Embryology Fetal Development A fun play by play of the main changes that we go through as an embryo and fetus, from conception to birth, by batya! By: batya f … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 1-Jul-2014 Contact: Christine Bauquis christine@eshre.eu 32-499-258-046 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology Munich, 1 July 2014: With an ever-ageing female patient population, egg donation is an increasingly common treatment in infertility. ESHRE's own annual reports on fertility treatments in Europe show a rise in egg donation cycles from 15,028 in 2007 to 24,517 in 2010 (to 4.05% of all treatments). This proportion is still some way behind the USA, where egg donation now accounts for around 12% of all treatments. As women age their store of viable eggs reduces such that their "ovarian reserve" (and likelihood of pregnancy) declines. Once the eggs have gone, they cannot be replaced, and egg donation is the only possible treatment. In addition, studies consistently show that eggs produced by women in older age groups form embryos with a higher prevalence of chromosome defects than those from younger women: these embryos are less likely to implant and more likely to result in miscarriage if they do implant. As a result, fertility treatment with donor eggs is much more common among older women than among younger. Studies also show that egg donation is an increasingly successful treatment, with live birth rates of … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 1-Jul-2014 Contact: Christine Bauquis christine@eshre.eu 32-499-258-046 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology Munich, 1 July 2014: While the majority of younger women are aware of egg freezing as a technique of fertility preservation and consider it an acceptable means of reproductive planning, only one in five would consider it appropriate for them, according to the results of an internet survey performed in the UK and Denmark. The questionnaire, which was accessible online, was completed anonymously by 973 women with a median age of 31 years between September 2012 and September 2013. Results are reported today at the ESHRE Annual Meeting in Munich by Dr Camille Lallemant of the Complete Fertility Centre of Princess Anne Hospital, Southampton, United Kingdom. " Until very recently, no options for preserving fertility in order to delay childbearing existed," explained Dr Lallemant. "Now, vitrification has revolutionised oocyte freezing and made it effective and convenient. But we are still not clear to what extent women are aware of its possibilities and limitations, or of attitudes towards its use or the circumstances in which they might consider it. Our survey tried to answer these questions."(1) Results showed that the majority of respondents (83%) had … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 1-Jul-2014 Contact: Christine Bauquis christine@eshre.eu 32-499-258-046 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology Munich, 1 July 2014: A project in Denmark whose aim is to assess the reliability of preconceptional lifestyle and biological factors as predictors of fertility has found a pronounced effect of the contraceptive pill on markers used to assess "ovarian reserve", a predictor of future reproductive lifespan. Available evidence of whether the Pill has an effect on fertility has so far been reassuring - and usual advice to those stopping the Pill is that cycles will soon revert to normal, with pregnancy likely within six months or so.(1) However, one continuing concern for those taking the Pill long-term is its effect on reproductive status and whether this is masked by the Pill. Now, a new study reported today at the ESHRE Annual Meeting in Munich by Dr Kathrine Birch Petersen from the Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark indicates that the Pill has a marked suppressive effect on two well established markers of ovarian reserve, which are each considered reliable predictors of ovarian ageing and onset of menopause. In recent years the term "ovarian reserve" has been used to describe the ability of the ovary … Continue reading →