now, the British Fertility Society has highlighted the problem, and is calling for new measures to encourage the recruitment of donors and to reduce waiting lists. The expert group suggests sperm sharing schemes could be considered, where couples who need fertility treatment could be offered it more cheaply if the male partner donates some sperm. They have also suggested that the limit on the number of children born from an individual's donation could be increased. You can read more about their proposals at www.britishfertilitysociety.org.uk