Fertility

As many couples trying to conceive know, much can go wrong during that fateful meeting of sperm and egg. Now scientists have identified a new protein eggs use to draw in sperm, which could one day lead to new fertility treatments and contraceptives.

When performing artificial insemination, the better the motility of the sperm, the greater the chances of a successful pregnancy. That's where a new microfluidic chip comes in, as it selects only the most vigorous, "highly-motivated" sperm from the herd.

New research has identified a motor protein deficient in humans that could improve the success rates of fertility treatments by helping manage the number of chromosomes remaining in a human egg during cell division.

Contraceptives like the pill may be effective, but messing with hormones has a range of unpleasant side effects. Now researchers are experimenting with a new non-hormonal contraceptive based on antibodies, which stops sperm swimming through mucus.

A global study tracking birth data from 165 countries has found more twins are being born than ever before. The study reveals twinning rates rose by a third over the past 40 years but the researchers suggest this trend may have reached a natural peak.

A new breakthrough could lead to a safe, effective and reversible male contraceptive pill, as a compound from traditional Chinese medicine has been shown in tests to render mice and monkeys temporarily infertile.

A proof-of-concept study is suggesting epigenetic biomarkers in a father's sperm can predict how susceptible their offspring will be to developing ASD. The research is still in preliminary stages requiring further investigation in larger cohorts.

Researchers have developed a way to treat male infertility by delivering nanoparticles loaded with proteins directly into the testes. In tests in mice, previously infertile animals were soon able to father pups at a similar rate as unaffected mice.

In a breakthrough that promises to revolutionize the precision breeding of animals, scientists have used the CRISPR gene editing tool to produce infertile animals that become "surrogate sires" and produce sperm containing only donor animal DNA

New research suggests a person’s lifespan could be predicted at a young age by measuring the volume of genetic mutations they accumulate, raising the prospect of developing medical interventions so people could live and stay healthy much longer.

A genetic variant inherited from our ancient Neanderthal relatives and thought to confer heightened fertility has been found in modern humans. The new research suggests almost one in three European women carry some degree of the gene variant.

Couples trying to conceive often feel like they're racing the clock, as the quality and number of eggs declines in women. Now, this egg aging process has been reversed in mice using a metabolic compound, possibly leading to new fertility drugs.