Court grapples with fertilization

Manitoba will review the impact of a Supreme Court ruling that upholds the right of provinces to regulate in vitro fertilization.
The Supreme Court of Canada issued a divided advisory opinion on Wednesday that grappled with the "weighty moral concerns" of assisted human reproduction. It declared Ottawa overstepped itself in asserting its right to regulate the use of human sperm, eggs and embryos, but said the federal government is within its rights in banning cloning and human hybrids.
Karen Busby, a University of Manitoba law professor, said the ruling paves the way for the provinces to examine how they will regulate clinics and how information about donors is collected, stored and disclosed. She said it could mean Manitoba and other provinces regulate how many embryos are implanted for in vitro fertilization or introduce screening mechanisms to ensure surrogate mothers meet certain criteria.
A government spokesman said it will take a bit of time to assess how the ruling may affect Manitoba regulations, and the assessment should be complete early in the new year.
"Nothing's been happening for six years in Canada, so thank goodness the decision is finally out," Busby said. "The next step is for provinces to determine what extent they need to regulate practices in clinics."
Quebec filed a constitutional challenge to the 2004 federal Assisted Human Reproduction Act and was supported by three other provinces. The province argued that Ottawa was treading on provincial jurisdiction over health care.
The act regulated the use of sperm, eggs and embryos, while banning clones and hybrids. Ottawa maintained it had the right to make criminal laws and that the purpose of the act was to protect the "health, safety and public morals" of Canadians.
The court split, with Justice Thomas Cromwell offering the determining view in what amounted to a complex analysis of the time-honoured constitutional rights of provinces to control health care.
Busby said the ruling upheld the right of the federal government to prohibit negative practices associated with assisted human reproduction, including who has the right to use donated sperm. For example, she said, if a man battling cancer chose to freeze his sperm but later died, the law prohibits anyone from using the sperm without his clear consent.
The court challenge left many regulations in limbo and Busby expects provinces will move fairly quickly to fill the void. Currently, Busby said, there are no clear guidelines on how information about sperm and egg donors is collected, so children born from donors don't have a way to access biological information.
"The real problem is a lot of that information has never been properly collected or stored," she said. "Unlike adoption where you know a record exists somewhere, here you simply might not ever have the information that Joe Blow was a sperm donor."
Busby said Manitoba could also introduce screening tools for surrogate mothers to ensure that anyone who offers to bear someone's child is doing it for the right reasons, and not because she has been illegally paid. Busby said the best surrogates are women who have already had children, enjoyed being pregnant, and had easy pregnancies.
Busby said some fertility clinics in other parts of Canada have implanted embryos in commercial surrogates, which is illegal. She said the court ruling should pave the way for provinces to put a stop to "shady" practices.

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5 myths surrounding egg donation

The steady increase in recession-spurred egg donor prospects has not resulted in a larger pool of qualified candidates, a leading agency that matches egg donors and gestational surrogates with intended parents said today.

"While media coverage, and especially about the compensation (averaging US $5,000 to $7,000) has created awareness and a flood of prospects, the vast majority have not qualified as donors for various reasons," said Mary Ellen McLaughlin, a partner at Chicago-based Alternative Reproductive Resources (www.arr1.com).

She added: "It speaks to the misconceptions the media perpetuates, often inadvertently, like that most donors are poor, young and uneducated, and just want to make a quick buck," she said. "It's among the many myths surrounding the fertility industry."

Among the myths ARR makes a point to dispel:

Myth No. 1: Anyone can do it.

Many women can physically donate their eggs. Not everyone qualifies, however. ARR utilizes a 27-page pre-screening questionnaire with prospective donors. If they qualify, they must also pass physical and psychological tests. ARR receives up to 50 applications monthly; less than 5 percent actually become donors.

Myth No. 2: It's all about the money.

ARR's donor surveys show that over 70 percent donate for altruistic reasons. "Most know someone with infertility issues, or were inspired by a story," McLaughlin says. "Compensation is secondary."

Myth No. 3: Egg donation causes medical problems.

There's no biological basis for these claims, doctors say, but they don't know for sure either way. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM – www.asrm.com) says the long-term health effects have never been studied. Egg donors undergo the same drug treatment as IVF patients, and studies of that population show this is safe.

Myth No. 4: A donor can donate as many times as she likes.

Guidelines restrict women to six donations in their lifetimes, depending upon the approval of a treating physician.

Myth No. 5: Intended parents only want Ivy League donors.

Every intended parent has different criteria. ARR says most search for an egg donor with similar traits, like ethnicity, hair color, height, etc. They also look for similar interests, such as cooking or sports.

For more on this story follow the link: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/busting-five-myths-about-egg-donation-111075529.html

Kylie Minogue may have egg donor baby

Pop Princess Kylie Minogue, who wants to start a family, has revealed that she has 'thought about' egg donation as a way to do so.

