fertility news stories on Newser

Asian Women Who 'Donate' Eggs Can Make Big Money

John Johnson — Fri, 04 May 2012 14:11:05 CDT

The old-fashioned law of supply and demand brings this quirk in the world of egg donors: Young Asian women in the US can make way more than others, reports the Los Angeles Times . Demand is so high, they can easily get $10,000 to $20,000, as opposed to about...

Fertility Clinic Boss Likely Fathered 600 Kids

Mark Russell — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 04:43:52 CDT

The biologist Bertold Wiesner set up a fertility clinic for high IQ donors in London in the 1940s, helping women conceive 1,500 babies before he died in 1972. But what he did not tell those using his clinic was that he was the clinic's major donor, likely making some...

High-Fat Diet Lowers Sperm Count

Dustin Lushing — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:01:13 CDT

It's more bad news for fat. A new study shows men who eat large amounts of fatty foods, especially saturated fats common in meat and dairy products, had lower sperm production and concentration. A diet consisting of 37% or more of fat calories or just 13% or more of saturated...

Human Stem Cells Can Make Egg Cells

Mark Russell — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 04:07:33 CST

Scientists say they have figured out how to get stem cells from human ovaries to generate egg cells, a discovery that could be a major advance for fertility medicine, reports the New York Times . The Massachusetts General Hospital researchers employed a technique first used on mice ovaries that marks the...

New Lending Boom: 'Fertility Finance'

Matt Cantor — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:25:05 CST

Poor economy or not, families want children—and with bank credit tight, a specialized industry is reaping the benefits. "Fertility finance" firms provide loans for in vitro fertilizations, which regularly cost more than $20,000. The business looks set to soar this year, insiders tell the Wall Street Journal . It's...

New Home Test Checks Sperm Count

Matt Cantor — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:09:07 CST

If you've ever questioned your sperm count but weren't thrilled with the idea of dropping by a clinic, worry no longer: For the first time, you can get an FDA-approved home test. The $30 to $40 SpermCheck Fertility Home Sperm Test, available at CVS.com and Walgreens.com, says it's...

Contraceptive Sperm Zap in the Works

Rob Quinn — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:13:31 CST

Researchers say they have found what could be a cheap, reliable, and long-lasting form of male birth control, although it involves zapping the testicles with ultrasound. A study on rats found that sound waves slowed sperm production to levels that would cause infertility in humans, making ultrasound a "promising candidate"...

Chinese Lust to Have 'Dragon' Baby

Mark Russell — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 03:50:19 CST

The dragon is one of the luckiest and most powerful signs in the Chinese zodiac, and people born in the year of the dragon—which runs from today to Feb. 9, 2013—are supposed to be strong and successful. So many Chinese and Chinese-Americans are going to extraordinary lengths to...

Scientists Turn Stem Cells Into Working Sperm

Matt Cantor — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:15:00 CDT

Researchers have managed to produce sperm cells from embryonic stem cells—and for the first time, the sperm worked, resulting in healthy baby mice. Researchers in Japan mixed the embryonic stem cells with certain proteins and hormones. They converted the resulting cells into germ cells, which they implanted in the...