Townsville, Australia turns for US help due to sperm shortage

Fertility groups in Townsville Australia are now seeking help from the US as they are running out of the supply of sperms.

An ampoule of sperms that costs more than $700 is imported from the US by the city's largest fertility clinic, the Queensland Fertility group because of not enough North Queensland men, or even Australian men are kind enough to donate.

In the past, the fertility clinics have relied on university students who were low on cash to offer a sperm donation.

Due to recent changes to the law that requires sperm donors to be contactable once the child they help to conceive turns 18, most men shy away from the responsibility.

For more on this story follow the link: http://au.ibtimes.com/contents/20100426/sperm-shortage-sperm-donation.htm

Should drug addicts be paid to be sterilised?

A controversial scheme which has been put in to action in America is being suggested for the UK.

After adopting four crack-addicted babies, born one after the other to the same mother, Barbara Harris came up with a big idea. 'All I ever heard was people talking about the rights of the addict,' she says. 'No one was talking about the rights of babies born to those addicted mothers.'

Her plan was to pay addicts to to be either sterilised or to commit to long-term contraception. It's an initiative that has appalled those of a liberal bent.

But, at the same time, it has garnered support from those who believe such drastic action is the only way to combat the crippling social problems that come with drug abuse.

So far, about 1,200 women and 50 men have accepted money to be sterilised in America. This week, 20 years on, Harris has brought her charity Project Prevention to Britain. Addicts who want to accept her offer of £200 must be sterilised or fitted with a contraceptive implant - anything that will assure her they will not be able to get pregnant.

'It's a very common-sense, simple approach to a serious problem,' the 57-year old says. If you are going to pay a woman not to abuse a child, this is the best £200 you can spend. Money is a great motivator for these addicts,' she acknowledges.

'These women made a conscious choice at one point in their lives to do drugs; these babies did not get offered that choice. Nobody has the right to force their drug addiction on an innocent child.'

This week, she was whipping up a storm of controversy in the UK, leading the head of one of Britain's largest drug charities to call her practices 'morally reprehensible and irrelevant'.

Yet Barbara claims to have been inundated with emails from Britons praising her approach - not least from social workers overloaded with case files of drug addicts' children.

For more on this story follow the link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1269355/BARBARA-DAVIES-Should-drug-addicts-paid-sterilised.html

Documentary on sperm donation

Are you looking to start a family but desperately need a sperm donor? An Australian documentary has explored the issue of sperm donation, speaking to both donors and recipients, along with donor children and the owners of Cryobank in California is the world's biggest sperm bank.

The documentary also interviews Wendy Kramer, who created the Donor Sibling Registry 10 years ago as a way of enabling donor kids or adults to connect with their half siblings as well as their donors themselves. She was inspired to set up the organization after her own donor son sought out his donor and half siblings.

To watch the documentary follow this link: http://au.tv.yahoo.com/sunday-night/features/article/-/article/7070061/babies-online-more-information/

Ever heard of a babymoon?

Until last week the word babymoon was unfamiliar to me. Yet having found out they are the latest pregnancy must have, I researched the topic further, to find that the craze is fast taking off among in the know mums to be.

So what is a babymoon? A play on the word honeymoon, a babymoon is a holiday before a baby is born, the final fling before a couple settles down into a blissful cloud of talcum powder rising from baby soft baby bottoms.

A babymoon is an opportunity for Mums-to-be to relax and revel in their pregnancy while topping up the romance in their relationship. Always focused on luxury, relaxation and pampering, some packages also offer pregnancy advice and classes.

Those specialising in babymoon holidays have taken into account every possible need of mums to be, their concerns, health and comfort are paramount. One destination resort even keeps a free unlimited supply of ice cream and pickles for pregnancy cravings!

To find out more about babymoons and possible destinations follow these links:

http://www.worldreviewer.com/info/best-babymoon.html

http://www.babymoonblog.com/?page_id=2

Diary of IVF

A lady going through the process of IVF has written a tell all diary for a National Newspaper about her experiences.

The diary offers a frank insight into the trials of IVF treatment, the highs and lows and emotional and physical endurance needed.

Amanda, 41, from Swindon - spent £5,000 on her treatment at the Oxford Fertility Unit. She shares her experiences to help others going through the process. She was given an 18 per cent chance of success.

To read Amanda's incredible and often heart wrenching journey follow this link: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/2912664/Incredible-diary-of-Amandas-IVF-treatment.html

Make room for the quads

It was not one miracle but four, for the Bondurant couple who had attempted to get pregnant for two and a half years before trying fertility treatments.