The 42-year-old singer, who was diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago, told how she looks "wistfully" at her baby nephew Ethan, the son of younger sister Dannii.

And talking about her own attempt to have a child, the singer reveals: "I've looked into various options.

"I don't know if I'm going to go down any of those roads yet, but I do need to look at what might be potential paths that lead to a family. They can do incredible things now, especially in America," the Daily Mail quoted her as telling Glamour magazine .

Despite this, Minogue said that if motherhood does not happen, she is 'content' with her life and finally feels that she is getting back to her pre-cancer best.

For more on this story follow the link: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-interviews/Kylie-Minogue-may-have-egg-donor-baby/articleshow/7064454.cms#ixzz17aIKvSFl

Couple have baby boy after being first to conceive using 'fertility sat nav'

A delighted couple revealed today they were the first to conceive with an IVF alternative dubbed the 'fertility sat nav'.

Marie and Mirco Martinelli believed they would never be able to have children after suffering three miscarriages in just two years.

They signed up for IVF but were told there was a two-year waiting list for treatment.
So they took part in a trial for DuoFertility, a ground-breaking temperature measuring device that promised pregnancy within 12 months.

They began using the £495 device in January 2009 and were delighted when Marie became pregnant after just seven months.

Baby Alec was born on March 20 this year and is the first baby to be born through the device - which claims to be statistically as good as IVF.

Secretary Marie, 29, who lives in Italy with Mirco, 37, and little Alec, now seven months, said she was "so happy" they had used the device.

She said: 'I was very worried and sad when I kept having miscarriages. The whole world was pregnant and had babies and I struggled to get pregnant and couldn't stay pregnant.

'DuoFertility stopped me thinking of myself as having a problem, and suddenly I was able to sleep more normally and feel a great deal calmer.

'Where the product calculates your fertile days after a few months, it was impossible for me to have been able to do that properly without proper scientific approaches, because my cycle was different all the time.

'In the past I had tried ovulation tests, but if you have to use them for a long time it becomes very expensive.'
Dutch Marie - who met Italian Mirco in Italy in Summer 2002 - suffered her first miscarriage after six weeks of pregnancy in March 2005.

In May 2005, the couple visited a fertility clinic, which broke the news that Marie had abnormal hormone levels.

They lost another baby at 13 weeks in February 2006 and another at 11 weeks in September the same year, before deciding to take a break from trying.

In May 2008 Marie and Mirco married in Italy and decided their only option was to use fertility treatment - but lost hope when they were told of the lengthy waiting list for IVF.

Shortly after, Marie noticed an advert for DuoFertility - a small patch the size of a coin which takes 20,000 temperature readings every night to pinpoint the exact moment of ovulation.

She began using the product in January 2009 and was delighted when she fell pregnant just months later.

Alec was born in Italy at 1.54am on March 20 after a gruelling 19 hour labour.

Marie added: 'When they showed me Alec I couldn't believe he was my son. I remember he was so warm and soft.

'Micro was full of joy and happiness and also could not believe that this was his son. Still now we can't believe that this little person is our baby.

'When they brought me back to my room and laid Alec at my breast I was so proud. Finally, my little boy.'
DuoFerility was developed by scientists and fertility experts at Cambridge Temperature Concepts in 2008.

The non-invasive device comprises of a tiny patch thermometer - the size of a £1 coin - that is worn under the arm.

It promises to alert a woman to the moment her temperature rises half a degree as a result of ovulation.

A small wireless hand-held reader processes data from the patch to tell the wearer whether she has ovulated in the last two days and whether she is likely to in the next six.

Women are most fertile on the day of the temperature spike and on the few days before - meaning chances of conception are massively increased by trying on those days.

Information from the reader can be loaded onto a computer, which allows couples - and experts in Cambridge - to analyse the monthly fertility cycle.

Dr Shamus Husheer, who invented the device said the company was "delighted" with their success and the birth of baby Alec.

He said: 'What we now know as a result of our work, is that for certain causes of infertility, DuoFertility is as effective as IVF.

'Clearly there are some infertility issues where the use of the device is unable to aid pregnancy such as a complete lack of sperm, however for a range of common causes such as moderate male factors, cycle irregularity, secondary or unexplained infertility, our monitoring device is achieving great results.'

For more on this story follow the link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1334466/Marie-Mirco-Martinelli-conceive-using-fertility-sat-nav.html#ixzz17aH1WGTi

IVF treatment is delayed by NHS trusts as they try to cut costs

Couples are being told their IVF treatment is being suspended or axed completely as NHS trusts battle to cut costs, it emerged today.
Primary care trusts are also making patients wait months longer for common operations in an attempt to slash their budgets.

A shortage of funding has hit thousands of patients waiting for operations such as hip and knee operations.
NHS trusts are planing to save £20billion by 2014 to cope with an aging population, and overall health funding is receiving limited increases.

