We sort the scientific facts from the misconceptions It can take around three menstrual cycles for someone’s expected fertility to return once they stop taking the pill, but there’s no long-term impact. In fact, around 83% of women...
Our cells constantly receive DNA damage from factors such as ultraviolet rays, irradiations, toxins and chemicals. For women, that can lead to poor egg quality, which in turn can cause infertility, miscarriage, birth defects or genetic...
Conflicted about motherhood, Sophia embarks on the physically and emotionally gruelling journey of harvesting her eggs in her 30s. During the process she grapples with taboo feelings of not wanting children at all, broaching the idea...
Conflicted about motherhood, Sophia embarks on the physically and emotionally gruelling journey of harvesting her eggs in her 30s. During the process she grapples with taboo feelings of not wanting children at all, broaching the idea...
A newly discovered line of communication between body muscle and the pituitary gland may play an unexpected role in female fertility, according to a new study. Researchers found that a protein produced in the muscles helps manage the...
The risk of being admitted to the hospital with heart disease is twice as high the year after birth for mothers of twins compared to singleton births, according to new research. The risk is even higher in mothers of twins who had a high...
A new study has highlighted the potential of resveratrol, a natural compound found in grapes, blueberries, and raspberries, to enhance female fertility. The systematic review found that resveratrol can improve the quantity and quality of...
Exclusive: In-vitro gametes are viewed as the holy grail of fertility research Mass-producing eggs and sperm in a laboratory in order to have a baby with yourself or three other people in a “multiplex” parenting arrangement might sound...
Researchers have uncovered which genes on the Y chromosome regulate the development of sperm and impact fertility in male mice. This research could help us understand why some men don't produce enough sperm and are infertile.
This documentary about Price and her partner’s attempt to have a child may have spawned acres of coverage, but there is no delving into the agonies of infertility, which makes it depthless, thoughtless and downright offensive The...
A new study has revealed a potential reason why some pregnancies achieved through assisted reproductive technology (ART) may result in birth defects in comparison to naturally conceived pregnancies.
Giving Australians 12 days off work each year for menstrual pain, menopause and IVF could save a fortune, study finds, but only a handful of workplaces offer it Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news...
Artificial Intelligence (AI) could help doctors identify follicles that are most likely to lead to the birth of a baby during IVF treatment more precisely than current methods.
Helen Pidd and Alexandra Topping have been close friends for almost 20 years. But struggles with fertility and new motherhood tested their bond to the limit In the summer of 2006, Helen Pidd met her fellow Guardian journalist Alexandra...
Survey by Chartered Management Institute finds only 19% of companies have a policy in place ‘Exhaustive, expensive and soul-destroying’: one NHS worker’s infertility journey Employers should have formal policies in place to help workers...
Alison Howie, a physiotherapist, tried to get pregnant over 10 years. The experience left her feeling she needed to quit her job UK employers ‘risk losing good people’ without policies on infertility, say managers A fifth of employees...
Researchers have studied placental genes to explore how Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) affects a child's development. Differences showed up between pregnancies from frozen and fresh embryo transfers in the placentas. Changes were...
Tires and degrading garbage shed tiny pieces of plastic into the air, creating a form of air pollution that researchers suspect may be causing respiratory and other illnesses.
Infertility affects an estimated 186 million people worldwide, with fallopian tube obstruction contributing to 11%-67% of female infertility cases. Researchers have developed an innovative solution using a magnetically driven robotic...
Researchers have identified Nr1h2, a critical transcription factor essential for early embryo development. Their findings enhance our understanding of gene regulation during blastoid formation and hold promise for regenerative medicine,...
‘Abrupt’ announcement will affect many women who have been planning their conception journeys to begin in early 2025, provider says Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast IVF providers are bracing for an influx of...
We’ve climbed steadily from a place of little agency – waiting for the right partner to come along – before we could have children The number of women without a partner having children by IVF or sperm donation has trebled in the past 10...
A growing number feel single parenthood is liberating and only a sense of ‘shame’ around it is holding women back It was Covid that gave Amy, 45, the final push to have fertility treatment on her own. “I had been thinking about it for a...