Six weeks into their pregnancy and during the first ultrasound, Casey, 26, and Jim, 28, heard not one, but four tiny heartbeats.

Since multiples tend to have greater health risks, the Dotzlers were worried about the health of the quadruplets.

At 16 weeks, they discovered the gender - two boys and two girls. Concerns waned and excitement set in.

The quads will turn five months old next week and their parents couldn't be happier, despite those 150 diaper changes per week and 26 bottle-washings each day.

Max smiles the most and Brady cries the least. Emme is laid-back, and Sophie, still on oxygen, already knows how to stick out her lower lip and pout.

For more on this story follow the link: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20100410/LIFE/4100303/-1/BUSINESS04/Make-room-for-the-quads

Pregnancy in a $5 bottle of cough syrup

It has been widely reported that Robitussin, a cough syrup, has been linked with helping couples concieve. Even the most sceptical of couples have been brought around to the idea after trying it successfully.

Now an article has examined the phenomenon and looked at why this over the counter product may be assisting fertility.

Robitussin's effectiveness has been debated on chat forums, and references to its impact can be found in bestselling pregnancy books. In a time when fertility treatments cost thousands of dollars, it's not surprising that a $5 solution has intrigued women for more than 20 years.

But it is unusual that despite almost three decades of word-of-mouth debate, there's little scientific evidence to prove that it works – or that it doesn't – leaving it in a strange realm somewhere between old wives' tale and unsung miracle drug.

The “maybes” surrounding Robitussin start with an ingredient called guaifenesin, a tree-bark extract first discovered by the native population of the Bahamas to work as a natural expectorant, thinning the mucus in the lungs and making it easier to breathe.

In the 1980s, some women reported to their doctors that the product seemed to also effect cervical mucus, leading to speculation that it could facilitate the passage of sperm. The idea is not that far-fetched. Progesterone-based birth control pills work, in part, by producing the opposite effect, thickening cervical mucus to prevent sperm from getting through.

For more on this story follow the link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/robitussin-pregnancy-in-a-5-bottle-of-hope/article1529730/

Man left infertile after wrong testicle removed

A man was left infertile after surgeons botched an operation on his testicle.

Doctors at the West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds were tasked with removing the man's right epididymis - a coiled tube which carries sperm away from the testicles - but they removed the left one instead.

The man, who has not been named, had to undergo a second operation in January last year on his right testicle, which resulted in infertility.

Health bosses declined to comment on whether he has received any compensation.

For more on this story follow the link: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/man-left-infertile-after-wrong-testicle-removed-at-west-suffolk-hospital-1924127.html

Chinese students targeted to be sperm donors

FlyerS recruiting sperm donors on campuses in Beijing has started a heated discussion among college students. The advertisers' said college students were their major target group and it does no harm.

The flyer reads "If you are over 22 years old, male, healthy, full of love, courage and confidence, you are the right person for us." Donors will receive around 3,000 yuan ($439.36) for contributing.

The ad was published by the Beijing Human Sperm Bank under the National Research Institute for Family Planning. "It does no harm to the health of qualified student donors," said a professor surnamed Zhou at the bank.

For more on the debate surrounding this story follow the link: http://www.globaltimes.cn/www/english/metro-beijing/update/society/2010-03/516285.html

Cola may reduce sperm count

Men who drink lots of cola every day may reduce their fertility, a new study suggest. The Danish study showed men who drank about a quart or more of cola per day had 30 percent lower sperm counts than men who did not drink cola even though most of the reduced sperm counts are considered normal by the Word Health Organization.

Dr. Tina Kold Jensen of Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, Denmark and colleagues studied more than 2500 young men and also found that those who did not drink cola had better sperm quality.

However when examining results it must be taken into account that this was not a clinical trial and lifestyle factors may be a determinant to sperm, as those who did not drink cola tended to follow a healthier lifestyle.

For more on this story follow the link: http://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite/Nutrition/Food/cola_may_lower_sperm_counts_3103100905.html

Fake Sperm Doctor Indicted in Sex Abuse

A 40-year-old man in the US is facing a 16-count indictment after allegedly posing as a fertility doctor, stealing an actual doctor's identity, and victimizing patients.

