Stress reduces fertility in women

image credit: fertilityroad.com

In North America, 20 to 25 percent of women and 18 to 21 percent of men of reproductive age report daily psychological stress. Although previous research has suggested that stress can decrease the odds of conception, few studies have examined this association among couples from the general population.

Now, a new study led by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researchers finds higher levels of stress are associated with lower odds of conception for women, but not for men.

The study was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

"Although this study does not definitely prove that stress causes infertility, it does provide evidence supporting the integration of mental health care in preconception guidance and care," says BUSPH doctoral student Amelia Wesselink, the study's lead author.

The researchers used data from the Pregnancy Study Online (PRESTO), an ongoing preconception cohort of North American pregnancy planners that follows couples for 12 months or until pregnancy, whichever comes first. For the new study, the researchers followed 4,769 women and 1,272 men who did not have a history of infertility and had not been trying to conceive for more than six menstrual cycles.

Removal of ovary for fertility preservation found safe in girls as young as five months

image credit: consultqd.clevelandclinic.org

In the first publication from the U.S. on surgical techniques and outcomes of single ovary removal for fertility preservation in girls, surgeons from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago report that the procedure caused no complications and can be performed laparoscopically, on an outpatient basis, without delaying treatment for cancer or other therapies posing high risk of infertility. They present experience with 64 girls, aged 12 years on average, with the youngest only 5 months old at the time of surgery. Their findings were published in the Journal of Pediatric Surgery.

"We describe the unique technical nuances of removing a tiny ovary without damaging it, since it needs to be preserved in the purest form for future transplantation when the patient is ready to pursue pregnancy," says lead author Erin Rowell, MD, Director of the Fertility and Hormone Preservation and Restoration Program at Lurie Children's and Associate Professor of Surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

How Melatonin Is Useful In Fertility?

childrens.com

What is Melatonin?

Melatonin, the sleep wake hormone is secreted from pineal gland in the brain. It regulates circadian rhythms, has also been shown to exhibit unique oxygen scavenging abilities.

What are Reactive oxygen species ROS?

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are chemically reactive chemical species containing oxygen. These are formed inside as a natural by-product of the normal metabolism of oxygen and have important role in homeostasis. Free oxygen radicals are created when oxygen is utilised in metabolic processes. These radicals contain ‘free’ valence electrons, making them highly reactive, capable of causing injury to cells.

What is the role of ROS in infertility?

While ROS are necessary for essential physiological processes, an overabundance can result in cellular damage, commonly referred to as ‘oxidative stress’. ‘Oxidative stress’, can have a negative impact on the success of infertility treatments though alteration of gamete biology.

Stem cell therapy may help reverse effects of premature menopause, restore fertility

image credit: mitochondrialdiseasenews.com

Young women with premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) may be able to use their own bone marrow stem cells to rejuvenate their ovaries and avoid the effects of premature menopause, new research suggests. The preliminary results from the ongoing ROSE clinical trial will be presented Tuesday at ENDO 2018, the 100th annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, in Chicago, Ill.

"In the two participants who have completed the treatment to date, serum estrogen levels have increased as soon as 3 months after the injection of stem cells, and the effect has lasted for at least one year. Their menopausal symptoms have been alleviated, and six months after the injection of the stem cells into the ovaries, they have resumed menses," said senior author Ayman Al-Hendy, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Gynecology and Director of Translational Research at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

The researchers plan to enroll 33 participants in their clinical trial. For the two patients who have undergone the procedure so far, they collected each woman's own mesenchymal stem cells from her posterior iliac crest bone marrow and used minimally invasive laparoscopy to inject the cells into one ovary, keeping the second, untreated, ovary as a control. The authors followed the patients closely with frequent blood work, imaging of the ovaries, menopausal symptom questionnaires, and safety studies.

Now that both women's estrogen levels have increased significantly and they have begun to menstruate, the research team looks forward to the possibility that they may again become fertile.

"Ultrasound imaging of treated ovaries shows significant size increase in the treated ovaries compared to the contralateral untreated ovaries. In the cases completed so far, the patients have tolerated the treatment very well with no complications or side effects," Al-Hendy said.

The ovaries produce hormones and eggs typically until menopause in the early fifties, when they stop working. About 1 percent of women have POI, and some are as young as in their teens, the authors wrote in their abstract.

