Human testes are masters of mass production, spitting out sperm at a rate of 200 million per day. But that doesn’t mean the process is fast–it takes 64 days to make a sperm. The organ keeps the count high with an assembly-line anatomy that scales up sperm development from a trickle to a flood.
Category: Fertility Headlines
US Congress Moves to Block Human-Embryo Editing
The US House of Representatives is wading into the debate over whether human embryos should be modified to have heritable changes.
Why Doctors Aren’t Giving You the Fertility Tests They Should Be
For most gynecologists, the lack of communication is due in part to the fact that health insurance doesn’t reimburse doctors for spending more time talking to their patients. Another factor is that most plans only cover the tests for women over 35 (the full battery costs about $1,000).
This Common Medicine-Cabinet Drug Could Hurt Your Fertility
A small, new study shows that taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can temporarily harm women’s fertility.
Freeze Sperm at 18, Bioethicist Urges Men
The sperm of all 18-year-olds should be frozen for use in later life because of the risks attached with being an older father, a UK bioethicist has argued.
Biological Clock Ticking? Egg Freezing Now an Option
Reproductive specialists have frozen the eggs of women facing chemotherapy or radiation for decades. But in 2012, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine essentially endorsed the practice as an elective procedure by declaring that egg freezing was no longer considered experimental. Since then, the egg-freezing business has ramped up at fertility centers across the country.
Mayo Clinic: Effect of PCOS on Fertility Can Vary From one Woman to Another
The effect of polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, on fertility can vary quite a bit from one woman to another. In some women, the syndrome can make getting pregnant more difficult than usual. But that’s not always the case. When PCOS does have an impact on fertility, treatments can help.
Research May Create Male Birth Control Pill
Having a family is a big decision, and because of that, pregnancy prevention is a common concern for both men and women. According to Plannedparenthood.com, men have fewer methods of birth control including condoms, a vasectomy or just abstinence
Celebrities Have Given Women the Totally Unrealistic Idea that They Can Have kids at Any Age
It’s certainly not impossible for women over 35 or even 40 to give birth, but celebrities in the limelight for doing so are the exception, not the rule — and they can give women the wrong impression about their own chances.
AHN Program Helps Women and Men With Cancer Preserve Fertility
When a woman is diagnosed with cancer, a natural question is whether steps can be taken to preserve her ability to have children. The next question is how those treatments will be paid for.A program to help women dealing with those issues is now in place at the Allegheny Health Network.