Fertility News

A startup called Ovuline that helps women track their fertility and then their pregnancies just raised $1.4 million from Groupon-backers.

The companies product, called Smart Fertility, supposedly helps people conceive two times faster than the national average.

More on Techcrunch.

A controversy is brewing in New Zealand over a groundbreaking fertility treatment that is being considered there. The treatment involves implanting donated sperm and donated eggs into the hopeful, prospective mother.

On the opposing side is the Catholic Church, among others, who disagree with the procedure on ethical and moral grounds.

The Government’s Advisory Committee on Assisted Reproductive Technology (ACART) has recommended approving the procedure arguing that it would benefit infertile couples and single infertile parents.

Read more at: nzherald.co.nz

A large study by Danish researchers has shown indicates that  fertility drugs don’t increase risk of ovarian cancer.

The study, published on the British Medical Journal website,  involved 54,362 women with infertility problems. The researchers state that, our results show no convincing association between the overall risk for ovarian cancer and use of fertility drugs, and are generally reassuring. They do also note that many of the women in the study had not yet reached the age of peak risk for ovarian cancer.

Read more at: ScienceDaily

Early results in a study at University of Virginia Health System show that acupuncture may help with women struggling with infertility due to polycistic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The study is currently looking for more women to participate.

See more information here couresy of UPI.com.

A new treatment involving magnetic resonance and “shrinking the fibroids using ultrasound beams” is being made available soon in Chennai, India. Institutions will also start offering this treatment option in Bangalore and Hyderabad. This procedure is non-invasive and may be considered a first line of treatment rather than the invasive sugical option which is prone to complications.

More information can be found here.

A recent study published August 1, 2008 in the British Medical Journal calls into questions two very common forms of treatment for infertility. One of the treatments is the use of ovulation stimulating drugs while the other treatment is artificial insemmination. In the study, both of these treatments were found to have no significant positive effect on ability to conceive for couples with unexplained infertility.

See more at Yahoo! Health (Associated Press)