BOSTON Thinking about adding a new member to the family? Scientists at Boston University say that couples tend to achieve conception at a quicker rate during the late fall or early winter. That timeline is especially relevant for residents of southern U.S. states, according to this first-of-its-kind piece of research.

First, birthday rates according to month were calculated. In the United States, birthdays tend to peak in early September. However, in northern U.S. states, and Scandinavia for that matter, birthdays usually increase a bit earlier than that, reaching their peak in the summer. While its undeniable that a variety of factors play a role in the popularity of birth months (November births are often linked backed to Valentines celebrations nine months prior), the research team at BU say that the seasons themselves greatly influence a couples chances of conceiving.

All in all, couples in the United States and Denmark are most likely to start trying for a baby in September, but they actually have much better odds of conceiving a few months later (late November, early December). This appears to be extra true for couples living in lower latitudes.

There are a lot of studies out there that look at seasonal patterns in births, but these studies dont take into account when couples start trying, how long they take to conceive, or how long their pregnancies last, says study lead author Dr. Amelia Wesselink, postdoctoral associate in epidemiology, in a mediarelease. After accounting for seasonal patterns in when couples start trying to conceive, we found a decline in fecundability in the late spring and a peak in the late fall. Interestingly, the association was stronger among couples living at lower latitudes.

Fecundability means the odds of conception within the duration of a single menstrual cycle.

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The researchers used data on 14,331 pregnancy-planning women who had been attempting to become pregnant for a maximum of six months. Of that sampling, 5,827 women were from either the U.S. or Canada, and 8,504 were Danish. All of those participants had filled out a series of surveys every two months until each had either successfully conceived, or been trying for a total of 12 menstrual cycles. The questionnaires asked about menstruation cycles, intercourse frequency, diet, smoking habits, income, and education level.

North American women were more likely to try for conception in the fall than Danes, but even after accounting for that, season affected North American womens fecundability by 16%. In comparison, Danes saw an 8% seasonal boost in the fall and subsequent drop in pregnancy rates by the spring each year. In southern U.S. states, the influence of season was even stronger: these women saw a 45% increase in pregnancies in late November.

Even after the studys authors accounted for factors such as seasonal intercourse rates, sugary beverage consumption, smoking, and medication use, the studys findings largely remained the same.

Although this study cannot identify the reasons for seasonal variation in fertility, we are interested in exploring several hypotheses on seasonally-varying factors and how they affect fertility, including meteorological variables such as temperature and humidity, vitamin D exposure, and environmental exposures such as air pollution, Wesselink concludes.

The study is published in Human Reproduction.

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Time Of The Season: Study Finds Late Fall, Early Winter Is Best When Trying For Baby - Study Finds

Scientists explain how the virus is killing patients--mostly elderly or people with underlying medical conditions--when about 80 percent only have mild symptoms from the infection. In other news related to the science behind the outbreak: a forecast of an epidemic, the infection rate, how long the virus can linger on surfaces, a treatment option, and more.

WBUR:How COVID-19 Kills: The New Coronavirus Disease Can Take A Deadly TurnMore than 1,300 people, almost all in China, have now died from COVID-19 the newly minted name for the coronavirus disease first identified in Wuhan, China, that has infected more than 55,000 people. Yet according to the World Health Organization, the disease is relatively mild in about 80% of cases, based on preliminary data from China. (Godoy, 2/14)

Stat:Disease Modelers Gaze Into Their Computers To See The Future Of Covid-19, And It Isnt GoodAt least 550,000 cases. Maybe 4.4 million. Or something in between. Like weather forecasters, researchers who use mathematical equations to project how bad a disease outbreak might become are used to uncertainties and incomplete data, and Covid-19, the disease caused by the new-to-humans coronavirus that began circulating in Wuhan, China, late last year, has those everywhere you look. That can make the mathematical models of outbreaks, with their wide range of forecasts, seem like guesswork gussied up with differential equations; the eightfold difference in projected Covid-19 cases in Wuhan, calculated by a team from the U.S. and Canada, isnt unusual for the early weeks of an outbreak of a never-before-seen illness. (Begley, 2/14)

The Wall Street Journal:How Many People Might One Person With Coronavirus Infect?When an infection erupts the way coronavirus has exploded in Wuhan, China, and elsewhere in the world, public-health experts try to gauge the potential for an epidemicor, worse, a pandemicby calculating the pathogens basic reproduction number. The figure, generally written as R0 and pronounced R naught, is an estimate of how many healthy people one contagious person will infect. Because viruses spread exponentially, a few cases can quickly blow up to an overwhelming number. An R0 of two suggests a single infection will, on average, become two, then four, then eight. (McGinty, 2/16)

The Associated Press:Questions Complicate Efforts To Contain New Virus From ChinaReports one day suggest the respiratory outbreak in China might be slowing, the next brings word of thousands more cases. Even the experts have whiplash in trying to determine if the epidemic is getting worse, or if a backlog of the sick is finally getting counted. Continuing questions about the new virus are complicating health authorities' efforts to curtail its spread around the world. And the United States is taking the first steps to check that cases masquerading as the flu won't be missed, another safeguard on top of travel restrictions and quarantines. (Neergaard, 2/15)

CNN:How Long Coronaviruses May Linger On Contaminated Surfaces, According To ScienceConcerns are mounting about how long the novel coronavirus may survive on surfaces -- so much so that China's central bank has taken measures to deep clean and destroy its cash, which changes hands multiple times a day, in an effort to contain the virus. It is unknown exactly how long the novel coronavirus can linger on contaminated surfaces and objects with the potential of infecting people, but some researchers are finding clues by studying the elusive behaviors of other coronaviruses. (Howard, 2/18)

The Wall Street Journal:Gileads Coronavirus Drug Trial Slowed By Lack Of Eligible RecruitsClinical trials being conducted in Wuhan to test Gilead Sciences Inc.s antiviral drug, a promising remedy for the new coronavirus, are going more slowly than hoped for as the drugmaker struggles to recruit qualified patients, underscoring the challenges in quickly developing drugs during outbreaks. The trials, aimed at testing more than 700 patients infected with the Wuhan coronavirus, have succeeded in recruiting fewer than 200 people after 10 days. (2/18)

Boston Globe:Northeastern Students Target Rumors, Falsehoods On Coronavirus Via New On-Line MagazineWhile much of the world focuses on the rising death toll and infection rates from the coronavirus, a new on-line magazine produced by international students at Northeastern University aims to put a human face on the outbreak and challenge some of the falsehoods surrounding the crisis. In a recent post in the Global Observer, graduate student Yushu Tian painted an eerie picture of conditions in Wuhan, the city of 11 million at the center of the epidemic: Transportation in and out the city shut down; residents primarily confined to their homes. Included in her post were photos of a barren subway and vacant main road. (Sorensen, 2/16)

Read the original post:
For Most People Infected With Coronavirus, Symptoms Will Be Mild. So What's Happening In The Extreme Cases? - Kaiser Health News

It may sound like something from a fiction movie, and just over a decade ago it probably was, but in that time, scientists have discovered a ground-breaking genetic engineering tool called CRISPR-Cas9 (often referred to as only CRISPR).

It has the potential to revolutionize the future of human experience from creating drought resistant crops, augmenting mosquitoes to eliminating the transmission of malaria to, most importantly, eradicating specific genetic diseases like cancer by manipulating the blueprint of life. But could it have contradictory effects?

Coroner explores this topic in season two episode three, entitled 'CRISPR SISTR', where Dr. Jenny Cooper and Det. Donovan McAvoy investigate the death of a lab assistant who was helping in the CRISPR research that was to eradicate Lewy body dementia. Or so the scientists involved in the research implied during interrogation.

What really happened is a bit different and we'll get to it, but let's try to answer some complicated questions first.

You know how you can edit anything that needs a bit of fixing, such as a video an episode of Coroner for example or an Instagram picture by using various apps or tools? CRISPR-Cas9 issimilar, but a molecular tool, which is much more complex.

We can only scratch the surface, but to put it in simple terms: CRISPR-Cas9 is a gene editing tool that can be used to more precisely edit targeted bits of DNA in order to modify (strengthen, weaken, switch on and off) or eliminate specific genes in organisms like bacteria, animals, plants and even human cells. Imagine being able to prevent cancer by editing out the culprit?! Life changing!

"Think of it like editing text," says Dr. Janet Rossant, a researcher who uses CRISPR in her lab at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children.

"You can cursor in and you delete a few words, paste in a little sentence. And that is what people can now do in the genome."

Breaking it up, CRISPR (short for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) is a cluster of DNA sequences found within the genomes of specific microorganisms such as bacteria. And Cas9 (CRISPR associated protein 9) is an enzyme from bacterial antiviral systems that uses those sequences as a guide to recognize, interrogate and cleave foreign DNA by unwinding it and checking for complementary sites. And then snip snip.

In his interview with The Nature of Things, Dr. Eric Olson, a Molecular Biologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, explains it in everyday terms.

Metaphorically speaking, he says that we can think of CRISPR as a spell checker for DNA with a two component system. One component is the molecular scissors that can cut DNA and the other a GPS device for DNA which you can program to guide and deliver the scissors anywhere in the 6 billion letters of the DNA, and cut it in two.

There are many gene editing techniques which have been around for a while but CRISPR-Cas9 is revolutionary in its precision, timeliness and cost. Researchers are working tirelessly to add more to the CRISPR toolkit, but for now Cas9 is still the most popular.

"All methods are very efficient at making site-specific mutations, but CRISPR takes the least time and has the lowest costs," said Caixia Gao, a plant biologist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, to sciencemag.org.

If you need more detailed explanations on CRISPR and how it works, this is where we defer to the experts and we go back to Coroner.

Jenny's CRISPR case gets personal because of its ability to possibly heal her father who has the previously mentioned Lewy body dementia. Her hopes are up and after a conversation with her father, he is interested in being a part of the human trials.

Unfortunately, the scientists in the series end up on the unethical side. They've lied about experimenting with Lewy body dementia but instead were selfishly trying to cure themselves of Huntington's disease.

To make things worse, the methods which they applied turned deadly for the assistant who initially saw them as miracle workers while they used him as a guinea pig for their personal gain and research.

As the case closes, so does the CRISPR research along with Jenny's hopes for her father's recovery. The disappointment in this episode makes for a great story... but is reality any different?

While CRISPR has the potential to save many lives, there are still many safety wrinkles that need to be ironed out before we start to see it applied in Canadian labs. As Coroner points out, CRISPR-Cas9 could unleash consequences we can't predict which could be dire.

The method relies on Cas9 to be precise but sometimes it does veer off, makingoff-target cuts which is where the challenges begin. It also relies on the body's natural repair system to heal the snipped area that could cause DNA mutations and other diseases.

One of the biggest controversies of CRISPR is the possibility of making permanent gene alterations which could be passed down to future generations. Creating designer babies by altering their genes to create faster and more powerful athletes or changing their hair or eye colour may sound like a no big deal to some but along with many cons, it takes away one's choice to choose their life path.

In Canada, under theAssisted Human Reproduction Act of 2004, editing the human genome is prohibited and punishable by up to ten years in prison which is why in Coroner's episode three of season two, the CRISPR lab is shut down and the scientists arrested.