We’d like to hear from women who are having a baby on their own or with someone else using IVF or DI According to a report by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the number of UK women who are single and undergoing...
Study also finds that number of female couples receiving IVF or DI treatment doubled between 2012 and 2022 The number of single women in the UK undergoing fertility treatment to start a family has more than trebled in a decade, a report...
Women who suffer severe complications during their first pregnancy or delivery are less inclined to have more babies, a study reports. Given the recent steady decline in birth rate in Sweden, the researchers propose monitoring in...
They both had something the other wanted. Could their relationship survive? The night I first met Lexy, I was supposed to be going on a date. I was 25 and had yet to really make friends since moving to London, so when she asked me for a...
Bill Nighy, James Norton and Thomasin McKenzie form the unlikely trio who doggedly, quietly and courageously made the discovery that would change lives around the world There is sympathy, warmth and directness – though perhaps not much...
Dr Luke Brunning says young people need to develop the skills and capacity to navigate intimacy both online and offline It was heartening to see Siân Boyle drawing attention to changing attitudes around dating apps, and concerns about...
The screenwriter behind hit TV dramas National Treasure and Kiri, as well as the Harry Potter stage play, talks about his new, more personal project created with his wife - a feature film, Joy, celebrating the birth of IVF In 1968,...
Drosophila is one of the most thoroughly studied lab animals -- with the exception of the female reproductive tract. Now a team of biologists has taken the first deep look at the Drosophila uterus and found some surprises, which could...
Most who seek surrogacy overseas, which is now punishable by jail terms and fines, are heterosexual couples Maria Sole Giardini was campaigning outside the Italian parliament in 2021 for surrogacy to be legalised when she encountered...
Researchers have mapped how small RNA molecules, such as the recently Nobel Prize-awarded microRNAs, control cell development in the human embryo during the first days after fertilization. The findings may eventually contribute to...
Accused of ‘playing God’, a trio of British medics persevered – and changed the lives of millions worldwide. The makers and stars of Joy explain why there were ‘many tears’ during filming ‘It’s just so weird, having children,” says Bill...
Researchers have linked specific frequent defects in sperm to risk of pregnancy complications and negative impacts on the health of the baby. The study shows that high proportion of father's spermatozoa possessing DNA strand breaks is...
New study shows that the lengths of menstrual cycles, follicular phases (before egg release) and luteal phases (after ovulation) are all variable. The luteal phase is importantly more variable than currently believed.
The risk of being born with a major heart defect is 36% higher in babies who were conceived after assisted reproductive technology, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), according to results of a very large study.
Researchers have developed an innovative technique to rejuvenate aged oocytes, or immature egg cells, to boost their quality, paving the way for improved outcomes for in-vitro fertilization. This groundbreaking approach involves...
A team fhas uncovered a new mechanism that could revolutionize infertility care by promoting embryo implantation. The discovery focuses on prostaglandin (PG) receptors in the uterus that enhance the critical process of decidualization,...
Scientists have discovered a novel way to lengthen the 'healthspan' of a women's ovaries -- improving maintenance of the ovaries and preventing key age-related changes in ovarian function. 'Healthspan' refers to the length of time a...
The team first looked at variation in data from genetic sequencing of 106,973 post-menopausal female participants in the UK Biobank study. Researchers focused on rare types of genetic changes which cause a loss of the protein, and...
A new study reveals that stress-induced changes in sperm motility occur after a stressful event, rather than during it and improves sperm performance. The discovery is essential in understanding how stress impacts the reproductive...
Women who are being treated for asthma are more likely to miscarry and need fertility treatment to get pregnant, according to a large study. However, the study also suggests that most women with asthma are able to have babies.
Who we choose as a partner depends in part on who we find attractive on the outside. Scientists have long wondered whether potential partners can also sense a woman's fertility, for example through subtle changes in her body odor....
A new report highlights a troubling trend: while global adolescent fertility rates have significantly declined, sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing an increase in teen births. This region's share of global adolescent births surged from 12...
Despite treatment-related fertility challenges, female patients can become pregnant and give birth to healthy children after undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT), according to a new study.
An unexpectedly versatile and regenerative stem cell in early embryos may be key to creating new effective fertility treatments, suggests a new study in mice.