Fertility

• Caution over revolutionary infertility treatment - WHW Sept 2001
• Pesticides decrease fertility - WHW Sept 1999
• Protecting Our Future The Case for Greater Regulation of Assisted Reproductive Technology. 1999
• Infertility drugs and ovarian cancer - WHW Dec 1998
• New infertility treatment on trial - WHU Jan 1999
• Infertility treatment and small infants - WHW Nov 1997
• New Assisted Human Reproduction Bill - WHU Jan 1999

See also Assisted Reproductive Technology

Caution over revolutionary infertility treatment

September 2001 Women's Health Watch

The use of the revolutionary new infertility treatment intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) should be limited to male-factor infertility, according to a review in The Lancet.

Professor Sergio Oehninger from Eastern Virginia Medical School writes that male factors are the commonest cause of infertility and ICSI has revolutionized the approach to treating infertility caused by sperm dysfunction. Professor Oehninger says ICSI is commonly used when the cause of sperm abnormalities cannot be determined but he warns that the technique bypasses natural sperm-selection barriers. This means there could be an increased risk of passing on chromosomal or genetic disease, resulting in malformation or cancer....Read More

Pesticides decrease fertility

September 1999 Women's Health Watch

Exposure to pesticides affects male fertility, according to a Dutch study. Researchers investigated 836 couples seeking in-vitro fertilisation to determine how exposure to pesticides affected the man's ability to conceive. They found fertilisation rates dropped significantly when male partners are occupationally exposed to pesticides.
Ref: Lancet, 1999; 354: 9177

Protecting Our Future The Case for Greater Regulation of Assisted Reproductive Technology.

1999

A thought-provoking examination of the current issues in ART in New Zealand.
Edited by Sandra Coney and Anne Else,
Published by Women's Health Action Availible here

Infertility drugs and ovarian cancer

December 1998 Women's Health Watch

A new study has failed to confirm an association between ovarian cancer and drugs used to stimulate ovulation during infertility treatment.

Researchers at Australia's Monash University studied more than l0,000 women who underwent in vitro fertilisation treatment 1978, and 1992. Just over half the women studied used at least one cycle of ovarian-stimulating drugs and the other group did not. Researcher say there was no difference in the incidence of ovarian cancer in the two groups with three cases of invasive ovarian cancer occurring in each group. The Monash researchers are now conducting a similar study involving about 30,000 women....Read More

New infertility treatment on trial

January 1999 Women's Health Update

Fertility Plus, at National Women's Hospital, is looking for women to participate in a randomised controlled trial of laparoscopic ovarian diathermy as a treatment for fertility problems associated with polycystic ovarian syndrome. Ovarian diathermy is to be compared to standard gonadotrophin therapy. The trial is led by Dr Cindy Farquhar.

Ovarian diathermy involves lapa-roscopic surgery where approximately ten drill holes are diathermied into the centre of each ovary. This should result in shrinkage to the enlarged ovary, resulting in normal levels of hormone production, regular periods and ovulation. The effects are thought to last for about 12 months.

Women who have been trying for a pregnancy for at least 12 months, who have a diagnosis of polycystic ovaries on ultrasound, are clomiphene resistant, under the age of 39 and have a body mass index less than 30 (32 for Polynesian) are eligible to participate in the study.

Because the study is randomised women have no choice about treatment, but if they have not ovulated after six months, they can swap treatments. There is no charge for women living in the North Health region for either treatment.

By November 1998, 40 women had enrolled in the study, 11 of whom have become pregnant as a result.The, researchers will continue recruiting women until mid-1999. For further information write to Karen Williamson, Research Nurse, fertility Plus, National Women's Hospital, Claude Road, Greenlane.

Infertility treatment and small infants

November 1997 Women's Health Watch

Fertility therapies raise a mother's risk of having a very low birth weight baby - weighing under 1500 grams or 3.3 pounds - say researchers from Boston. The risk is only partly explained by the fact that multiple pregnancies are more common in women who have had fertility treatment.

The researchers sought to determine if fertility treatments increased the risk of very low birth weight babies, as this is linked to half of all neonatal deaths occurring in the USA each year....Read More

New Assisted Human Reproduction Bill

January 1999 Women's Health Update

The government's new bill outlaws a limited number of reproductive practices, including animal/human hybrids and cloning, and gives extensive information rights to donors of gametes and children born through assisted reproduction. Both donors and offspring will be entitled, as of right, to access identifying information about each other. Offspring must be given identifying information once they reach the age of 18; donors must be given identifying information when offspring reach the age of 25, and from the age of 18 with consent. However, children born from donations before the legislation is enacted will not share those rights, and people involved in surrogacy arrangements will still have to rely on the Adult Adoption Information Act.. .Read More