As we are propelled into the future with new bio technologies like CRISPR-Cas9, which are getting easier, cheaper and more widely accessible, the possibilities are endless and the responsibilities higher. There are many questions that still need to be answered around CRISPR like: what are the best ways of using these technologies responsibly and how can research be contained in order to avoid unethical applications?

While the scientists and the law ponder those questions, you can watch 'CRISPR SISTR' and past Coroner episodes on CBC Gem!

Read the original here:
CRISPR: Coroner tackles the ethics of gene editing - CBC.ca

An academic is adding her voice to the rising chorus of climate-crisis alarm bells with a newly published manifesto that has been attracting widespread attention for its radical ideas particularly antinatalism, or the end of reproduction as a way of phasing out of the human race.

I mean, its a really basic idea: In terms of carbon footprint, the worst thing you can do is have a child, Patricia MacCormack, a philosophy professor at Cambridges Anglia Ruskin University, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. And its the one taboo that nobody wants to speak.

MacCormacks argument centers on overpopulation if human beings cause climate change by creating greenhouse gases, then more humans mean more emissions. One study, for instance, found that that the carbon legacy of just one child creates 20 times more greenhouse gas than one can save by recycling, or driving an electric car. Its something plenty of families have been taking into account for years even Prince Harry, who said recently that he and Meghan Markle would have two children, maximum, for the sake of the planet, noting, We are the one species on this planet that seems to think that this place belongs to us, and only us.

Its a controversial stance, however, and MacCormack says that since the release of her book, The Ahuman Manifesto, the teacher, researcher and old-school goth London DJ has received hate mail, death threats, go kill yourself, stuff like that, she says, adding that an Italian news outlet called her delusional. Others have dug up photos of her in full-goth getups, thinking its insulting.

MacCormack, who largely stays away from social media, says shes found the angry reaction intriguing. I simply propose people not reproduce, and it automatically translated into acts of violence, she says. So, somehow, I want to kill children, which is ridiculous. Somehow, Im proposing eugenics or some kind of ethnic population control and I think that what that shows is there is an anthropocentric or a human impulse to read acts of grace as, automatically, acts of violence. And that says a lot more about the people not reading the book and just taking over the message.

The vitriol is understandable, though, she says, because, when people are confronted with something that makes them afraid of the tenuous nature of their own position they have a choice: to either go through their fear and lose themselves, and perhaps enter into a creative relationship with the opposition so that both parties come out thinking new, or, that fear transforms into aggression in order to maintain their sense of self and that position.

That idea, of people having to confront ideas that theyve always believed to be right and true, is triggering, MacCormack says. And rather than engage with the possibility that there are multiple truths in certain scenarios, they have to defend the precarity of their own identity. And they use threats and violence to do so.

In fact, says a doubling-down MacCormack about the concept of antinatalism, Not only does having a child really increase your carbon footprint, but we are living on an earth where there are a lot of organisms human, non-human that are in desperate need of care. And so, for me, if people want to care for children, for animals, whatever, there are cries for care everywhere. In light of that, she says, Im asking us to reflect on this idea that we need to reproduce. Further, she believes such a lifestyle would come with great freedom for women.

We have to start thinking about what liberty does it give women when they no longer have to explain why they don't want children? When they no longer have to sneak off to a different state to get reproductive freedom? When they are no longer defined by the maternal roles?

She stresses that the book which has been praised by fellow scholars and activists for being a passionate, insightful meditation, a delightful provocation and an unrelenting and exacting takedown of the violent self-interest of the human species is not legal blueprint or set of demands, but a hopeful, unselfish and oddly optimistic manifesto.

That means that it's a call to action, she says. So, by its nature, it has to propose action, and it has to propose action that radically displaces the systems we have now to work with.

Among its tenets, besides antinatalism, is veganism specifically, abolitionist veganism, which is the belief that all sentient beings, human or non-human, have the right to not be treated as the property of others.

So, being an abolitionist vegan also has far-reaching consequences for feminism, for anti-racism, for queer theory, because it's all about each individual fighting for a space for the other, to allow the other to simply be, MacCormack says, explaining that this belief system supports another: abolishing false hierarchies.

Human exceptionalism is using the Earth, exhausting the Earth, treating the Earth as if the Earth is for us as a resource. We don't act as if we are part of the Earth. And nonhuman animals are beneath us in this schema, she says, echoing Joaquin Phoenixs recent Oscars speech in noting that it needs to change. And then certain animals are more valid than others. And our measure is based on the equivalence to us rather than on the fact that they are on the Earth and then within human, we have a similar hierarchy, where white, heterosexual, usually rich men are at the top and then arguably, you know, the rest of us.

What MacCormack is pressing for, atthe heart of her manifesto, is for people to start thinking about all lifeforms as worthy simply because they are here. We need to make unnatural kin. We need to make participations with all life forms, without a hierarchy that's based on proximity to our so-called bloodline.

And if all of this talk makes you quake with fear over the nearing of the apocalypse, the professor says to forget all that because really, the apocalypse is already here.

There are people living in the apocalypse right now especially non-human animals, who have born into an apocalypse. They live to suffer and then they're murdered, she points out. But there are people living in refugee camps. There are people who, by virtue of being born a woman, by virtue of being born queer, their lives are apocalyptic, because they never achieved that level of subjectivity that counts.

So instead of the cinematic idea of the apocalypse being some sort of rupturous event, she believes, every era has its own apocalyptic age. And we, I think are feeling quite apocalyptic, because every morning we wake up and there's something in the news where we think, Oh no, humans haven't done that, have they?

Still, if we focus too much on impending doom, the professor suggests, We're not attending to the people who are experiencing the apocalypse right now, and it can lead to deep despair. Which, in turn, can lead to doing nothing. But doing nothing is an act, she says. It's an act for which we have to be accountable. So, instead, I'm advocating doing something whatever we can do. Everyone is capable of doing something.

And to those who are horrified by her suggestion that we throw in the towel and kiss the human race goodbye, MacCormack says, Our race is done if we keep acting like we act.

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Why this professor's climate-crisis solution is rankling Twitter: 'The worst thing you can do is have a child' - Yahoo Lifestyle

by: Mason Gentry

Love,or social attachment,is commonly thought to be a one-dimensional emotion. But, while love may induce emotions, it is insteadseveralvastlycomplex biological processes.

Simply explained, love is just another word to explain social attachment.

To understand love as a biological process, evolution must beconsidered.

According to researchers at the Research Triangle Institute of International, C. Sue Carter and Stephen W.Porgesclaimedin a document called theBiochemistry of love: an oxytocinhypothesisthat,Life onEarth is fundamentally social: the ability to interact dynamically with other living organisms to support mutual homeostasis, growth and reproduction evolved early.

Carter andPorgeswrote that even bacteria recognize members of their own species and, together, canmake communities and reproduce more successfully.Insects, too, have evolved social systems calledeusociality.Carter andPorgeswrote that,Molecular mechanismsfavoringhigh levels of sociality seem to be on an evolutionary fast track.

Considering thehuman brain, there is a region called the hypothalamus. This region holds a hormone called oxytocin, often referred to as the love hormone.Oxytocin has been known in the scientific community to be responsible for female reproductive functions but has more recently been found to be an important player in any social bonding.

According to a recent document by the Massachusetts Daily Collegian,Oxytocin contributes to relaxation, trust,and psychological stability.

The document also reported that a study byNaturefound that a nasal spray of oxytocin given to gamblers increased their trust toward strangers. Another study, in 2014, showed that a nasal spray of the substance also caused people to see emotions of others more intensely.

There are even oxytocin-laced perfumes on the market. These perfumes, however,haveshown a questionable functionality.

Another hormone related to social attachment is Vasopressin.Particularly important to social bonding are the interactions between oxytocin and a related peptide,Vasopressin, Carter andPorgeswrote.

They continued that the genes responsible for the production both chemicals are located on the same chromosome.

To differentiate, Carter andPorgeswrote thatVasopressin is related tophysical and emotional mobilization,supporting action and defense needed for self-defense or guarding partners and territory.

Carter andPorgesreporteda study done on prairie voles. The results showed that they are generally social before mating but within approximately one dayaftermating, begin to show higher levels of aggression toward intruders.

This may explain behaviors related to ones aggression toward threats, possibly serving to protect or guard a mate, family, or territory, Carter andPorgeswrote.

On the other hand, oxytocin is typically related to relaxed and physiological states. This hormone may make it easier for women to love and be more comfortable around their newborns.

In highly social species such as prairie voles, and presumably in humans, the intricate molecular dances of oxytocin and vasopressin fine-tune the coexistence of care-taking and protective aggression, Carter andPorgesmentioned.

According to theMassachusetts Daily Collegian,oxytocin may be found to have effects on the reduction of anxiety and is also responsible for joybutit has been found to strengthen both good and bad memories, and even increase anxiety over future triggering events.

They continued that the hormone activates a part of the brain that that is responsible for intensifying the memory for six hours. In other words, oxytocin may trigger bad memories and enhance induction of fearor anxiety.

There is still much to learn about love and its effects on humans and other animals.

See original here:
The Science of Love - Prospectus

The national debate for or against National Register of Citizens (NRC) and Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) rages on. From tea stalls to shopping malls, from offices to social network, from primetime television to the protests on the street the discussion is everywhere. At the core of this debate is the fast-held belief that millions of immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh have illegally entered West Bengal, Assam and Tripura, radically altering the state demographics. A fraction of Indian society passionately believes this is indeed the case and blame the illegal immigrants pampered for vote-bank politics for several socio-economic problems of India and these states specifically. Another major set of Indians the ones who are not so strongly against people of other religions and countries also believe that substantial immigration has taken place. Although this is a post-truth era dominated by alternative facts, it is desirable that people from all sides of the political spectrum have a look at hard evidence.

Immigration from Bangladesh in recent years

The laymans knowledge about millions of illegal immigrants is mostly based on anecdotal evidence and hearsay like it is known.., that vegetable vendor is from and in the border areas. Beliefs and opinions, especially when not substantiated by facts, are hard to change. However, an objective way to understand the subject is to do a testing of hypothesis i.e. you make a hypothesis and then, based on data collection and analysis, you conclude whether the hypothesis is correct or not.

So, in the case of West Bengal, the hypothesis is: If there has been a massive immigration of Bangladeshis (Muslims/Hindus) into the state in recent decades (and they were allotted ration cards, voter cards), that should skyrocket the states population number and substantially deviate its trend from the rest of the country. Do the numbers present in the census and surveys like NFHS agree with this?

If we look at the census data of 1981, 1991, 2001, and 2011 (graph 1 and table 1), the immediate conclusions are: the growth rate of WBs population has distinctly been less than the national average since the 1990s; this decrease is true not only for the whole population, but also for both Hindu and Muslim communities of over the past 2-3 census (Graph 1).

The decadal growth rates for WBs Hindus has been 21.1% in (1981-91); 14.2% in (1991-2001); and 10.8 % in (2001-2011). The corresponding values for WBs Muslims are 36.9% in (1981-91); 25.9% in (1991-2001); and 21.8 % in (2001-2011).

