UPDATE: There were some questions as to the science that was presented. Research had been released by California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. The scientists presented their evidence before the “science advisory board’s developmental and reproductive toxicant identification committee,” which composed of eight doctors from various fields of medicine. The doctors heard testimony from almost 30 people, including myself — an environmental advocate — and members of the canned goods industry. -Elisa
OAKLAND, Calif. — Despite day-long presentations of scientific data and heartfelt testimony by breast cancer survivors and concerned mothers, a panel of eight doctors unanimously voted against listing the chemical bisphenol A as a neurological and reproductive toxin under the state’s Proposition 65.
Proposition 65, which was passed by voters in 1986 to protect people from chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects and reproductive harm, requires the governor to publish at least annually a list of these toxic chemicals.
At least a dozen studies have suggested bisphenol A, or BPAs that are found in numerous plastic products, including baby bottles, sippy cups and the inside linings of cans, can cause infertility problems like low sperm count and miscarriage and increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer. But the doctors sided with the industry, saying the animal sample sizes of these studies were too small and that the doses of BPAs were inconsistent to demonstrate a clear link between the chemical and these dire illnesses.
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Tags : infertility, plastic, sperm
Researchers at the Northeast England Stem Cell Institute have come up with a way to create human sperm from embryonic stem cells. The journal Stem Cells and Development last week published research led by Karim Nayernia, of Newcastle University.
The research isn’t intended to make men obsolete. On the contrary, the science behind it could someday give couples struggling with fertility hope for starting a family.
What Nayernia and his team of scientists did was come up with a way to turn embryonic stem cells with male chromosomes into reproductive cells.
They then divided the cells, which in turn produced sperm.
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Tags : infertility, research, sperm
Women wanting to get pregnant should find themselves an ugly man, new research suggests.
Scientists have found attractive males produce less sperm during sex.
Researchers think good-looking males are biologically geared to hold back their sperm in each encounter to increase their chance of impregnating more females.
But unattractive males know they are not going to bed so many females — so when they do get lucky they give it all they’ve got.
The findings from the University of Oxford and University College London are backed up by studies of chickens and fish, but researchers think they could well apply to humans too.
“Human attractiveness is complicated and influenced by a number of factors including cultural preferences,” said UCL researcher Sam Tazzyman. “Nonetheless, ejaculate size and sperm quality are likely to have been molded by similar forces, like attractiveness and the number of sexual partners, that are important in other species.”
Reporting the findings on the university’s Web site, Tazzyman said, “The more attractive a male is, the more females will be willing to mate with him, reducing the value of each mating to him. This means it is optimal for him to contribute fewer sperm per mating.”
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Tags : fertility, sperm
Sportsmen who carry out high levels of cycle training could be damaging their chance of fatherhood, researchers reported on Monday.
The research team looked at triathletes — athletes who run, swim and cycle — to further a probe into a long-suspected link between male infertility and long-distance biking.
They looked at semen provided by 15 healthy Spanish triathletes whose training routines were known in detail.
The more time the triathletes spent in the saddle, the worse their sperm fared, said the research team, which Diana Vaamonde led at the University of Cordoba Medical School in Spain.
“While all triathletes had less than 10 percent of normal-looking sperm, the men with less than 4 percent — at which percentage they generally would be considered to have significant fertility problems — were systematically” 180 miles a week on their bicycles, Vaamonde said.
No such link was seen for running and swimming.
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Tags : cycling, infertility, sperm
Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Daily sex (or ejaculating daily) for seven days improves men’s sperm quality by reducing the amount of DNA damage, according to an Australian study presented today (Tuesday) to the 25th annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Amsterdam.
Until now there has been no evidence-based consensus amongst fertility specialists as to whether or not men should refrain from sex for a few days before attempting to conceive with their partner, either spontaneously or via assisted reproduction.
Dr David Greening, an obstetrician and gynaecologist with sub specialist training in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Sydney IVF, Wollongong, Australia, said: “All that we knew was that intercourse on the day of ovulation offered the highest chance of pregnancy, but we did not know what was the best advice for the period leading up to ovulation or egg retrieval for IVF.
“I thought that frequent ejaculation might be a physiological mechanism to improve sperm DNA damage, while maintaining semen levels within the normal, fertile range”
To investigate this hypothesis, Dr Greening studied 118 men who had higher than normal sperm DNA damage as indicated by a DNA Fragmentation Index (DFI). Men who had a more than 15% of their sperm (DFI more than 15%) damaged were eligible for the trial. At Sydney IVF, sperm DNA damage is defined as less than 15% DFI for excellent quality sperm, 15-24% DFI for good, 25-29% DFI for fair and more than 29% DFI for poor quality; but other laboratories can have slightly different ranges.
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Tags : infertility, ivf, sperm
You have probably heard that wearing boxer shorts can improve semen quality. This may help in a way as elevated body temperature can affect sperm count, but relying on the use of boxers to enhance sperm health is not really a very promising idea. Improving male fertility is actually a bit more complex, and it definitely needs more than just a change in undergarments.
Eat fruits and vegetables regularly. Studies have shown that men who ate more fruits and vegetables have better sperm quality compared to men who don’t. This has been attributed to the high antioxidant content of fruits and vegetables, which can reduce oxidative stress and consequently improve sperm count and motility.
Get regular exercise. Adopt a moderate-intensity fitness regimen to keep your body in healthy shape. While it is good to push yourself to exercise daily, it is not also advisable to go all the way with too intense workouts.
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Tags : fertility, male, sperm