With POI, the ovaries stop working and the women enter early menopause. They lose the ability to menstruate, ovulate and have children using their own eggs, and they may be at increased risk for menopausal symptoms including hot flushes, night sweets, mood swings and vaginal dryness, and for cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis-related fracture and earlier cognitive function decline, Al-Hendy said.

The authors are currently enrolling new participants with the goal of following more patients for a longer period.

Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180318144839.htm

Fertility breakthrough: New research could extend egg health with age

Credit: Courtesy of the researchers/Princeton University

"Women have been told for years that if they don't have children before their mid-30s, they may not be able to. But a new study from Princeton University's Coleen Murphy has identified a drug that extends egg viability in worms, even when taken midway through the fertile window, which could theoretically extend women's fertility by three to six years. Her work appears in the current issue of the journal Current Biology.

"One of the most important characteristics of aging is the loss of reproductive ability in mid-adulthood," said Murphy, a professor of molecular biology and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics. "As early as the mid-30s, women start to experience declines in fertility, increased rates of miscarriage and maternal age-related birth defects. All of these problems are thought to be caused by declining egg quality, rather than a lack of eggs."

When she reviewed the literature on aging and on reproductive health about a decade ago, she discovered that this particular question -- how to maintain egg quality with age -- had been overlooked by researchers from both fields. "It's really why we started this," she said. "They were missing something that's really important to a lot of people. We just wondered whether we could do anything to contribute to that."

Murphy, who is also the director of the Paul F. Glenn Laboratories for Aging Research at Princeton, specializes in using a microscopic worm, Caenorhabditis elegans, to study longevity. These worms have many of the same genes as humans, including those that drive the aging processes of their three-week-long lives. Several years ago, researchers in her lab discovered that C. elegans not only exhibits a similar mid-life decline in reproduction, but also that their unfertilized eggs (oocytes) showed similar declines in quality with age to human eggs..."

Learn more:https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180222125659.htm

Fertility study finds hormone that could support early pregnancy

image credit: emaxhealth.com

"The hormone helps prime cells for implantation, a vital stage in early pregnancy when a fertilised egg attaches to the womb lining, the study suggests.

The discovery -- made by testing tissue from women aged in their forties -- could help scientists develop ways to improve fertility.

Each month, as part of the menstrual cycle, hormones send chemical signals to cells in the womb lining to create conditions to support pregnancy. Fertilised eggs are extremely sensitive to changes in the womb lining, but the exact environment needed for healthy implantation is unknown.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh tested the effects of a hormone known as DHEA on healthy tissue donated by women undergoing unrelated surgery.

They found that treating womb lining cells with DHEA in a dish doubled the level of key proteins associated with healthy implantation in the tissue.

DHEA treatment also increased the production of active androgens -- hormones found in high levels in men -- suggesting that these could underlie the improvement.

The study also suggests that levels of DHEA -- which are known to decline significantly with age -- could play a role in infertility in later life, researchers say.

They caution that it is too early to say if treatments could help women with fertility issues.

The study, published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, was funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC).

Lead author Dr Douglas Gibson, from the MRC Centre for Inflammation Research at the University of Edinburgh, said: "A fertilised egg will implant only if the conditions are just right and we were excited to see that DHEA and androgens might help improve this environment in cells. The findings will help us develop studies for potential therapies but more research is needed before we can tell if this approach could be used to help women who are struggling to conceive."

Dr Stephen Meader, Programme Manager for Reproductive Health at the MRC, said: "This study is important in learning more about what's required for a successful implantation and healthy pregnancy. This research may be in its early stages, but it's worthwhile because it lays the groundwork to uncovering potential treatments down the road to help women trying to conceive."

Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180221122506.htm

Underactive thyroid within normal range may affect woman's ability to conceive

via arcfertility.com

"New research suggests that a slightly underactive thyroid may affect a women's ability to become pregnant -- even when the gland is functioning at the low end of the normal range, according to a study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

The study found women who have unexplained infertility were nearly twice as likely to have higher levels of a hormone that stimulates the thyroid gland than women who did not conceive due to known issues with their male partner's sperm count. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) is produced by the pituitary gland at the base of the brain and tells the thyroid gland to produce more hormones when needed. Elevated TSH levels can be a sign that the thyroid gland is underactive.