Graph 1 Population growth rates for 1991-2001 and 2001-2011 in India and WB

(Source: 1991, 2001, and 2011 Census; The table on the right showing the numerical values.)

In other words, the two major religious communities of WB are contributing less to the population of India compared to several other states, at least since 1991 for Hindus and since 2001 for Muslims. The states growth rate is less than the national average. This punctures the myth that West Bengal is bursting with a much larger-than-expected population because of Bangladeshi immigrants.

WBs border districts and illegal immigrants

It could be argued that a closer look into the border-districts of WB will show big changes in Hindu-Muslim demographics, as that is where the immigrants have entered. However, no such trend is visible from the census data of these districts. In concurrence with the lucid explanations by professors Subhanil Chaudhury and Saswata Ghosh, the population numbers clearly show that:

i) the 2001-2011 growth rates of almost all districts of WB has decreased compared to the previous decade (Graph 2),

ii) this holds true for Hindus and Muslims (Graphs 3A, 3B).

iii) there is no consistent trend in the border districts that can be explained by massive immigration.

Graph 2: Population growth rates for 1991-2001 and 2001-2011 in districts of WB

(Source:1991, 2001, and 2011 census; Dinajpur was divided into two separate districts, Uttar and Dakshin, in 1992 and so was Midnapore into East and West in 2002. Hence, i) the data of whole Dinajpur was plotted for both Uttar and Dakshin at 1991-2001, and ii) the data of whole Midnapore was plotted for both East and West at 1991-2001 and 2001-2011.)

Graphs 3: Population growth rates for Hindus (A) and Muslims (B) for 1991-2001 and 2001-2011 in districts of WB

(Source: same as in Graph 2)

The growth rate is higher than the state average in three districts which have a significant border with Bangladesh (North Dinajpur, Malda and Murshidabad). But this is less than the state-average in four other border districts (South Dinajpur, Nadia, Cooch Behar, and North 24 Parganas). Among the inward districts, Purulia, Medinipur and Birbhum have higher than average growth rates while Hooghly and Bardhaman have a slower population growth rate.

The striking thing is that the two communities parallel each other: Wherever the rate of growth of Hindus is high, it is high for Muslims; wherever it is less for Hindus, it is less for Muslims (table 2). In other words, there is no high Hindu growth rate, no high Muslim growth rate and no high-along-the-border growth rate. The census the major data source available for such studies just does not show any massive immigration into West Bengal.

Table 2:Growth rates of Hindus and Muslims parallel each other in districts of WB.

(Source: based on an article by S. Chaudhury and S. Ghosh, Anandabazar Patrika, Sept 10, 2015; The values were obtained by subtracting the state average of the community from the value for the district. WB state average (2011-2001) for Hindus is 10.81% and for Muslims is 21.81%.)

What drives the steady decrease of population growth rates for WB?

Briefly, it is increased levels of literacy, especially female literacy and (consequent) women empowerment. These are factors that have been globally recognized as prime drivers that cause a decline in the total fertility rate (TFR, number of children a woman bears) and this state is no exception. The TFR for WB(1.7/1.8 per children per woman) is among the lowest in the country and this applies to both the communities. Graph 4A compares TFR for the states Hindus and Muslims with the corresponding scenario from Kerala, one of the leading states in this regard and UP, one of the lagging states.

Furthermore, demographers (Ghosh, 2018; Haq and Patil, 2016) have noted that the gap between Hindu and Muslim fertility rates has reduced by more than one child (or very close to that) for states like WB, Assam and Kerala. In the case of WB, Hindus have reached replacement levels (<= 2.1 children per woman) in 18 out of the 19 districts, while Muslims follow that trend in 12 districts (Graph 4B). Evidently, the fertility rates of Bengals two major religious communities are converging something the policymakers and the people should both be happy about.

Graph 4A: Comparison of Total Fertility Rates (TFR) for Hindus and Muslims

(Source: TFR data from NHFS-4 for India, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, and WB)

Graph 4B: TFR for Hindus and Muslims in districts of WB

(Source: Ghosh, S. (2018) Ind. J. Human Dev. 12, 37-51)

In this context, it is noteworthy that the 4th National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4, 2015-16) for WB had explained, The greatest differentials in fertility is by schooling. At current fertility rates, women with no schooling will have 1.2 children more than women with 12 or more years of schooling (a TFR of 2.5, compared with 1.3).

Truly, the higher the literacy rate of a WB district, the lower its population growth rate, and the higher the percentage of population below poverty line (BPL) the faster its population is growing (graph 6). These data also explain the higher growth rates and TFR of WBs Muslims compared to the states Hindus. Around 80% of WBs Muslims are among the economically most backward, and around 17% of Muslim families are still illiterate.

Graph 5: Correlation of Literacy (left) or Poverty (right)with Growth rate in WB districts(Source:2011 Census and 2006 Sachar Committee report)

Are the neighbouring regions of Bangladesh overpopulated?

No. Rather, the population growth rates and TFRs of Khulna, Rajsahi and Rangpur the three Bangladesh divisions flanking WB are among the lowest in the country (Graph 6). This is also in sync with the well-known fact that Bangladesh has been managing its population growth quite constructively and, in fact, its growth rate is less than Indias. And, in the absence of a bulging population, the reasons for immigration into WB are further reduced.

Map of West Bengal and Bangladesh (source: dmaps)

Graph 6:Population growth rates for 1991-2001 and 2001-2011 in divisions of Bangladesh(Source: BBS; note: Khulna, Rajsahi and Rangpur share border with WB)

What if the undocumented immigrants do not have voter, ration and Aadhaar cards?

That is WhatsApp legend. Neither does any peer-reviewed data indicate that, nor would it make much sense to allow millions to come in for vote bank and yet not give them voter cards. In contrast, the 2019 report of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) pegs immigrants who were born abroad but now resident in India at 5.1 million at present. That is distinctly less than the 6.4 million in 2000 and 7.6 million in 1990. As for migrants from Bangladesh, their number has reduced from 4.37 million in 1990 to 3.1 million in 2019, and obviously, 3 million in 1.2 billion is chump change! The census drop-in report explains, This is due to substantial decline in the number of recent migration and death of earlier migrants due to old age. Immigration certainly is not Indias (or West Bengals) pressing problem. [Please note, these values are not migration happening every year, rather total number of migrant residents].

Does that mean emigration from Bangladesh has stopped? Not really, although a detailed understanding is beyond the scope of this article. However, the recent data does indicate that many more Bangladeshis are moving to other countries than to India. For eg, UN-DESA estimates that, in 2000, there were 1.49 lakh and 97,000 Bangladeshi immigrants in the UK and USA respectively. In 2019, the corresponding numbers have increased to 2.4 lakhs and 2.45 lakhs respectively. In Saudi Arabia, there were around 5 lakh Bangladeshis in 2000; today they are more than 1.2 million. Indians are moving too; at around 17.5 million in 2019, the largest number of international immigrants are from India.

Graph 7:Migrants from neighbouring countries resident in India

(Source: UN)

Muslims have multiple wives, so they have more children: Really?

A popular belief (the infamous hum paanch, humare pachchis) is that most Muslim men have 3-4 wives and this increases their number of children. However, a simple recollection of high school knowledge should be enough to dispel this myth. Briefly, human populations invariably have a natural gender ratio of 1:1 because of the way human reproduction works. The sex of a human child is determined by the fathers sperm male if the sperm had a Y chromosome and female if it carried an X chromosome. Spermatogenesis the physiological process that produces sperms in the testes produces equal numbers of X and Y sperms, and fertilization is a random process i.e. X and Y sperms have equal chance of fusing with an oocyte. This ensures the 1:1 ratio of men: women in human populations, and makes it impossible for most men of any population to indulge in polygamy. Even if we assume that, in a population of 1000 people (500 men and 500 women), 100 men marry 3 women each, it means there will now be 400 unmarried men but only 200 unmarried women. Thus, some men will not be able to find a wife and will not have any children, thereby averaging out the growth of the entire population. The take-home message is that it is scientifically absurd to imagine that any human population could overgrow in such fantasising ways. Period.

To conclude

It is not doubted that people moved in and out, especially in the aftermath of the colossal tragedy of the partition and the political instability that gripped Bangaldesh later. But, the national and international data just does not reflect enough recent movement that can radically alter the demographics of WB. Rather, the census reflects a success story. Contrary to common knowledge, Indias population juggernaut has clearly slowed down. Some states like WB have done better in this regard, others have to buck up. But undoubtedly, since 1991, India has slowly but steadily moved towards solving the major problem of unbridled population overgrowth. In a more scientifically-tempered nation, this would be a cause for self-congratulation. This would also be a pedestal to address the existing lacunae and for harnessing the potential of our demographic dividend; the biggest population now is in the age of 15-63 years now i.e. the working age, availability of jobs would have unleashed a true Indian 21st century. Instead, a lack of scientific outlook towards facts within our society continues to add to faulty perceptions, bluffs and such bitter estrangement among Indians.

Souvik Bhattacharyya is a molecular microbiologist working on bacterial population dynamics at Texas, USA. Anirban Mitra is a molecular biologist and teacher, based in Kolkata.

Excerpt from:
What Does Demography Reveal About Immigration Into West Bengal? - The Wire

Daniel Leal-Olivas / Getty Images

WASHINGTON The world of 24-hour news and global stock markets has met its match in the newly identified Chinese coronavirus, which moves at the speed of biology and defies hot takes on how much of a threat it poses to humanity.

This outbreak is unrolling right in front of our eyes, CDCs Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said in a Monday briefing on the 2019-nCoV virus. Scientists all over the world are looking at the available data to analyze it to come with information that would be helpful.

In less than a month, a report of dozens of people infected with a newly identified virus in Wuhan, China, after visiting a seafood market has turned into an outbreak affecting more than 7,800 people, causing over 170 deaths so far. The Chinese government has quarantined 50 million people in central China, banning travel following a small number of air travel-related cases, all nonfatal, which have spread to more than a dozen countries.

The World Health Organization has announced it will reconvene a panel to recommend whether to declare the coronavirus outbreak a global emergency, a decision expected on Thursday. WHO is assembling an international team to send to China to help investigate cases there.

In the US, there are now six confirmed cases. An additional 110 people are under observation, according to Messonnier. The great majority are travelers from Wuhan or people who had close contact with them. The general risk to the [US] public is low at this time, she stressed.

Still, the first new disease outbreak in the social media era has been defined by panic and uncertainty. An onslaught of sensational disinformation has spread like wildfire on platforms like Twitter and WhatsApp, along with overt propaganda and censorship from Chinese state media, making the actual risks of the fast-moving outbreak difficult to grasp.

In some ways, the uncertainty is built into the new disease, as scientists and health officials scramble to understand it. Even without conspiracy peddlers on YouTube, these early weeks have seen plenty of genuine confusion as case numbers trickling in from Chinese state media reports have continued to climb. And health officials worldwide have grappled with identifying the spread of a new disease with what an early scientific report has called non-specific symptoms coughing, fever, and pneumonia.

Right now, the virus has more questions than answers. Here is what we know so far and what we dont.

Health experts measure the potential infectiousness of a disease by a metric called R0, or R naught. This is an estimate of the average number of people infected by each new case in a completely susceptible population with no efforts made such as quarantine, hygiene, or hospitalization to stop its spread.

