Press releases from Human Reproduction - 2020

Health of fathers-to-be is linked to risk of pregnancy loss

More than a quarter of pregnancies might be ectopic or end in miscarriage or stillbirth if the father-to-be is unhealthy and has three or more medical conditions such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels.

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Tanning beds and sunbathing may be associated with an increased risk of endometriosis

Tanning beds and sunbathing not only increase a woman’s chances of developing malignant melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, but may also be linked to a greater risk of developing endometriosis, according to new research.

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PCOS is linked to increased risk of neuropsychiatric disorders in offspring

Children born to mothers with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are at greater risk of a wide range of psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders, according to new research published in Human Reproduction, one of the world’s leading reproductive medicine journals.

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Breast cancer drug, olaparib, depletes store of immature eggs in mouse ovaries - Fertility preservation counselling should be considered for young women before treatment with the drug, say researchers

Australian researchers have shown for the first time that a new drug used to treat breast cancer patients damages the store of immature eggs in the ovaries of mice.

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Embryo vitrification is safe but longer storage reduces chances of pregnancy success

Freezing and storing embryos during fertility treatment using a technique called vitrification is safe, although women are less likely to become pregnant and have a live birth the longer the embryos are stored, according to new research published in Human Reproduction, one of the world’s leading reproductive medicine journals.

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Benzodiazepine use before conception is linked to increased risk of ectopic pregnancy

Women who use a class of tranquilisers called benzodiazepines before becoming pregnant are at greater risk of ectopic pregnancies, according to a study of nearly 1.7 million women. The study, which is published in Human Reproduction, one of the world’s leading reproductive medicine journals, found that the risk of an ectopic pregnancy, where the embryo starts developing outside the womb, usually in a fallopian tube, was 50% higher in women who had filled out a prescription for benzodiazepines in the 90 days before conception.

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What are your chances of having a second IVF baby after fertility treatment for the first?

Women have a good chance of having a second child with the help of fertility treatment after the birth of their first child born this way, according to the first study to investigate this, published today in Human Reproduction, one of the world’s leading reproductive medicine journals.

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Psychiatric disorders after first birth reduce likelihood of subsequent children

Women who suffer from psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, mania and schizophrenia following the live birth of their first child are less likely to go on to have more children, according to the first study to investigate this in a large nationwide population.

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Europe moves towards complete statutory regulation of assisted reproduction but large variations still exist in how the legislation is applied

Although assisted reproduction is now controlled by legislation in almost all European countries, substantial variations exist within the detail of that legislation. The most complete survey ever of the legal and funding framework of 43 European countries has found that almost all of them (with the exceptions of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ireland, Romania and Ukraine) now have specific legislation in place. However, while there is some shift towards homogeneity in a growing number of jurisdictions (such as the removal of donor anonymity in sperm and egg donation, or the treatment of single and lesbian women), Europe remains a patchwork of local legislations in how its main fertility treatments are controlled and made available to the public.

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Premature menopause increases the risk of multiple health problems in your 60s

Women who experience premature menopause are almost three times more likely to develop multiple, chronic medical problems in their 60s compared to women who went through the menopause at the age of 50 or 51. These are the findings from a study of 5107 women who were part of a national study of 11,258 Australian women, aged 45-50 years in 1996 and who were followed until 2016.  Read more >