Unexplained infertility occurs when couples are unable to get pregnant despite months of trying and a medical evaluation shows no reason for their infertility. About 10 percent of American women between the ages of 15 and 44 have difficulty becoming or staying pregnant, according to the Office of Women's Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Between 10 percent and 30 percent of affected couples have unexplained infertility, according to the JCEM study.

"When couples who are ready to start a family are unable to conceive despite extensive planning, multiple doctor's visits, and expensive treatments, it can be emotionally devastating," said the study's senior author, Pouneh K. Fazeli, M.D., M.P.H., of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Mass. "Since our study shows that women with unexplained infertility have higher TSH levels compared to women experiencing infertility due to a known cause, more research is needed to determine whether treating these higher TSH levels with thyroid hormone can improve their chances of getting pregnant..."

Learn more:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171219144412.htm

BigH1: The key histone for male fertility

"Researchers in the Chromatin Structure and Function Lab at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) have identified the histone BigH1 as a key protein in stem cell differentiation to male sex cells. Histones are basic proteins that confer order and structure to DNA and they play an important role in gene regulation.

Depending on the stage of the process, histone BigH1 is either present and represses specific genes or it is inhibited to allow gene expression, thereby promoting differentiation, a process in which stem cells produce adult sex cells. When this delicate balance is lost, male Drosophila melanogaster show gonadal malformations and infertility.

"We hypothesize that BigH1 represses the genes that are not specific to the germ line (when stem cells give rise to sex cells). But we now have to unravel how it does this and how it is activated and silenced," says Ferran Azorín, CSIC Research Professor and group leader at IRB Barcelona.

The role of histone H1 in male infertility

All animals have histones that are specific to the germ line. In Drosophila, BigH1 is expressed in the male and female germ lines. In contrast, variants of histone H1 differ between males and females in mice and in humans. "The histone BigH1, which we have studied in Drosophila melanogaster, shows most resemblance to the germ line variant of human females but it also shows some similarities to variants of the male germ line," explains Albert Carbonell, postdoctoral fellow and first author of the paper..."

Learn more:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171213115832.htm

 

Fertility fails if chromosomes don’t have time to zip

"Before an egg becomes fertilized, sets of chromosomes must pair up to pass along genetic information.

This happens within each reproductive cell, where separate chromosomes of male and female origin move toward each other and eventually join.

“You need to give the strands time to join for cell division to be done correctly.”

“Chromosomes’ movement is important because you need to move them in synchronicity,” says Sarit Smolikove, associate professor in biology at the University of Iowa. “We’ve shown you don’t want to move them too much or too frequently. You need to give the strands time to join for cell division to be done correctly.”

Smolikove likens the process to a parent zipping a coat for a child. If the child is jerking about as the parent tries to zip the coat, it takes longer for the action to be completed; worse, the zipper could break, meaning the coat doesn’t get zipped at all.

Likewise, the chromosome strands need to line up and have the time to “zip up,” so genetic information is accurately swapped.

Smolikove and colleagues have discovered a protein that appears to regulate the speed at which the female (maternal) and male (paternal) chromosome strands move and pair up.

In laboratory tests, the researchers learned the protein acts like a brake on the chromosomes’ movement, especially the juncture at which the chromosomes join and share DNA, which is critical to an offspring’s successful inheritance of its parents’ genes.

The findings offer new insight into the intricate steps involved in animal fertility, from basic organisms all the way to humans. They also could help biologists better understand defects that occur in reproduction, including those that contribute to Down syndrome..."

Learn more:

http://www.futurity.org/fertility-chromosomes-protein-1346452-2/

Ovarian reserve tests fail to predict fertility, study suggests

via npr.org

"Tests that estimate ovarian reserve, or the number of a woman's remaining eggs, before menopause, do not appear to predict short-term chances of conception, according to a National Institutes of Health-funded study of women with no history of infertility. The study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"Women are born with a set number of eggs that gradually declines through the reproductive years," said Esther Eisenberg, M.D., of the Fertility and Infertility Branch of NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, which funded the study. "This study suggests that testing for biomarkers of ovarian reserve does not predict the chances for conception in older women still of reproductive age."