But the R0 is also a snapshot in time: The measure changes as scientists get more data about the spread of the disease, which has led to fear and uncertainty online about the high initial estimates.

Over the weekend, a number of estimates emerged, ranging from 1.3 to 3.8. Harvard health economist Eric Feigl-Ding called the 3.8 value thermonuclear pandemic level bad in a tweet that triggered thousands of panicked shares on the platform, followed by widespread criticism from scientists.

Such declarations were absolutely premature and hyperbolic, epidemiologist Maimuna Majumder of Harvard Medical School and Boston Childrens Hospital, an author on one of the preliminary R0 estimate papers, told BuzzFeed News.

Even the high number isnt so terrifying, Messonnier said. As a comparison, the R0 for measles is between 12 and 18, she said. She noted that R0 is a moving target during an outbreak, with the goal of moving it below a measure of 1 as stronger actions are taken to quickly identify existing cases and prevent new ones. Each case would then lead to fewer people with the illness over time, snuffing out its spread.

Thats what happened with SARS which has an R0 of 3.0, according to the World Health Organization, but an effective infectiousness of less than 1 under quarantine measures that only started five months into its 2002 outbreak. SARS infected more than 8,000 people in two years, killing 774.

The virus is a newly discovered member of the coronavirus family that includes the viruses that caused the SARS and MERS outbreaks.

Human coronaviruses first jump from animals to people from bats during SARS and camels in MERS and then mutate to spread person-to-person. The animal that the new coronavirus originated in is still in dispute; one early scientific paper concluded it came from bats, while another argued that it closely resembled a virus that infects snakes. Its important to know this origin to help stop future animal-to-human virus outbreaks.

Another dispute in the 2019-nCoV outbreak is over when it becomes infectious in the course of an illness, with some Chinese officials suggesting it is early, when no symptoms are evident. That matters because the disease is thought to have a 2- to 14-day incubation period when a potentially infectious person could be unknowingly spreading the disease.

China has suffered a widespread shortage of medical face masks, which experts say are only somewhat effective at stopping the spread of respiratory illnesses. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also reportedly pledged to provide hospitals in Wuhan with 20,000 pairs of safety goggles to prevent exposure through the eyes; this could benefit health care workers who are exposed to coughing patients in the worst stages of the disease.

For people in the US, CDC suggests washing your hands frequently; not putting your fingers in your mouth, eyes, or nose; and avoiding sick people standard advice during flu season. Masks would not be necessary for anyone in the US, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said on Tuesday.

SARS, the closest known genetic relative to the new coronavirus, only becomes infectious late in the illness, when it is lodged in the lungs and triggers coughing, releasing germs. The flu, by contrast, affects the nose and throat early in an infection and is often spread by sneezing.

In Mondays CDC briefing, Messonnier pushed back against claims about early infectiousness, reporting no evidence for such a spread. She cited travelers without symptoms entering the US without infecting other people on their planes and secondary cases seen primarily in relatives and medical personnel.

These viruses are messy in their reproduction, coronavirus expert Stanley Perlman of the University of Iowa told BuzzFeed News, because their genetic material is RNA. That means they lack proofreading enzymes that plants and animals have in their cells, which use DNA as their genetic material; as the cells divide, the enzymes police mutations.

Viruses, instead, are barely alive they're mostly just packages of reproductive genes surrounded by a protein shell. That makes such RNA viruses prone to mutations such as the one that facilitated the jump of the coronavirus from something at a seafood market in Wuhan to people in the first place. It also raises legitimate fears about a mutation making the virus more infectious as the outbreak spreads.

However, CDC has compared the genetic map of the virus that infected the first two US patients to the one from the first documented Chinese patient in Wuhan. No differences between the two were seen. This suggests that the virus has not mutated, Messonnier said.

The great majority of cases are in China, where the risk of catching the illness is high, according to WHO. "It's clear the outbreak is spreading rapidly in China," said Azar. More than 50% of the new cases in China are outside Wuhan's Hubei province, he noted, spreading to 30 Chinese provinces. One preliminary estimate by an international scientific team, suggests that nearly 200,000 cases may be diagnosed in China by early February.

Outside of China, cases are not spiking. They have turned up in 18 countries and appear to be concentrated among people who were in Wuhan before the travel ban started or had close contact with people who were there. This led a WHO emergency panel to decline to declare the outbreak an international emergency last week.

The deaths reported by China are largely among the elderly or people with underlying health conditions, putting them at high risk for pneumonia. A commentary in the Lancet medical journal estimated a 2.9% mortality risk from the virus, compared to 10% for SARS, but added that number is likely to decrease as more mild cases are documented. At the same time, there is no room for complacency, said that report, noting the 1918 Spanish flu killed around 50 million people worldwide with a mortality rate of less than 5%.

To put the risk in more context, the current US flu season has killed 54 infants so far, according to CDC. And in the first two weeks of 2020, the flu has killed more than 5,000 people in the US, mostly through associated pneumonia.

Others have suggested imports from China could carry a risk of transmission overseas. But coronavirus particles die within a few hours outside a host cell, according to Messonnier. So there is little risk of commerce from China spreading the outbreak.

Quarantines worked with SARS once Chinese officials quit hiding the extent of the countrys 2002 outbreak. That is the route China is going with now, quickly instituting a massive travel ban on Wuhan that later expanded to include much of Hubei province. But some experts have criticized Chinas response to the new coronavirus as excessive and likely ineffective.

When done properly, limiting population movement can help ease the speed by which a disease spreads, Rebecca Katz of the Center for Global Health Science and Security at Georgetown University, said in a statement on the unprecedented travel ban.

Broadly-applied interventions such as travel bans can cause public panic, impede individual rights, lead to secondary effects like shortages of food, and may not be effective at containing a virus if it has already spread outside of the epicenter, as nCoV-2019 has done, Katz said.

Social distancing measures, such as preventing people from riding buses or trains together, are better tools than blanket travel bans, she said.

Nevertheless, CDC on Monday announced a Level 3 travel warning on China, its highest level warning available, suggesting avoiding all nonessential trips to the nation of 1.4 billion people. CDC will screen travelers from Wuhan at 20 US airports, CDC Director Robert Redfield announced on Tuesday, and the agency is considering widening those screens to travelers coming from more parts of China.

"If you recently returned from Hubei province and have a fever, please call your health care provider," Messonnier said on the telebriefing. "We want you to get checked out."

On the medical front, CDC has posted the genetic blueprint for a rapid diagnostic test for the virus, still being validated, which it hopes to share with health departments and international partners in the coming weeks.

Last week, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations announced a $12.5 million effort to develop a vaccine against the coronavirus, split among three firms. In the best-case scenario, immunologist Barney Graham of the NIHs National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) told Science magazine, a vaccine would be ready for testing in people by next summer.

Deploying a vaccine will depend on the state of the outbreak when it is developed, NIAID Director Anthony Fauci said at a news conference on Tuesday. His institute hopes to start safety tests of a candidate vaccine by April. We are proceeding on the worst-case basis that we will need a vaccine, he said.

Jan. 30, 2020, at 21:41 PM

This post has been updated with new case numbers and a link to an estimate of predicted cases in China.

Jan. 29, 2020, at 19:12 PM

This post has been updated with news of WHO reconvening its global emergency declaration committee on Thursday, January 30, 2020.

Read more:
Dont Worry About The Coronavirus. Worry About The Flu. - BuzzFeed News

by Barry Hinckley

The world was greeted last week with the shocking news that Prince Harry and his bride, Meghan Markle, would be taking a step back from varsity level Royaling and endeavor to live like the rest of us, in the New World. I really do commend them for this decision, though as the experts have pointed out, it wont be easy. That said, I have a suggestion on how to make the transition to regular human easier: Find out how many of us are related to you, by sharing your DNA on 23andMe. My bet is the results will be surprising today, and more surprising as more people share their DNA to find out whom they are REALLY related to

Ive heard three amazing stories, in the past month of people who found out dad wasnt their real dad or finding long-lost half siblings, which they never knew where lost, if you know what I meantrue stories about whats REALLY happened for centuries, in human reproductionoften times dalliances led to children which led to cover-ups. I suspect the same is true with the Royal family, if in fact not MORE true. Weve all heard stories of royal princes and shall we say their roaming interests. A long standing and closely held tradition of looking the other way, while a member of the royal family, had their way. This behavior wasnt isolated to the British Royal family, it happened in many royal families across Europe, whose family members were generally beyond reproachuntil an unwanted pregnancy threatened to dilute the royal gene pool and embarrass the family in front of society and the church

Interestingly we have one of those myths in our family, which I suspect has as about much truth as Elizabeth Warrens native ancestry, which I think is about .002%. That said, our family Royal Myth, which until my father blew the cover off it a few years ago, was only passed down through the eldest child on my paternal grandmothers side. The story goes that the conductor of the Royal Orchestra, some time in the late 1800s, had a daughter who became the object of princely attention and that attention turned into a pregnancy. At that point the professional grade cover up commenced and the daughter was dispatched to New Brunswick, Canada to start over with the secret in her belly. I have no idea if this family lore is true and as mentioned above, its very probably a family fable. That said, I am VERY confident, that if this story isnt true, many others like it areTo that end I bet if Harry shared his DNA on 23andMe, in an effort to be more like us, he may find out that he actually is not only more like us, he IS one of us!

He may even find hes got hundreds of new family members here in the New World to welcome him to his new life and of course the ex-Royal couple will have places to go on Thanksgiving and Christmas, both here and in Canada.

Im sure the Royal family has a protocol that precludes them from exposing their DNA to the scrutiny of the outside world, for exactly the reasons the cover-ups happened in the first place: royal dilution, financial dilution and of course embarrassment However, now that Harry and Megan are joining the outside world, Id encourage them to find out exactly how they fit in, by finding out who else left the Royal family for the new world, involuntarily, before they chose to do so, voluntarily

Come on Harry, your banished cousins are waiting with open arms! In fact if my family story is true, Ill save a seat for the three of you on Thanksgiving

Read the rest here:
Un-Royaling the Royal DNA - Newport Buzz

I am a social demographer interested in population and fertility trends. As I am a faculty member based in a school of public health, I have an interest in social interventions that influence fertility levels, including marriage, abortion, and contraception. Most of my recent work has been based in Sub-Saharan African countries but I have an enduring interest in the population and fertility dynamics of South Asian countries as well. I largely collect and analyse survey data, whether of women of reproductive age, health facilities or clients.

Getting family planning care right at the societal level is a challenge for many countries, including the United States. Globally sexual and reproductive rights are often politicised and remain contentious even as contraceptive use becomes widespread. India faces several major challenges in family planning, the first of which is the prominence of female sterilisation as the most used contraceptive method and one promoted by the government. Although other methods are available (condoms, pills, IUDs [intrauterine devices, or the coil] and recently injectables), female sterilisation accounts for three quarters of contraceptive use. As a result, a second challenge is expanding contraceptive method choice, including vasectomy. Even though India has a history of providing the latter in the late 1970s, today while slightly over one third of married women are using female sterilisation, fewer than 0.5 percent report their spouses having a vasectomy. Other than condoms, there is relatively little use of other methods, especially for spacing births. A third family planning challenge for India is ensuring equity in couples having informed choice for all family planning decisions, whether to prevent unintended pregnancies or to achieve desired ones. Presently the more privileged segments of society enjoy access to such information and means.

