Individual small RNAs are responsible for controlling the expression of gonadoliberin or GnRH (Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone), a neurohormone that controls sexual maturation, the appearance of puberty, and fertility in adults, new research shows. The involvement of microRNAs, transcribed from DNA, occurs around birth, and marks a key step in postnatal development.
Tag: fertility
Ask Well: Exercise Can Impair Fertility
Exercise is good, but too much — as in women who are endurance-distance athletes — can hinder fertility.
The Number of Triplets Born in the U.S. Drops by 40%
Women are having fewer triplets than in the past, according to a new federal study looking at the rate of multiple births over time. Experts have been concerned over spikes in women having triplets—thought to be due to women getting pregnant later and the use of fertility enhancement technologies.
Infertility Treatment in the Age of Zika
Elena (not her real name) had been undergoing fertility treatments for more than a year when she learned that the Zika virus had arrived in Puerto Rico. Naturally, she was concerned. She’d heard the stories about babies born to Zika-infected mothers in Brazil—babies with abnormally small heads and uncertain futures. And briefly, she considered suspending her fertility treatments.
Should Students Learn About Declining Fertility?
Mentioning the topic of declining fertility is surprisingly controversial — partly because of political arguments over sex education in schools. But there are also different ideas about whether a policy priority of avoiding teenage pregnancy clashes with teaching students how to preserve their fertility.
Senator Pushes to Fund Fertility Services at VA
An amendment added to the Veterans Affairs appropriations bill Thursday would allocate $88 million to VA to cover fertility treatments and counseling for veterans who can’t have children as a result of wartime injuries.
Infertility Linked to Higher Birth Defect Risk
As assisted reproductive technologies (ART) treatments have developed, treatments like in vitro fertilization (IVF) have become more accessible to a wider population. Accordingly, the number of women using fertility treatments to conceive has increased such that in 2012, roughly 1.5 percent of all liveborn infants in the United States were conceived using some method of ART.
Y Chromosome Study Suggests Neanderthals Suffered From Fertility Issues
The first examination of a long-extinct Neanderthal’s Y chromosome suggests that fertility problems may have prevented Neanderthal men from successfully mating with modern human females, researchers said.
Scientists At Northwestern Restore Fertility In Mice With 3D-Printed Ovary
According to a team of Northwestern University researchers, the future of treating certain fertility issues may descend from a tiny, 3D-printed prosthetic ovary–one that’s already brought forth new generations in mice.
Fertility Benefit coming to Active-Duty Personnel Oct. 1
Active-duty military personnel will be able to freeze their eggs or sperm under a fertility pilot program beginning Oct. 1, a senior defense official said earlier this month.