As a woman ages and her egg supply declines, cells in the ovary secrete lower amounts of inhibin B and anti-Müllerian hormone, substances considered to be indicators of ovarian reserve. The ovaries also produce higher amounts of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) in the days before ovulation. Although there is little research to support their use, tests for anti-Müllerian hormone are routinely offered in many fertility clinics on the assumption that women with a lower ovarian reserve would be less likely to respond to treatment. Moreover, home fertility tests of urinary FSH are commercially available.

The researchers enrolled 750 women from 30 to 44 years of age who had been attempting to conceive for three or fewer months. Women were ineligible to participate if they had known fertility problems, such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, tubal blockage or endometriosis. The women provided a urine and blood sample and checked for conception with home pregnancy test kits. The researchers statistically corrected for factors known to reduce fertility, such as smoking, recent use of oral contraceptives and obesity..."

Learn more:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171010124105.htm

 

Is Social Acceptance more Important than Economic Factors in Fertility Treatment?

"Although one in 8 couples experience fertility issues and many of them turn to Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) to help them have a child, usage varies significantly across Europe. A new Oxford study has shed light on some of the reasons behind this -- pinpointing moral and social acceptance of the treatment and religion as key.

Previous research has mainly focused on the economic issues that can affect ART usage, such as a country's wealth and health insurance costs. But, in new research published in Human Reproduction, scientists from the Oxford University Department of Sociology and Nuffield College, have for the first time assessed the relative importance of the role that economic, demographic and cultural normative factors play in the process.

The study compares the prevalence of ART usage across 35 European countries since 2010, which is the number of ART cycles, per million women of reproductive age (15-44 years). The findings revealed that although economic factors and national wealth are important, it is not merely affordability that determines ART use. Rather, ART treatments were more widely used in countries where it was considered culturally and morally acceptable to do so. For example, the Czech Republic, which ranks 51st in a poll of the world's wealthiest countries, reported 10,473 cycles per million women of reproductive age -- which is a usage level almost identical to the comparatively wealthier (37th) Denmark. By contrast, high income nations such as Italy (8th) and the United Kingdom (5th) reported only 5,480 and 4,918 cycles per million women of reproductive age, respectively..."

Learn more:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171006085927.htm

 

How to Avoid Chemicals that Harm Fertility

"People planning to conceive should be aware of common chemicals that can affect fertility. Here, Mark Green, lecturer in reproductive biology in the University of Melbourne School of BioSciences, offers seven ways to play it safe.In modern life we come into contact with many different chemicals through the products we use, the food we eat, and the air we breathe.

Most of these chemicals cause no harm at the levels we are typically exposed to, but my research and other studies found that a particular group of common chemicals called endocrine-disrupting chemicals, known as EDCs, can affect sperm, egg, and embryo quality and, therefore, a person’s chance of having a baby. They can also affect the potential long-term health of the child.

Fertility research brings death of dogma, birth of hope

image credit: parentingatoz.com

"About 13 years ago, Northeastern professor Jonathan Tilly, a reproductive biologist, made a discovery that challenged everything scientists thought they knew about female reproduction. The long-held belief that mammals were born with a set number of eggs -- and no ability to create new ones -- was wrong.

Now, Tilly and his colleagues have published a new study that "puts the final nail in the dogma coffin," showing unequivocally that stem cells in the ovaries are a critical piece of the mammal fertility puzzle, and may be harnessed to revolutionize fertility treatments and perhaps even delay menopause.

Males from every animal species can produce new sperm at any time. Female flies, fish, and birds can make new eggs. But for decades, the accepted paradigm in reproductive biology was that nature had not granted female mammals the same luxury as their male counterparts.

However, from an evolutionary standpoint, that conclusion makes little sense. "You'd have a population of eggs that you need to propagate the species sitting around getting stale. And in humans, they would get stale for decades," said Tilly, University Distinguished Professor of Biology and chair of the Department of Biology. "Why on earth would evolutionary pressure or nature make such a decision?"

Learn more: 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170916080143.htm

Many young cancer patients do not receive adequate fertility information and support

image credit: irishexaminer.com

"All cancer patients of reproductive age should be provided with fertility information and referrals for fertility preservation. A new Psycho-Oncology analysis of the published literature indicates that many cancer patients are not receiving such support, however.

In the analysis of 23 relevant studies, investigators found that many clinicians are broadly informed about the risk to their patients' fertility brought about by cancer treatment, but many factors hinder the appropriate discussions and referrals needed to provide adequate fertility support to patients of reproductive age. For example, some oncology clinicians may lack appropriate fertility knowledge and be unsure whose role it is to provide fertility support.