Two areas come to mind, firstly Indias progressive record in legislation on elective termination of pregnancy since 1971, amended further in 2002 and, secondly, the transition in norms around family size to where the average women of childbearing age now has just over two births (2.2) and wants just under two births (1.8). Given there are nearly 370 million Indian women of reproductive age today and each has a mother who likely had two or more times that number of births, this transformation of fertility across just two generations is quite profound. Womens capacity to manage their reproduction has definitely improved. Regarding access to safe abortion, there is still progress to be made but the MTP [Medical Termination of Pregnancy] Act in 1971 preceded the legalisation of abortion in the US by two years. It is easier today for low-income couples to obtain medical abortion pills discreetly from private health providers in India than in the US. I suspect that with more constrained choice of contraceptive methods in Indialargely condoms and female sterilisationsome women have felt it necessary to seek out abortions to end unintended pregnancies as a consequence.

Certainly the Government of Indias national family welfare program, which is the oldest in the world, and implemented through the states has had a major impact on couples fertility levels, through the promotion of female contraceptive sterilisation use. While by no means perfect, the governments universal primary education scheme, along with parents own investments in private schooling for their children, has led to a dramatic reduction in the proportion of women under age twenty with no schooling. In 2015, the National Family Health Survey of nearly 700,000 households found 31.0 percent of females with no schooling compared to 41.5 percent ten years before. For female welfare, education and access to birth control are powerful drivers of empowerment.

I have brought in two colleagues into this conversation. We are collaborating on analyses of the National Family Health Survey data from 1992-93 to 2015-16 Dr. Abhishek Singh and Dr. Kaushalendra Kumar from the International Institute for Population Sciences in Mumbai. They note several government programmes, such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Sukanya Samridhi Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana which have particularly targeted the girl child and women. BBBP focuses on states and districts in northern India where the child sex ratio at birth is very imbalanced (in favour of males) and seeks to raise awareness of gender equity. SSY encourages parents savings for young daughters education and marriage expenses. PMJDY has helped open bank accounts with no minimum deposits required to enable females and males to access modern-day financial services more readily. While these are all relatively recent initiatives under Prime Minister Modi, they have the potential to significantly improve educational opportunities for girls and women (and thus their employability) and transform their resource base. It will take time before the full impact of these schemes can be appreciated but they are steps in the right direction.

Imbalanced sex ratios, in the sense of more boys than girls being born over what is naturally expected, is a problem in China, South Korea, Taiwan and other places in Asia, although not to the extent as is observed in India. Social norms around male roles in society sustain the desire of couples to ensure a male heir among their offspring. Patriarchal customs can protect land ownership with only males having property rights. At the same time social norms evolve around female roles, such as high dowries commanded to marry daughters off, which lowers the value of females and enhance that of males.

Paradoxically, as Indias fertility rates reach replacement level (2.1 births per woman on average), the demand for sons appears to be increasing. It also appears to be strongest for first births and among the better educated females and wealthier couples. The challenge here is to reduce felt pressures by couples to bear sons and also expand opportunities to females to achieve economically and politically on par with males.

This is a very difficult situation to enforce because private conversations of couples around foetal sex are impossible to monitor and health providers are not permitted to facilitate any type of prenatal sex selection decisions of clients. While authorities will need to persist in enforcement where possible, the eventual solution requires a social re-valuation of sons and daughters until parity in gender value is achieved. The norms around son preference are changing and vary geographically across India; but private decisions can still aggregate up to revealing concentrated imbalances in sex ratios at birth at the national level.

I suspect the public is quite aware of gender preferences and discriminations against females. It will be important for social influencers, whether in government or civil society, to promote gender equality and neutralise longstanding opinions about the lesser rights and value of females. One transformative source of influence on public beliefs and opinions is mass media, particularly television and film and their associated celebrities. Positive modelling of the value of females and their lifelong contributions can gradually and permanently alter peoples beliefs and behaviors. India has tremendously talented actors, actresses and film producers who could appeal to the social conscience with strong visuals, story lines and re-balance gender preferences. This and continuing education of each generation can correct misguided thinking and actions.

It is very difficult to estimate the number of abortions, both unsafe and safe, in most countries. A recent study estimates nearly sixteen million abortions in 2015 with only one-fourth happening in public health facilities. Another study in nine Indian states suggests that as many as two thirds of induced abortions are unsafe. There are a number of reasons why unsafe abortions appear commonplace the sheer number of them given unplanned pregnancies resulting from unprotected sex, the legal status of abortions and relatively easy access to abortion means outside of the public sector, and the modest levels of contraceptive use for birth spacing, driven primarily by use of condoms, which have high failure rates. If a woman is not ready for permanent contraception and has limited knowledge of and access to other birth control methods, she is likely to experience an unplanned pregnancy and seek resolution with an abortion. Medical abortion pills are readily available from pharmacies and other private retailers. However, unless proper counselling and monitoring of the use of pills are provided, which often are not, such access is considered unsafe.

Lastly, even though a legal procedure, induced abortion often carries social stigma. Females are embarrassed to report seeking and terminating a pregnancy which means they often resort to informal abortion care or unsafe means.

I think the apparent rise needs to be first examined in terms of whether it is voluntary or involuntary childlessness that is increasing. Possibly it is both. Infertility has as its causes both male and female factorssemen quality, uterine structural issues from pelvic inflammatory disease, exposure to environmental chemicals and toxins and stress for example. A first challenge is to properly measure the prevalence of these conditions in males and females by which careful analyses can be conducted to determine the patterns and causes.

I am not knowledgeable enough about the Indian governments approaches but certainly a comprehensive national family planning program will address couples reproductive intentions, whether to space, limit or have desired births. This includes addressing infertility issues. Denmarks public health system, for example, supports assisted reproduction services (in vitro fertilisation) for women irrespective of marital status and sexual orientation and the proportion of births assisted with IVF is rising.

I would say yes. One finds few countries in the world, particularly with populations as large as Indias, where permanent contraception occupies such a prominent role as a means of birth control. Female sterilisation is favoured in Central America and China, but women there also use other methods. While female sterilisation is a terminal use status for many Indian women, they appear not to access other contraceptive choices as readily if they wish to space births. Striking is the extent to which female sterilisation has become the birth control option for less educated and low-income women.

The governments Family Welfare program has recently introduced two spacing methods Chayya, a once a week oral contraceptive pill, and Antara, a three-month injectable contraceptive. These offer protection against unplanned pregnancies to breastfeeding women and require minimal attention to use. These help complement the other government-sponsored methods. In addition, the government has been promoting immediate postpartum IUD insertions so that women can leave the birth facility protected with a highly effective method. With major surveys such as the National Family Health Survey conducted every few years, it will be possible to monitor the uptake of the new methods and observe how the family planning intentions of couples are being realised.

Nearly one in every five women on this planet is Indian (seventeen percent). Each of them deserves to be born a wanted daughter, be educated, live a healthy productive life and be a contributing member of society. India should not squander this human resource, which can potentially help accelerate the countrys future economic growth.

Amy O. Tsui, PhD is a Professor in the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a senior scholar of the Bill & Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health.

Her research interests include family planning, fertility, and related health issues in developing countries and her current research is on the effects of various family planning and health service delivery models on contraceptive, fertility, and sexual health outcomes in sub-Saharan African and other low-income countries. She obtained an MA degree from the University of Hawaii in 1972 and her PhD from the University of Chicago in 1977. Among her honours are the Champion of Public Health award from the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 2005; the AMTRA Award, JHSPH, 2006-07; the Golden Apple Award, JHSPH, 2009; and the Carl S. Schulz Lifetime Achievement Award, Population, Reproductive and Sexual Health Section from the American Public Health Association, November 2010.

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The challenge of getting family planning right: Professor Amy O. Tsui on sexual and reproductive health in India - Hyderus Cyf

Outrage was the general researcher and media response to the Chinese bioengineer He Jiankui's announcement last November that he had used CRISPR gene-editing technology to modify the genomes of several human embryos with the goal of making them resistant to HIV infection. The result was the birth of twin girls; one with the genetic modification in all of her body's cells and another whose body is a mosaic of modified and unmodified cells. He did certainly cut both scientific and ethical corners in applying CRISPR technology to human embryos. Happily, a preliminary study in June that suggested the He's modifications might shorten the twins' lifespans appears to be wrong.

Setting aside He's moral shortcomings, is it ever ethical to use CRISPR and other gene-editing technologies to modify the genomes of human embryos? Yes, argues Abertay University bioethicist Kevin Smith in the journal Bioethics. Smith addresses the question using a rigorously applied utilitarian ethics approach. He details recent advances in CRISPR gene-editing safety and concludes that the benefits of preventing heritable diseases already outweigh the risks of using the technology.

In his article, Smith deals with "several wellrehearsed positions and arguments" against permitting parents to use CRISPR gene-editing to fix genetic flaws in their prospective offspring. These include "claims of unnaturalness, the alleged interests of embryos, questions of identity, fears of eugenics, and simply the 'yuck factor.'" Smith points out that critics once denounced in vitro fertilization (IVF) on the grounds of that it was "unnatural." Millions of parents have freely chosen unnatural IVF techniques to overcome their natural infertility. Some 8 million children have been born via assisted reproduction since the first IVF baby was born in 1979.

Some opponents argue using CRISPR would be unethical because embryos can't give their consent to being genetically modified. A requirement for prenatal consent is obvious ethical nonsense. No one has ever given their consent to be born much less to be born the specific complement of genes they bear. In addition, it's hard to imagine that a child will later feel morally aggrieved that his or her parents had prevented them from suffering a debilitating genetic disease. Providing parents with the ability to choose to prevent heritable disease and disability in their progeny using biotechnology is not to be equated with morally pernicious state-imposed eugenics. And lots of biomedical treatments and reproductive technologies have gone from yuck to yippeeas their significant benefits became evident. CRISPR gene-editing will do the same.

Smith persuasively argues that not only would the early application of the technology improve the welfare of prospective parents and their progeny now, it will usher in a human germline genetic modification (HGGM) revolution that will greatly benefit future generations. As Smith explains, "The longer we wait until commencing the HGGM revolution and moving towards a world of increased utility, the greater will be the quantity of suffering accrued meantime through genetically influenced disease."

When should CRISPR and even better gene-editing technologies be made available to parents seeking to prevent genetic diseases in their offspring? Given that some folks are still spooked by He's announcement last November, Smith prudentially suggests that "wekickstart the next biomedical revolution by proceeding not immediately but within around 12 years to intervene in the human germline."

The revolution, however, may start sooner than that. Russian researcher Denis Rebrikov says that he hopes to gain permission in the near future from the appropriate authorities to gene-edit embryos to repair a gene that causes congenital deafness.

See the original post:
Genetically Modified Babies Are Ethically OK - Reason

Clyde Wayne Bardin, an endocrinologist known for his work on birth control devices such as Norplant and Mirena, died at home last month (October 10). He was 85.

