Born Smart » IVF

Low sperm motility can be improved with antioxidants

Admin — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 20:00:00 +0000

I am not really surprised by the findings in this 4 year study. Researchers analyzed diet and pollutants and
its effect on male fertility and found that men that eat more fruit and vegetables have better semen quality than those who did not.

The study authors believe the reason to be that antioxidants could lower oxidative stress that can harm sperm and therefore argue that a diet higher in vitamins and antioxidants can improve both sperm concentration
and motility.

Stress and infertility – How stress causes infertility

Admin — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Stress and infertility have been linked for a long time, however researchers at the University of California Berkely have found a missing piece of the puzzle in how stress cause sexual dysfunction and
infertility.

Stress boosts stress hormone levels such as cortisol, known to inhibit the body’s main sex hormone GnRH (gonadotropin releasing hormone) this suppresses;
ovulation and sexual activity.

The new study found that stress also increase levels of a reproductive hormone GnIH (gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone) in the brain and GnIH also hinders the production of GnRH resulting on a double whammy for the
reproductive system.

This study provides a new avenue of research for studies on infertility.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090615171618.htm

Increasing fertility – Daily sex for faster stronger sperm

Admin — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Increasing fertility by having sex every day (or ejaculating daily) for seven days? According to an
Australian study this is exactly what you should do to reduce the amount of DNA damage in sperm and thus improving sperm quality. Until now there has been much debate over whether men should refrain from sex for a few days before trying to conceive. Key findings on sperm quality in this study are;

An average of 12% decrease of sperm damage for daily sex after seven days
More men that had poor sperm quality moved into the “good” range although lower in volume and concentration sperm where faster

“Dr Greening said he thought the reason why sperm quality improved with frequent ejaculation was because the sperm had a shorter exposure in the testicular ducts and epididymis to reactive oxygen species (very small molecules), high levels which can damage cells.” This is the second study to point towards dad’s ability to help with increasing fertility.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630075311.htm

Sperm, it’s in the shake

Admin — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 22:13:00 +0000

Researchers have developed a new sperm shaker technique to evaluate DNA damage in sperm for use in IVF. The lead scientist Dr Alistair Elfick says, “In natural conception the fittest and healthiest sperm are positively selected by the arduous journey they make to the egg. What our technology does is to replace natural selection with a DNA based ‘quality score’ to help determine “if the sperm is strong and healthy.”

Using two highly focused beams of laser light like optical tweezers, researchers identify the sperms DNA properties by the pattern of the vibrations they emit. Previous quality test of sperm involved cutting them open to check their shape and activity. These tests only gave and indication of health not DNA damage and also killed the sperm rendering them useless. The new test does not destroy the sperm and can therefore still be used in IVF treatment.

Researchers hope this new test will not only help increase IVF success rates but also potentially give IVF babies the best possible start in life.