"Impaired fertility brought about by cancer treatment leads to long-term psychological distress and lowered quality of life for cancer patients of a reproductive age. As such, it is paramount that clinicians are able to deliver oncofertility services to the standard of best practice guidelines, to assist in lowering long term distress," said Dr. Shanna Logan, lead author of the article. "However, as the results of this review indicate, oftentimes oncofertilty related services are not delivered to the standard required or in line with patient's needs. Moving forward, the results of this review will be utilised to aid in the development of an international competency framework, to better assist clinicians in providing necessary oncofertility care in the future."

Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170821102728.htm

 

Testicular macrophages are guardians of fertility

Cross section of newborn mouse's

 testis (Ø = 20 ?m), where we can see 

the seminiferous tubules 

(red) surrounded by macrophages (green). 

Confocal micrograph.

Credit: © Noushine Mossadegh-Keller

 and Sébastien Mailfert / CIML

"The origin, development, and characteristics of two types of testicular macrophage have been described by a CNRS team at the Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy (CNRS / INSERM / Aix-Marseille University). To elucidate the nature of these immune cells, the researchers used a novel cell tracing method. Their findings were published on August 7, 2017, in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, and are of fundamental importance. They may help understand certain kinds of infertility in men and find new treatments for them.

From the start of life, an individual's immune system learns to distinguish self -- that is, native cells -- from other, potentially pathogenic cells. But in males, as sperm only appear at puberty, they may be mistaken for foreign cells by certain elements of the immune system. Testicular macrophages are special immune cells that rush to the defense of sperm. By releasing specific molecules, these guardians of fertility prevent other immune system agents from entering the testes.

Macrophages not only migrate to sites of infection and phagocytose pathogens, but also modulate immune system activity to ensure proper organ function and regeneration. They may arise from either embryonic progenitors or bone marrow cells in adults. Research with mice has enabled the team of Michael Sieweke from the Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy (CNRS / INSERM / Aix-Marseille University) to describe both testicular macrophage populations in depth..."

Learn more:https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170811093711.htm

 

Uterine fibroid embolization helps restore fertility

Credit: Radiological Society of North America

"A minimally invasive treatment can help restore fertility in women with uterine fibroids, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology.

Uterine fibroids, abnormal masses of fiber and muscle tissue in the wall of the uterus, are considered one of the most common causes of infertility and complications related to pregnancy. Previous research has found that one out of every four women with fibroids has problems related to fertility. The standard treatment option for such women is myomectomy, or surgical removal of the fibroids.

However, myomectomy is not always possible or effective and can result in major complications including hysterectomy, according to study co-author João Martins Pisco, M.D., Ph.D., from the Department of Interventional Radiology at Saint Louis Hospital in Lisbon, Portugal.

Uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) is a less invasive option that involves injection of an embolic agent, typically made up of very small beads, into the uterine arteries to block the blood supply to the uterus and fibroids. As the fibroids die and begin to shrink, the uterus fully recovers. UFE can be performed in patients with a prior myomectomy or in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Despite its less invasive nature, UFE has yet to be fully embraced in the medical community as a fertility-preserving treatment for women with symptomatic fibroids due to concerns that the procedure may cause inadequate blood flow to the endometrium, or lining of the uterus, and the ovaries..."

Learn more:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170613102030.htm

100-year-old fertility technique reduces need for IVF

Ben Mol as a baby with his mother
Annemie Mol-Albers,1965.Until he
embarked on this study,
Profesor Mol had no idea that
he himself was a result of a
successful pregnancy following
this medical procedure |
Credit: Professor Ben Mol,
University of Adelaide

"Infertile couples have a major opportunity to achieve a successful pregnancy without the need for IVF, thanks to new research into a 100-year-old medical technique.

The now lesser known technique - which involves flushing the woman's fallopian tubes with an iodised poppy seed oil - has been proven to have significant benefits for fertility, according to the largest study undertaken by a team involving researchers in the Netherlands and Australia.

The results of the study will be published in The New England Journal of Medicine. They will also be presented at the 13th World Congress on Endometriosis in Vancouver, Canada, by project leader Professor Ben Mol, from the University of Adelaide's Robinson Research Institute, and a member of the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute's Healthy Mothers, Babies and Children theme.

