A new breakthrough blood test that helps predict the approximate age at which a woman would attain menopause has been developed. The preliminary findings of this population-based cohort study were presented at the 26th annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) held at Rome from 27^th to 30^th June 2010. The researchers are hopeful that the test could help women determine the age at which they reach menopause and accordingly plan their motherhood. Continue Reading

Sperm banking has been recognized as an effective strategy to circumvent iatrogenic infertility and also retain the reproductive potential of adolescent and young adult males undergoing cancer therapy. However, the effect of long-term cryopreservation on the fertilization potential of sperm has been contentious. Now, a study performed by a group of Israeli researchers rules out any negative influence of prolonged storage in liquid nitrogen on the progressive motility concentration (PMC) of sperm. The results are published in the online issue of the journal Human Reproduction. Continue Reading

Deleterious mutations in the BRCA genes greatly enhance the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. In a novel finding, researchers at the New York Medical College have reported the association between the mutations in BRCA1 gene and early depletion of ovarian reserve, thereby highlighting the potential link between breast and ovarian cancer risk with infertility. The results, which highlight the importance of DNA repair in ovarian aging, were presented at the 65^th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, held at Atlanta from October 17^th to 21^st, 2009. Continue Reading

Oocyte cryopreservation holds significant potential as an option for preserving female fertility, especially in patients undergoing aggressive radiation or chemotherapy. Following an intensive review, the British Fertility Society (BFS) and the Association of Clinical Embryologists (ACE) have issued new clinical guidelines on egg freezing technologies for UK clinics. Continue Reading

The advent of newer chemotherapeutic drugs has increased concerns about their genotoxic effects in young patients undergoing chemotherapy. Although several strategies have been proposed to conserve female fertility before and during cancer treatment, there is a lack of evidence-based data that can substantiate the efficacy and safety of these techniques. The use of chemotherapeutic medications that do not induce oocyte damage or prevent it may emerge as a new option for fertility preservation. A recent study, elucidating the pathway linked to chemotherapy-induced death of oocytes, reports the protective effect of the anticancer drug, imatinib in preserving the oocytes during such treatments. The results of the study are published online in the journal Nature Medicine. Continue Reading