Posts Tagged ‘fertility’

A new study out of the University of California, Berkeley suggests that chemicals called PBDEs may be making it difficult for women to conceive. PBDEs are chemicals with flame-retardant properties that are found in household items. In fact, nearly all Americans (97%) have PBDEs at detectable levels in their blood. After studying 223 pregnant women and the length of time it took them to conceive, researchers found that those with high levels of PBDEs were up to 50% less likely to get pregnant in a given month compared to women with lower levels. Currently, the majority of what we know about the effects of BPDEs are from studies with mice. Thus, more data is needed before a direct association with human fertility can be made. The study is published in this month’s Environmental Health Perspectives. [via U.S. News]

Share your comments here.

A Los Angeles fertility clinic has sparked controversy by offering parents the ability to select the sex, hair color and eye color of babies. However, “designer babies” have actually been here for many years already. The technology, called preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), is currently used during in vitro fertilization to screen embryos for genetic diseases (such as Huntington’s disease, sickle cell anemia, muscular dystrophy) prior to implantation into the mother’s womb. The difference now is that you are selectively choosing an embryo based on physical traits.  The LA Fertility Institute’s first such designer baby is expected to be born next year and will no doubt spark discussions of ethics and morality.

Read more and share your opinion.

A study of the antidepressant Paxil by researchers at Cornell Medical Center show that the drug increases the number of sperm with damaged DNA. Sperm with DNA damage are found in any sperm sample. However, in men who took Paxil for 4 weeks, it was found that almost one-third of their sperm had damage to the DNA. However, the question is whether this has any affect on overall fertility, and whether the remaining healthy sperm would be enough to produce a viable embryo. Since this is a small study, larger studies are needed to answer these questions. Researchers say that individuals who are taking this drug should consult with their doctors if they are concerned about infertility. Full story.