Known as the H2Oil study, the project compared the benefits of flushing the fallopian tubes with either an oil-based or water-based solution in 1119 women. With Professor Mol, this work was conducted by Dr Kim Dreyer and Dr Velja Mijatovic from the Department of Reproductive Medicine, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, and a research team from 27 medical centres in the Netherlands.

100-year-old technique

The procedure, known as hysterosalpingography (HSG), is a dye test of the fallopian tubes conducted under X-ray. The procedure was first carried out in 1917, and since the 1950s both water-based and oil-based solutions have been used..."

Learn more:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170518174013.htm

Vitamin D supplements could improve fertility

Vitamin D supplements
could improve fertility

"New data on the link between vitamin D and male fertility will be presented today at the European Congress of Endocrinology (ECE) in Lisbon. The new results add to our understanding of the effects of low vitamin D levels on testosterone levels and whether vitamin D supplementation could help improve fertility in both sexes.

Vitamin D, a hormone produced by the body through exposure to sunshine or obtained from foods such as fatty fish and egg yolk, helps the body control calcium and phosphate levels. Previous studies have linked vitamin D levels with a range of health problems including cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Up to 80% of the population in Europe are affected by low vitamin D levels. As this is particularly common amongst people who lead unhealthy, sedentary lifestyles, low vitamin D levels have been associated with obesity; at the same time as obesity is rising, vitamin D levels are falling. In addition, female fertility and semen quality have deteriorated in the recent years due to largely unknown causes. Infertility rates amongst couples who want to have children are at 10-15%, and up to 10% of women of reproductive age suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a condition which may hinder fertility.

Dr Elisabeth Lerchbaum, from the Medical University of Graz, has led much research on the effects of vitamin D supplementation in different aspects of male and female fertility. Research from her group and others suggests vitamin D affects many aspects of fertility in both genders, including influencing production and maturation of sperm cells in men, egg cell and uterine lining maturation in women, and sex hormone production in both sexes..."

Learn more: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170523084302.htm

Many transgender individuals consider their fertility important

image source

"Nearly one-fourth of transgender individuals in Toronto, Canada, regard their own fertility as important, but most lack knowledge regarding and access to reproductive options, a new survey finds. Results of the survey will be presented Sunday at the Endocrine Society's 99th annual meeting in Orlando, Fla.

"Modern techniques allow people of transgender experience to have biological children by freezing their sperm or eggs before hormone treatment," said the study's senior investigator, Adam Millar, M.D., an assistant professor at the University of Toronto and an endocrinologist at Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto. "This option was not offered to transgender people in the past, but our study shows that 97 percent of transgender individuals feel that the option to freeze sperm or eggs should be offered to them prior to treatment that may affect their fertility."

Millar said it is important to study transgender people because they have traditionally been excluded from population health and sexuality research. He and his co-workers surveyed transgender patients attending routine medical visits at three medical centers in Toronto about their knowledge and beliefs regarding fertility.

A total of 213 adults, ages 17 to 69, completed the written questionnaire: 108 who were assigned male at birth and 103 assigned female. Most participants (78 percent) had already undergone hormone therapy or gender transition surgery, according to the study abstract..."

Learn more:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170403135523.htm

Fertility can hinge on swimming conditions in the uterus

image source

"For a mammal's sperm to succeed, it must complete the swim of its life to reach and fertilize an egg. That's easier if it swims through water, not goo.

It turns out that both the male and female have a role in making that happen.

A Washington State University researcher has found that the uterus in female mice contains enzymes that can break down semen, making it less gel-like, more watery, and therefore easier to swim in. Scientists have previously thought semen is broken down by enzymes from the prostate gland.

But writing this week in the journal PLOS Genetics, Wipawee Winuthayanon, an assistant professor in WSU's School of Molecular Biosciences, reports that female mice also produce the enzyme, using estrogen to induce the process. They also saw that when a female mouse lacked a gene to make this happen, semen failed to liquefy in its uterus.

"Our studies provide the first evidence of how the interplay between semen and the female reproductive tract could impact fertility," the researchers write.

The study highlights an underappreciated complication in the physical changes that semen undergoes and the relative roles of secretions in both the male and female reproductive tracts..."

Learn more:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170419091612.htm