Police say Jeffrey Graybill found his victims by posting ads on Craigslist and offering men thousands of dollars for sperm donation. He has been indicted on fraud, identity theft, sexual abuse, and sexual assault charges. The indictment alleges seven victims in Arizona in 2009.

The ads would say a sperm bank is in need of Caucasian and Latino men ages 18 to 15. Sometimes the "patients" would go to the suspect's house -- sometimes the suspect would go to the victims' homes.

Documents allege Graybill would conduct a physical on the victims, which included touching young men's genitals. He also had them provide a semen sample.

For a video news bulletin of this story follow the link: http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/health/fake-sperm-doctor-indicted-4-6-2010

Women who don't realize they are pregnant

An article has appeared in The Times, examining the phenomenon of women who do not realize they are pregnant until very late, or when they are actually in labour.

A number of explanations are given, from tight tummy muscles preventing a bump, to slight bleeding during pregnancy which some mistake as a period.

However, an overwhelming explanation is “denial” or “concealment” of pregnancy, implying that at some level these women do know they are pregnant but choose, consciously or unconsciously, not to acknowledge it.

An unplanned pregnancy can cause extreme anxiety and anxiety produces a closed mind which refuses to recognize symptoms, the article explains. It goes on to hear from a number of women who did not realize they were pregnant until in labour.

For the full article follow this link: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,590542,00.html

Hormone injections 'could restore fertility'

A hormone made by a gene called "kiss" has the potential to restore fertility in some women, scientists from University College London have found.

Twice weekly injections of the natural drug lead to long-term increases in levels of sex hormones that control the menstrual cycle, a study showed.

The findings suggest a new way to treat women whose infertility is due to low sex hormones. Kiss-1 is a gene that plays a key role in regulating reproduction. It produces the hormone kisspeptin which helps humans and other animals go through puberty and become sexually mature.

Women with a condition called hypothalamic amenorrhoea which prevents menstruation and causes infertility could be helped by the new findings.

For more info follow this link: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5j_UoCnGD8QhmgD6LR95QXi41IkbQ

Recession a turn-off for Scots couples, as births and marriages decrease

The recession is making Scots too scared to have children, the country's leading population expert has warned.

Whilst the recession has had little impact on the rest of the UK in relation to births and marriages - with England in fact experiencing a slight increase in births, in Scotland there has been a dramatic fall in numbers.

The birth rate in Scotland increased between 2007 and 2008 but has dropped off sharply this year, the figures showed.

The number of marriages also fell, with the recession again blamed.

It is thought that people are delaying having children until they see what way the economy is going. There is so much uncertainty over things like interest rates and jobs that some people are deciding now is not the time to have children.

For more on this story follow the link: http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/8526/Recession---a-turnoff.5903381.jp

bacon flavoured baby formula introduced

An American food company have developed a bacon flavored baby formula, the company's mission statement is that everything should taste of bacon.

With the new formula this can include the first thing a person ever tastes.

They said of the controversial product "babies are not able to consume this most delicious of meats because they lack teeth and digestive systems that can break down solid foods."

They go on to explain that they are using bacon to provide essential fats which babies and children need.

Whilst their description of the product is light hearted, suggesting the formula could have babies walking and talking by the age of four months, enrolling in gymnastics by the age of six months, and memorizing the Declaration of Independence while composing symphonies by the age of two, there is controversy about the health implications of the formula.

For more info follow this link: http://www.torontosun.com/life/2010/04/06/13484731-qmi.html

breastfeeding helps not only mother and baby - but also finances

A new study in America has shown the financial benefits to breastfeeding babies, it was reported today.

While the health and bonding aspects of breastfeeding are widely acknowledged, the cost effectiveness should not be underestimated, poetically during the recession, when families are trying to cut costs.

In addition to the costs for families, it is estimated that the health care system spends $13 billion each year treating illnesses which would have been prevented by breast feeding.

For more on this study follow this link: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/13364-1

"The Baster" film changes to "The Switch" due to controversy over 'risqué' title

A soon to be released Jennifer Aniston film has had to change title at the last minute due to debate and controversy that the title was too graphic for a young audience. The film was previously titled The Baster, but that was deemed too risqué since the film is about artificial insemination.

Instead, the trailer just has Juliette Lewis waving a baster in Jason Bateman’s face. This is followed by a scene where Bateman knocks over a sperm donation by accident and then refills it off screen. Crisis averted.

Watch the trailer to the film here: http://www.collider.com/2010/03/17/the-switch-trailer-starring-jason-bateman-and-jennifer-aniston/