Groups have attacked the plans, calling the cuts 'desperate' and 'appalling' but figures show that many PCTs are facing a cash crisis.

At least nine PCTs have culled IVF treatment, despite guidance that infertile women should be given three cycles of treatment.

Susan Seenan of the Infertility Network said she was angry about the cutting of IVF treatment.

'Infertility is an illness, people who cannot have children have no cloice over the matter...They deserve medical treatment the same way anyone suffering from any other illness does,' she says.
Katherine Murphy, head of the Patient's Association told the Sunday Telegraph: 'These decisions will absolutely ruin the quality of life for people.

'For years the NHS has wasted money paying managers over-inflated salaries. Now times are getting tight, and it's not the bureaucrats who suffer, but the most vulnerable groups of patients.'

She says the Patient's Association has been contacted by several elderly people worried about the cancellation of their operations, with many reporting long delays in seeing specialists at pain management clinics.
Other areas which could be affected include non-urgent diabetes, rheumatology and oral treatment. Reviews of other non-urgent specialist procedures are also taking place.

The Health Service Journal reports that many trusts have changed the rules to reduce the number of patients who are allowed surgery.

A spokesman for the Department of Health said: 'We have been very clear that NHS organisations should not interpret efficiency savings as budget and service cuts.

'We would expect the NHS to make decisions locally, based on the clinical needs of their patients and with regard to the need to make the most efficient use of funding.'

For more on the story follow the link:: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1335833/Common-operations-IVF-treatment-axed-NHS-attempts-cut-costs.html#ixzz17aGQjj55

Putting to rest fears that IVF may be linked to cancer

In the wake of Elizabeth Edwards' death, many women are wondering whether the fertility treatments the former Senator's wife underwent to bear children late in life — she leaves behind two young children, ages 10 and 12 — could have contributed to the breast cancer that killed her.

It's a plausible concern, given that fertility treatment exposes women to unnaturally high levels of hormones, including estrogen and progesterone — often repeatedly, and sometimes at an age when those hormones would normally be declining. Previous data have suggested that these fertility drugs may be associated with increased risk for breast, uterine and ovarian cancers.

But a large new study published this month in Human Reproduction suggests that women who undergo in-vitro fertilization (IVF) — the procedure Edwards used to conceive her youngest children — do not put themselves at a higher-than-usual risk of cancer. The study examined data on all IVF births in Sweden between 1982 and 2006, comparing the rate of cancer in 24,058 women who conceived via IVF with that of nearly 1.4 million Swedish mothers who did not require fertility treatment.

The study found that the risk for any cancer was actually 26% lower in women after they had children through IVF, compared with those who had conceived the old-fashioned way. Breast cancer risk was reduced 24% and cervical cancer risk 39%, over the eight-year follow-up period.

"The ultimate message is that there is no increase in cancer risk associated with IVF," says Dr. Don Dizon, associate professor of obstetrics-gynecology at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University, who was not associated with the research.

However, women who underwent IVF started out with higher rates of cancer than those in the general population; the fact that these women were more likely to have been treated for cancer, which causes infertility, is probably why they sought IVF. This risk was especially elevated for ovarian cancer: in women seeking IVF the risk of ovarian cancer was nearly four times greater than in other mothers before conception. That is likely because the same problems that contribute to ovarian cancer may also produce infertility. "If you have an ovary that has a tendency to develop into cancer, it might also be poorly functioning reproductively," says Dr. Bengt Kallen, professor emeritus at the University of Lund and lead author of the study.

However, the study found that the risk of ovarian cancer in women who were able to conceive and give birth to a baby through IVF was only twice as high as in mothers who conceived naturally. The effect was not because IVF reduces the odds of developing ovarian cancer, the authors say; instead, it's more likely that women who are able to conceive and successfully carry a pregnancy by IVF are probably healthier than other women, and are more likely to undergo regular screening for cancer. The same phenomenon is likely to explain the lower risk of breast and cervical cancers in the same group.

The new study is consistent with most previous research, says Kallen.

For more on the study follow the link: http://healthland.time.com/2010/12/08/putting-to-rest-fears-that-ivf-may-be-linked-to-cancer/#ixzz17aFND9Gk

10 proven sperm killers...

When it comes to conceiving a child, there are lots of things that can go wrong—sperm allergies, poor egg quality, and ineffective sperm. Of the approximately 1 in 10 couples who are infertile, it has been estimated that male factors alone contribute to 30 percent of these cases.

Though men produce millions of sperm a day (compared to the 300–400 eggs that women release during their lifetime), external factors (like temperature) can affect the health of these little swimmers. And because sperm cells take about 75 days to grow to maturity, harming them can affect your fertility.

Follow the link below for 10 surprising factors that may affect a man’s sperm:

http://health.msn.com/health-topics/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=100256368