Bardin was a giant in the field of endocrinology who contributed substantially to our knowledge of reproductive physiology, the development of unique methods of contraception and the clinical care of patients with disorders of reproduction, write five leading endocrinologists, including three of his former students, in the Endocrine Societys Endocrine News. His legacy includes not only his research contributions but also his leadership and service to the endocrine community.

Born in 1934 in McCamey, Texas, Bardin grew up with a love of opera and football. He studied biology at Rice University, graduating in 1957, and went on to earn an MD in 1962 from Baylor Universitys medical college (now Baylor College of Medicine).

During the 1960s, Bardin received further medical training at Cornell University and then at the National Cancer Institute, where he became interested in the role of hormones in disease. He took a position as the head of Penn State Universitys division of endocrinology in 1970, and later as vice president of the Population Council, a nonprofit launched by John D. Rockefeller III that researches biomedicine, social science, and public health.

It was during the late 1970s that Bardin started developing new methods of contraception for women that could provide long-lasting effects, as an alternative to the daily contraceptive pill introduced in the US in the early 1960s.

COURTESY OF THE ENDOCRINE SOCIETY

One approach was the development of implants that would release small amounts of the hormone progestin under the skin over several years. An early version of the technology, called Norplant, was introduced to the US market in 1991, although side effects and bad press led to the device being withdrawn from the market in 2002.

Bardin was also involved in the creation of Mirena, an intrauterine device (IUD) that releases the synthetic progesterone-like hormone levonorgestrel, and was approved as a contraceptive device by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2000. He additionally helped promote the development of other synthetic hormones for contraceptive purposes, and encouraged researchers to work on contraceptives for men as well as for women.

There has been a lot of skepticism around whether men would ever use a contraceptive, James Sailer, the executive director of the Population Councils Center for Biomedical Research in New York City, tells The New York Times, but Dr. Bardin saw it as an obvious unmet need.

In addition to publishing hundreds of scientific articles and book chapters during his career, Bardin worked to promote the success of the endocrinology community as a whole. He acted as president of the Endocrine Society from 1993 to 1994, mentored many students who went on to become endocrinologists themselves, and later in his career became a consultant for companies trying to develop new contraceptive agents.

The endocrinologists writing for Endocrine News note that Bardin was especially capable when it came to juggling his research and clinical practicethough he still found time to keep up his lifelong interest in opera with visits to the New York Metropolitan Opera House and to spend time with his family.

C. Wayne Bardin can be considered one of the Giants of Endocrinology over the last 40 years, they write, as well as a great human being, and an inspiration to those who follow in his footsteps.

Bardin is survived by his wife, Beatrice, as well as two daughters, three stepchildren, and six grandchildren, the Times reports.

Catherine Offord is an associate editor atThe Scientist. Email her atcofford@the-scientist.com.

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Endocrinologist and Reproductive Physiologist Wayne Bardin Dies - The Scientist

Factor affecting sperm retrieval rate (SRR) or pregnancy rates (PR) after testicular sperm extraction (TESE) in patients with non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) have not been systematically evaluated. In addition, although micro-TESE (mTESE) has been advocated as the gold standard for sperm retrieval in men with NOA, its superiority over conventional TESE (cTESE) remains conflicting.

The objective was to perform a meta-analysis of the currently available studies comparing the techniques of sperm retrieval and to identify clinical and biochemical factors predicting SRR in men with NOA. In addition, PRs and live birth rates (LBRs), as derived from subjects with NOA post-ICSI, were also analysed as secondary outcomes.

An extensive Medline, Embase and Cochrane search was performed. All trials reporting SRR derived from cTESE or mTESE in patients with NOA and their specific determinants were included. Data derived from genetic causes of NOA or testicular sperm aspiration were excluded.

Out of 1236 studies, 117 studies met the inclusion criteria for this study, enrolling 21404 patients with a mean age ( SD) of 35.02.7years. cTESE and mTESE were used in 56 and 43 studies, respectively. In addition, 10 studies used a mixed approach and 8 studies compared cTESE with mTESE approach. Overall, a SRR per TESE procedure of 47[45;49]% (mean percentage [95% CI]) was found. No differences were observed when mTESE was compared to cTESE (46[43;49]% for cTESE versus 46[42;49]% for mTESE). Meta-regression analysis demonstrated that SRR per cycle was independent of age and hormonal parameters at enrolment. However, the SRR increased as a function of testis volume. In particular, by applying ROC curve analysis, a mean testis volume higher than 12.5ml predicted SRR >60% with an accuracy of 86.2%0.01. In addition, SRR decreased as a function of the number of Klinefelter's syndrome cases included (S=-0.02[-0.04;-0.01]; P<0.01. I=0.12[-0.05;0.29]; P=0.16). Information on fertility outcomes after ICSI was available in 42 studies. Overall, a total of 1096 biochemical pregnancies were reported (cumulative PR=29[25;32]% per ICSI cycle). A similar rate was observed when LBR was analysed (569 live births with a cumulative LBR=24[20;28]% per ICSI cycle). No influence of male and female age, mean testis volume or hormonal parameters on both PR and LBR per ICSI cycle was observed. Finally, a higher PR per ICSI cycle was observed when the use of fresh sperm was compared to cryopreserved sperm (PR=35[30;40]%, versus 20[13;29]% respectively): however, this result was not confirmed when cumulative LBR per ICSI cycle was analysed (LBR=30[20;41]% for fresh versus 20[12;31]% for cryopreserved sperm).

This analysis shows that cTESE/mTESE in subjects with NOA results in SRRs of up to 50%, with no differences when cTESE was compared to mTESE. Retrieved sperms resulted in a LBR of up to 28% ICSI cycle. Although no difference between techniques was found, to conclusively clarify if one technique is superior to the other, there is a need for a sufficiently powered and well-designed randomized controlled trial to compare mTESE to cTESE in men with NOA.

Human reproduction update. 2019 Oct 30 [Epub ahead of print]

Giovanni Corona, Suks Minhas, Aleksander Giwercman, Carlo Bettocchi, Marij Dinkelman-Smit, Gert Dohle, Ferdinando Fusco, Ates Kadioglou, Sabine Kliesch, Zsolt Kopa, Csilla Krausz, Fiore Pelliccione, Alessandro Pizzocaro, Jens Rassweiler, Paolo Verze, Linda Vignozzi, Wolfgang Weidner, Mario Maggi, Nikolaos Sofikitis

Endocrinology Unit, Medical Department, Endocrinology Unit, Azienda Usl Bologna Maggiore-Bellaria Hospital, Bologna, Italy., Department of Urology, Imperial College NHS Healthcare, London, UK., Molecular Reproductive Medicine, Department of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Malm, Sweden., Department of Urology, Andrology and Kidney Transplantation Unit, Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, University of Bari, Bari, Italy., Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands., Department of Neurosciences, Human Reproduction and Odontostomatology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy., Department of Urology, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, University of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey., Department of Clinical and Surgical Andrology, Centre of Reproductive Medicine and Andrology (CeRA), Mnster University Hospital (UKM), Mnster, Germany., Andrology Centre, Department of Urology Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary., Andrology, Women's Endocrinology and Gender Inconguence Unit, Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Careggi, Florence, Italy., Diabetes and Metabolism Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Azienda ASL 02 Chieti-Lanciano-Vasto, F. Renzetti Hospital, Lanciano, Italy., Endocrinology Unit, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University and Humanitas Research Center IRCCS, Rozzano, Milan, Italy., Department of Urology, SLK-Kliniken Heilbronn, University of Heidelberg, Heilbronn, Germany., Department of Urology, Pediatric Urology and Andrology, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany., Department of Urology, Ioannina University School of Medicine, Ioannina, Greece.

PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31665451

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Sperm recovery and ICSI outcomes in men with non-obstructive azoospermia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. - UroToday

General Scheme of the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill 2017 | Department of Health General Scheme of the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill 2017

6.10.2017

The General Scheme of the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill 2017 was approved by the Government on 3rd of October 2017.

The purpose of the Bill is to provide for the regulation of a range of practices, including: gamete (sperm or egg) and embryo donation for assisted human reproduction (AHR) and research; surrogacy; pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) of embryos; posthumous assisted reproduction; and embryo and stem cell research. The General Scheme also provides for an independent regulatory authority for AHR.

An important aim of the legislation is promote and ensure the health and safety of parents, and children born as a result of AHR treatment, as well as other parties who may be involved such as donors and surrogates. In this regard consideration of the welfare and best interests of children born through AHR is a key principle underpinning the Scheme.

General Scheme of the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill 2017

Press Release Government approves the drafting of the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill

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General Scheme of the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill ...

Human reproduction is complicated an important, and it's going to take a four part series for us to cover it. Today, we're kicking that off with the female reproductive system, starting with how sex hormones affect oogenesis and ovulation, continuing through how the ovarian and menstrual cycles mature and release oocytes, and create a comfy uterine environment for a fertilized egg.

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Table of ContentsFemale Reproductive Anatomy 1:58Sex Hormones Affect Oogenesis and Ovulation 3:15Ovarian and Menstrual Cycles Mature and Release Oocytes 4:05Uterine Environments and Fertilized Eggs 7:10

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Reproductive System, part 1 - Female Reproductive System ...

Today the phrase from the beginning of his/her biological development accurately defines when the life of an individual human being begins to exist; the terms conception or fertilization do not.

We have learned this is so because the fact is that not all human beings begin through sexual means; some are reproduced asexually.

This concept is difficult to explain without a scientific background. I know this firsthand because my vocation is wife, mother, and grandmother, not geneticist. But it can be explained so that anyone gets it.

Follow me for a moment.

Sexual reproduction means fertilizationthe union of a human sperm with a human egg resulting in the reproduction of a genetically distinct human being. This can happen naturally within a womans body, or artificially in an IVF (in vitro fertilization) or ART facility (artificial reproductive technology).

Asexual reproduction simply means without the immediate use of fertilization; it is the combining of parts of a human sperm, egg, embryo, or synthetic genes to reproduce a new human embryo. Most of the time this happens in IVF/ART facilities. But one kind of asexual reproduction takes place naturally in the womans bodymonozygotic (identical) twinning. Monozygotic twinning, which is depicted in the diagram here, is a type of asexual reproduction, yet has been used in IVF cycles for decades. It is, in truth, a type of human cloning.

Other types of asexual reproduction take place artificially in IVF/ART facilities (e.g., cloning by somatic cell nuclear transfer).

The 3-parent-embryo now in the news involves the asexual reproduction of human embryos by several techniques (e.g., mitochondrial transfer, another kind of cloning). The mitochondria are found in the females oocyte (egg) and if they are defective, the mitochondria from a third partys egg can be used instead. Thus three parents for one embryo!

These forms of asexual reproduction exist and do result in human beings whose lives should be protected by law and in the culture.

While some of us began to exist by means of fertilization, not all of us did. The terms fertilization or conception do not cover all human beings. Laws protecting only those reproduced by fertilization would not protect those asexually reproduced.

Originally posted here:
Asexual Human Reproduction - Judie Brown Commentary - News ...

