Drinking alcohol may reduce the severity of rheumatoid arthritis according to new research published today. It is the first time that this effect has been shown in humans. The study also finds that alcohol consumption reduces the risk of developing the disease, confirming the results of previous studies. The study which is published online today […]
2010
Revealed: the reasons why the MRC did not fund research that led to the birth of the world’s first test tube baby
Thirty-two years ago today, the world’s first baby was born after in vitro fertilisation. However, the work that led to the birth of Louise Brown on 25 July 1978 had to be privately funded after the UK’s Medical Research Council decided in 1971 against providing the Cambridge physiologist Robert Edwards and the Oldham gynaecologist Patrick […]
In vitro maturation: do eggs matured in the laboratory result in babies with Large Offspring Syndrome?
Rome, Italy: A review of studies of babies born after in vitro maturation (IVM) fertility treatment has suggested that they are more likely to be born larger than normal and to have more difficult births requiring more obstetric interventions such as caesareans. Authors of the literature review to be presented to the 26th annual meeting […]
New non-surgical treatment for uterine fibroids can improve quality of life and maintain fertility
NB: this is the subject of a news briefing by Dr. Alicia Armstrong at 09.15 hrs (CEST) on Wednesday 30 June [Hall 10, Room A] Rome, Italy: A new, effective, non-surgical treatment for uterine fibroids can help women with this condition maintain their fertility, an American scientist told the 26th annual meeting of the European […]
On-going pregnancy rates from vitrified eggs as good as those from fresh, finds randomised trial
Rome, Italy: Embryos derived from oocytes (eggs) cryopreserved by the vitrification method are just as likely to produce an on-going pregnancy as those involving fresh oocytes, the 26th annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology heard today. Dr. Ana Cobo, Cryobiology Unit director at Institut Universitari – IVI Valencia, Valencia, Spain, […]
Ovarian transplantation restores fertility to old mice and also lengthens their lives
Rome, Italy: Scientists have discovered that when they transplant ovaries from young mice into aging female mice, not only does the procedure make the mice fertile again, but also it rejuvenates their behaviour and increases their lifespan. The question now is: could ovarian transplants in women have the same effect? Dr Noriko Kagawa will tell […]
Drinking alcohol during pregnancy may damage semen quality in sons
NB: this is the subject of a news briefing by Dr Cecilia Ramlau-Hansen at 10.00 hrs (CEST) on Tuesday 29 June [Hall 10, Room A] Rome, Italy: Mothers who drink alcohol while they are pregnant may be damaging the fertility of their future sons, according to new research to be presented at the 26th annual […]
Researchers discover why some women are sub-fertile and have a poor response to ovarian stimulating hormones
NB: this is the subject of a news briefing by Dr Maria Lalioti at 10.00 hrs (CEST) on Tuesday 29 June [Hall 10, Room A] Rome, Italy: Researchers have discovered that some women carry a genetic variation that makes them sub-fertile and less likely to respond to ovarian stimulating hormones during fertility treatment. The discovery […]
Cheap and simple, non-invasive blood test could replace invasive diagnostic techniques in early pregnancy
NB: this is the subject of a news briefing by Dr Suzanna Frints at 10.00 hrs (CEST) on Tuesday 29 June [Hall 10, Room A] Rome, Italy: Researchers in The Netherlands believe they are on the verge of developing a simple, prenatal blood test that would be able to detect accurately chromosomal abnormalities in the […]
Overweight women undertaking ART twice as likely to miscarry as their slimmer counterparts
NB: this is the subject of a news briefing by Dr. Vivian Rittenberg at 11.45 hrs (CEST) on Monday 28 June [Hall 10, Room A] Rome, Italy: Being overweight leads to a greater risk of miscarriage for patients undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART), the 26th annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and […]