Fertility
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There's no such thing as a biological clock for female mole-rat queens, which don’t experience a drop in fertility as they age. Now new discoveries about their remarkable reproduction may help prolong or boost human fertility.
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Male contraceptives have traditionally been limited to condoms and vasectomies. Now scientists have demonstrated a promising new method that takes the form of a pill that can be taken just before sex, greatly reducing fertility for 24 hours.
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The EctoLife Artificial Womb Facility envisages a controversial new way to be pregnant, with the baby growing in an idealized, but completely inhuman environment: transparent "growth pods" arranged by their hundreds in human baby farming operations.
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A striking study published in 2017 reported a 50% decline in the average sperm count since the 1970s. Now, a follow-up study is suggesting the decline in sperm counts is accelerating. But not all researchers are convinced the data is as clear as it seems.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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