Brian Mark Weber Aug. 18, 2017

In the novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, readers are presented with a dystopian vision of the future in which the whole process of conception and birth is delegated to the scientific community. Parents have no emotional connection to their children, and motherhood itself is considered embarrassing and obscene.

The novel, written in 1931, seemed far-fetched at the time. Yet it wasnt long after Huxley penned his dark and frightening tale that science and politics began to consider the implications, and the possibilities, of playing God with human reproduction in order to bring about desired results.

Columnist David Harsanyi writes, [Negative selection eugenics] was the rationalization behind the coerced sterilization of thousands of mentally ill, poor, and minorities here in America. It is why real-life Nazis required doctors to register all newborns born with Down syndrome. And the first humans they gassed were children under three years old with serious hereditary diseases like Down syndrome.

But why wait? Aborting unborn children with Down syndrome is gaining acceptance once again, and the latest wave of news is from Iceland. Yet the childs suffering or the elimination of a human life doesnt seem to be part of the conversation, nor does the post-abortion health of the mother.

Whats interesting is that, according to Kevin Burke in the Washington Examiner, About 80 percent of parents facing the same diagnosis, who were provided with the option of perinatal hospice care for the child and family, chose to carry their disabled child to term. Apparently, most parents planning to abort their children dont receive this advice.

Burke adds, Those who advocate for routine screening to detect fetal disabilities also fail to advise parents of the potential for serious post-abortion reactions. The fallout from this loss can place a tremendous strain on couples as they struggle with the shock and pain that can follow the abortion. Some abortion advocates may concede that some women suffer symptoms of depression and grief immediately after termination of disabled babies, but they see this as a short-term condition. Research, however, confirms that women often suffer symptoms of emotional trauma and complicated grief years after such procedures.

Sadly, and just like the people in Brave New World, Icelanders no longer seem to value human life. Parents who fail to think of their unborn child as human are less likely to keep their child when the options are presented to them.

As Helga Sol Olafsdottir, a counselor at Landspitali University Hospital, helpfully explains, We dont look at abortion as a murder. We look at it as a thing that we ended. We ended a possible life that may have had a huge complication preventing suffering for the child and for the family.

A thing? If children are considered things, then it cant be long before countries like Iceland start passing their own version of Nazi Germanys Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring.

How far away is it when people like Princeton University professor Elizabeth Harman say, Some early fetuses will die in early pregnancy due to abortion or miscarriage. And in my view that is a very different kind of entity. Thats something that doesnt have a future as a person and it doesnt have moral status.

While those on the Left may rush to defend a program that frees parents from the burden of raising a disabled child, they should seriously think about the implications of going down this path.

The situation is not much better in the United States, where nearly two-thirds of American women whose prenatal screening tests reveal Down syndrome choose to have an abortion. Fortunately, theres still some resistance at the political level.

Harsanyi notes, A number of U.S. states have passed or want to pass laws that would ban abortions sought due to fetal genetic abnormalities, such as Down syndrome, or because of the race, sex, or ethnicity of a fetus. Such a U.S. House bill failed in 2012. Most Democrats involved claimed to be against sex-selective abortion, but not one gave a reason why. Probably because once you admit that these theoretical choices equate to real-life consequences, like eugenics, you are conceding that these are lives were talking about, not blobs.

And what if science develops to the point where we can identify other traits in humanity that parents may find undesirable: a genetic heart condition or a low IQ or, where it would really hit home for leftists, homosexuality? Gender-based abortions of girls are already the norm in Communist China. When society reaches the point where only desirable children are allowed to enter this world, are we still a civilization? And if a free society lacks the moral compass to speak out against this practice, how can we oppose another government that one day might decide that Jews, Africans or Christians are a problem?

These are the questions that should be asked before science allows us to discover even more undesirable traits in unborn children, and before the political class yields to social and cultural decay. Lets face it: Were living in a Brave New World today. But unlike the society in Huxleys novel, we must summon the courage and decency to end the ghastly practice of eugenics.

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Brian Mark Weber: The 'Brave New World' of Down Syndrome ... - Patriot Post

Greenpeace UK's #BarclaysShutdown action was welcomed by fellow climate advocacy groups and activists who praised the group for fighting for a habitable planet:

According to the Rainforest Action Network's latest fossil fuel finance report card, published nearly a year ago, Barclays poured over $85 billion into coal, oil and gas companies from 2016 to 2018, and was the sixth largest funder of the fossil fuel industry worldwide. Climate action campaigners and Barclays shareholders alike have urged the bank to phase out its support for dirty energy firms.

In a series of tweets Monday, Greenpeace UK showed the impacts of the human-caused climate crisis and pointed out Barclays' role in funding fossil fuel companies that significantly contribute to global heating:

In response to Monday's protests, a Barclays spokesperson told BBC News that "we recognize that climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing the world today, and are determined to do all we can to support the transition to a low carbon economy, while also ensuring that global energy needs continue to be met."

"Greenpeace has a view on these issues to which they are completely entitled, but we would ask that in expressing that view they stop short of behavior which targets our customers, and our colleagues, going about their lives in communities around the country," the bank spokesperson added.

Although some Barclays customers were reportedly frustrated with Greenpeace's action, some Twitter users who self-identified as bank customers turned to social media to express support for the group's decision to shut down bank branches, given the scale of the threat posed by the climate emergency.

"As an 'old dear' I am content for the minor inconvenience of temporarily losing access to a bank that invests in the destruction of my grandchildren's and their grandchildren's future. Well done, Greenpeace," tweeted Dianne Woodward, a scientist and educator.

Verity Pabla, founder of the music company I'm Not a Machine, directed her tweet at the bank, writing: "I'm a new Barclays customer, and I fully support this action by Greenpeace U.K. It's time to shape up your business with immediate effect. Stop funding fossil fuel companies."

The action also won support from Alan Watson Featherstone, an ecologist, nature photographer and founder of the conservation charity Trees for Life, which aims to restore the Caledonian Forest in Scotland:

American author and activist Bill McKibben responded on Twitter to the Barclays action, highlighting upcoming protests to pressure the U.S. investment bank JPMorgan Chase, the biggest funder of fossil fuels, to divest from projects wrecking the planet. The actions planned for April 23 are part of the Stop the Money Pipeline campaign launched in January by multiple advocacy groups, including Greenpeace USA and 350.org, which McKibben co-founded.

JPMorgan is a top target of the campaign, which has also set its sights on asset managers and insurance companies. Although JPMorgan announced last week that the bank will stop funding certain fossil fuel extraction projects, McKibben confirmed that it will still "retain the title of the doomsday bank" and face demonstrations by climate activists next month.

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Its OK to Feed Wild Birds Here Are Some Tips for Doing It the Right Way - EcoWatch

Two recent studies shed new light on the effects of obesity on results in ART, the first from a large 15-year cohort study and the second from a case-control comparison of fresh and frozen blastocyst transfers in obese patients.

The association between excess bodyweight and an extended time to pregnancy has long been recognised. The NICE guidelines of 2013 (and updated 2017) warned that women with a BMI of 30 or more 'should be informed that they are likely to take longer to conceive', and were recommended dietary advice and a group exercise programme. Similarly, a Practice Committee opinion from the ASRM in 2015, while recognising that 'many obese women and men are fertile', advised consideration of a weight management programme for women aiming for 'preconception weight loss (to a BMI <35), prevention of excess weight gain in pregnancy, and long-term weight reduction'. Now, two new reports, each published online by Human Reproduction, cast new light on this well accepted guidance.

The first is a large population government-funded study from Australia which, after following for 15 years a completed cohort of 6000+ women in their 20s all trying to conceive, confirms the advice that moderate and high levels of physical activity provide advantages for fertility in women with a normal BMI, but that obesity does indeed increase the risk of infertility.(1) The latter finding, say the authors, is well understood and supported; however, while the association between physical activity and sitting time is recognised in numerous health outcomes (notably cardiovascular disease), 'little is known about their effects on reproductive health, particularly in the area of infertility'.

The study was a continuation of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Womens Health which followed by survey the fertility progress of 6130 women aged 20 to 27 beginning in 2000 (ie, from the birth cohort of 1973-78), with follow-up reports every three years until 2015. These reports included information on physical activity levels, sitting time and problems with conception. BMI was calculated from their height and weight data. And follow-up did indeed show that 'problems with fertility' were inversely associated with physical activity levels and positively associated with BMI, with incidence lowest in highly active women. Thus, the incidence rate of fertility problems in highly active women was 2.65%, but 3.49% in those with low activity - an 18% lower risk. Similarly, problems were found greatest in those with the highest BMI ('obese'), and lowest in those of normal BMI or underweight (2.79%). There was no association found with the duration of sitting time per day, and the cohort's overall cumulative incidence of subfertility was calculated as 15.4% over the 15-year study period.

However, the protective effects of physical activity were only seen in women with normal BMI. This was evident in stratified models, where high levels of activity appeared only to attenuate the risk of subfertility in women who were in this normal BMI category (HR 0.64, 95% CI 0.490.82). Nevertheless, because the rates of developing fertility problems were highest in every survey interval in those who reported low levels of physical activity and who were obese, the authors conclude that 'improving physical activity levels could be an affordable strategy to reduce problems with fertility in women who are trying to conceive'. However, they add within the context of the analyses stratified for BMI that in the overweight and obese category physical activity itself did not reduced the risk or problems with fertility, suggesting that 'a high BMI is the important driver' in this association.

The second Human Reproduction study takes as its starting point the likelihood that obesity is indeed associated with lower rates of natural fertility and higher rates of miscarriage.(2) In ART, the authors add, citing a catalogue of evidence, obesity is associated with higher required doses of gonadotrophins, increased duration of stimulation, higher cancellation rates and fewer oocytes retrieved. Nevertheless, in laying the base for this study, they note that the evidence in ART is based on outcomes nearly always derived from fresh embryo transfers. How would obesity affect IVF treatments with frozen blastocyst transfers, as is increasingly practised today?

Their answer came in a retrospective case-control study conducted in all consecutive frozen-thawed blastocyst transfers between 2012 and 2017 at a single university centre in Nantes, France - a total of 1415 frozen cycles in normal weight women (BMI 18.524.9) and 252 in obese women (BMI 30). Outcome variables such as patient age, AMH levels and infertility cause were comparable between the two groups. Only endometrial thickness at baseline was significantly different - higher in the obese group. However, after analysing outcomes over the five-year study period results showed no difference in implantation rate, clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate - and thus no association with BMI.

How could such apparently counterintuitive results be explained? The author suggest - subject to confirmation, of course - that the impairment of uterine receptivity observed in obese women after fresh embryo transfer might be associated with ovarian stimulation rather than with oocyte/embryo quality; transfer in a frozen cycle might avoid that effect.

1. Mena GP, Mielke GI, Brown WJ. Do physical activity, sitting time and body mass index affect fertility over a 15-year period in women? Data from a large population-based cohort study. Hum Reprod 2020; doi:10.1093/humrep/dez300 2. Prost E, Reignier A, Leperlier F, et al. Female obesity does not impact live birth rate after frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer. Hum Reprod 2020; doi:10.1093/humrep/deaa010

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Obesity and outcome in assisted reproduction - ESHRE

As the tussle over which leading Democratic candidate would receive Sen. Elizabeth Warrens (D-MA) coveted endorsement escalated, one organization made its feelings clear: the National Organization for Women (NOW).

Urging Warren not to rush into anything, NOW President Toni Van Pelt told the Associated Press that [Sen. Bernie] Sanders doesnt have a record and that hes, as far as we know, done next to nothing for women and for our issues.

We think that our constituents, our members, will not necessarily think of Sanders as the best choice, Van Pelt said. Coming just four days before the pivotal primary in Michigan, the statement was widely interpreted as a show of support for former vice president Joe Biden.

Van Pelts words are somewhat surprising given the historical record. Though NOW has put its support behind Biden in the past, they have butted heads with him on matters of reproductive rights and his lackluster questioning of right-wing Supreme Court nominees throughout his career, with Biden often expressing frustration with it and other liberal groups. Meanwhile, at least at the state level, it is Sanders who has had a long-standing relationship with NOW, earning praise, support, and endorsements from the group over the decades.

Sanderss support for NOWs positions began early in his career. When running for reelection as mayor of Burlington in 1983 his first since winning a surprise ten-vote victory over the incumbent and weathering two years of Democratic obstructionism he attended a candidates forum in February hosted by the Champlain Valley chapter of NOW with his major party opponents. With Democrat Judith Stephany stressing her opposition to abortion, and Republican James Gilson refusing to reveal his stance, Sanders was the only candidate on stage to back abortion rights.

In 1986, Sanders attended an Addison County NOW chapter, praising its efforts to pass a state version of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). Are women equal in the eyes of the Lord? he asked the crowd rhetorically. I think the answer is obvious. Running for the Vermont governors office that year, Sanders and his two major party opponents all backed the ERA.

Sanders and NOW lined up on issues beyond those most obviously affecting women. In 1989, Sanders praised NOWs courageous action in calling for the establishment of a progressive third party, a longtime goal of Sanders and the Vermont-based Progressive Coalition that backed him. NOWs criticisms of Newt Gingrichs Contract with America mirrored Sanderss opposition to the right-wing program, and in 1996, NOW picketed the White House and chanted Shame! over Bill Clintons signing of welfare reform, one of the contracts central planks and one that Sanders voted against and, like NOW, warned would hurt children.

Consequently, NOW praised and endorsed Sanders again and again over the course of his career.

In 1987, NOWs Champlain Valley chapter endorsed Sanders for reelection as Burlington mayor, saying he had made significant progress improving life for both women and children. The organization cited funding for a battered womens shelter and a childcare and teen center set up under his tenure.

Four years later, NOW condemned a Supreme Court decision permitting the government to forbid health or medical professionals who received Title X funding from advising people on abortion.

Vermont women are fortunate to have the support of a pro-choice stand from Senators Leahy and Jeffords and Rep. Sanders, wrote Susan Swan, president of the NOW chapter in the southern Vermont city of Bennington. Three years after that, the Bennington NOW chapters new president, Lynn Williams, again endorsed Sanders, praising, among other things, his opposition to welfare reform.

As state coordinator of the Vermont chapter of the National Organization for Women, I keep in close touch with Bernies office on a whole range of issues and legislation that affect women, NOWs Judy Murphy told the Brattleboro Reformer that year. Bernie has been fully supportive of our legislative agenda. Murphy had provided a prepared statement to a press conference where five leaders of womens groups, including a past president of the states NOW chapter and the executive director of the Vermont Network Against Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault, endorsed him for reelection, saying in a joint statement that Sanders had proven his commitment to improving the lives of women and families and to keeping our communities safe and healthy.

This continued for years after. In 1996, Sanders received the endorsement of Darlene Palola, the Vermont NOW chapters legislative coordinator, over his Republican opponent Susan Sweeter and Democrat Jack Long. Bernie is solid on womens issues. He supports us 100 percent, said Palola. We know we can trust him. Murphy likewise again endorsed Sanders, citing his 100 percent voting record on womens rights issues and that we share his priorities. That was also the year feminist Gloria Steinem came to Vermont to deem Sanders an honorary woman, citing his 100 percent rating from NOW.

In 1998, Sanders stood virtually alone among the states Democratic officials in receiving NOWs endorsement. Hes a congressman we dont have to call, said Murphy, now president of Vermont NOW. We know hes going to vote the right way. That year, Vermont NOW refrained from giving endorsements to Democrats Sen. Patrick Leahy, Gov. Howard Dean, and Lt. Gov. Douglas Racine, as well as their Republican opponents. Leahy had voted for the partial-birth abortion ban, Dean had failed to fill out NOWs questionnaire, and while Racine supported abortion rights, he hadnt answered a question on gender pay equity.

By contrast, though Biden and NOW havent had a uniformly antagonistic relationship throughout his career, theyve often been at odds.

In 1975, Delawares NOW chapter took Biden to task for supporting a bill banning federal money from being used to encourage or perform abortions, calling it blatantly discriminatory against women who must depend upon public facilities and/or federal programs to pay for their health services. Despite presenting Biden with a joint petition with the ACLU, the National Council for Jewish Women, and the state task force on human reproduction, Biden held fast, and the bill ultimately became law.

In 1987, NOW vehemently opposed the nomination of Anthony Kennedy to the Supreme Court, particularly outraged at his 1985 ruling declaring that gender pay inequality didnt violate a federal ban on sex discrimination in employment as long as there was no proof of a discriminatory motive. Calling Kennedy a sexist, a person unwilling to help women in the struggle for equality, NOW declared he would be a disaster on womens issues.

Kennedy had been one of three judges suggested by Biden to then-president Ronald Reagan as a mainstream conservative whom I can support, after his previous two picks had failed. The first, Robert Bork, had been torpedoed in large part thanks to Bidens coordination with liberal groups like NOW, though he had voted to confirm him to a lower court in 1982, lauded him as having the earmarks of excellence, and vowed to defy such liberal groups.

Rather than question Kennedy about his prior decisions, or even his membership of clubs that excluded women as members, Biden asked him questions about whether it was harder being a judge in Canada or the United States and whether he had read a particular book, hoping we can all get out of here. Civil rights lobbyist Joseph Rauh accused Biden and the rest of the committee of playing patty-cake with Kennedy. Once confirmed, Kennedy soon went on to side with the Courts conservatives to weaken abortion rights, including in the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision that opened up the law to a host of onerous restrictions on access to abortion.

This wasnt NOWs only criticism of Bidens conduct relating to the Court. In 1986, NOW Vice President Sheri ODell, among other leading liberal groups, criticized Biden for not leading the charge against William Rehnquists nomination to the position of chief justice, saying: He had a golden opportunity to make the case and he didnt do it. In 1991, NOWs national secretary slammed Bidens infamous mishandling of Clarence Thomass nomination and the sexual harassment allegations against him by Anita Hill, charging him and other Judiciary Committee members with doing a disservice to the women of this country by keeping her accusations hidden from the rest of the Senate.

One year earlier, Eric C. Harrah, president of NOWs Delaware chapter, had slammed Biden for not addressing womens issues in his reelection campaign, and claimed he wouldnt vote for either him or his challenger. Criticism such as this led Biden to eventually lash out against idiotic groups out there like the QSY Group to Save All the Women in the World.

Throughout the 1990s, Biden was often on the other side from NOW on social legislation affecting families. Biden took a leading role in trying to pass the welfare reform NOW and Sanders opposed, voting for the ultimately successful legislation. Biden also voted for the balanced budget constitutional amendment, a key plank of the Contract with America NOW opposed, three years in a row. The measure failed to pass by only one or two votes each time.

Through the 2000s until today, Biden continued to back abortion restrictions that were disfavored by NOW, including the partial-birth abortion ban that eventually passed under George W. Bush, and the Hyde Amendment, which Biden abruptly reversed on last year.

What explains this apparent disconnect?

One is Bidens leadership on the 1994 Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which set up mandatory arrests and other measures to toughen treatment of domestic abusers, and was written in close collaboration with NOW. As Victoria Nourse, then Bidens legal aide on the Judiciary Committee he was chairing, later recounted, she brought aboard Sally Goldfarb, staff attorney with the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund, after Biden pointed at her in a meeting and said we need to do something about women, before walking off. VAWA and its reauthorization and funding have remained a priority for NOW years later, up until the present.

But while the law is often credited for a drop in annual domestic violence rates, the reality is more complicated. As Huffington Post reported last year, its not clear how much of that drop is connected to the law, and how much it follows the wider downtrend in crime rates since the 1990s. Meanwhile, its more punitive policies, like mandatory arrests, have been damaging for communities of color and even women, with police sometimes arresting female victims when unable to figure out who the abuser is.

Meanwhile, while Sanders votes the right way and has put significant abortion rights protections into his single-payer bill a measure NOW has long backed the bills he puts forward are much broader in scope, eschewing those focusing on specifically womens issues to legislation focusing on groups like workers, veterans, consumers, and the elderly, all of whom include women.

Still, Sanderss long history of endorsements from NOWs chapters in Vermont, as well as Bidens long history of conflict with the organization, stand in stark contrast to Van Pelts statement last week. Has NOW truly reevaluated Sanders and decided he doesnt have a record? Or are we in the midst of a bout of campaign-related revisionist history?

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Bernie Has an Impeccable History With the National Organization for Women. Biden Does Not. - Jacobin magazine

By Francisco Guzman and Brian Ries, CNN

(CNN) -- Rhino enthusiasts -- the long wait is over.

The Denver Zoo welcomed its first ever baby rhino on Saturday morning. Both mom, 13-year-old Tensing, and calf are doing well.

"The birth of this calf is the result of a truly heroic effort by our animal care, health and science teams and partners from other zoos to support the species," Senior Vice President for Animal Sciences at Denver Zoological Foundation Brian Aucone said in a news release. "It was another very important step in reproductive science for animals in the wild and human care."

Tensing, a one-horned rhino, and her new baby will remain behind the scenes for at least six to eight weeks in the Toyota Elephant Passage while they bond.

The zoo staff confirmed Tensing was pregnant back in December 2018 after four years and 11 attempts. Rhinos are typically pregnant for 15 to 16 months.

Dr. Anneke Moresco, the zoo's Reproductive Specialist, and Dr. Monica Stoops, now lead reproduction scientist at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, conducted 11 unsuccessful artificial insemination procedures with Tensing from 2014 to 2018. When doctors attempted the 12th procedure, they were ecstatic to discover she was pregnant days later.

"Tensing's journey from pregnancy to motherhood exemplifies the care our team provides to ensure our animals are able to voluntarily participate in their own medical care," Assistant Pachyderm Curator at the zoo Lindsey Kirkman said in the news release.

"It took extraordinary patience and dedication over countless hours to make Tensing feel at ease with the artificial insemination and ultrasound procedures that ultimately resulted in a healthy mom and calf."

The zoo said 83 greater one-horned rhinos, including the baby, live in North American facilities.

Hunters killed many of the planet's one-horned rhinos for sport, causing their population to plummet.

Now, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature listed the animal as "Vulnerable" due to numerous threats in their native range of northeastern India and southern Nepal.

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Denver Zoo welcomes its first-ever baby rhino after a 'heroic effort' from zoo staff -- and mom - WDJT