BACKGROUND

As ages at first birth have steadily risen in the industrial west over the last several decades, the phenomenon of ‘delayed childbearing’ has come under research scrutiny by demographers, medical specialists and social scientists. In this study, we specifically explore the perceived advantages and disadvantages of postponed conception as well as participants’ retrospective opinions on the ‘optimal age’ for parenting.

METHODS

To this end, we examined a cohort purposely chosen to epitomize delayed childbearing, i.e. men and women who used IVF to conceive at the very end of their reproductive capability. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted between 2009 and 2011 with 46 couples and 15 individual self-selected US women and men who had used IVF to conceive their first child when the woman was aged 40 or older at the time of delivery. Although the demographics of this cohort were consistent with others who use IVF in the USA, their median income was 3–4 times higher than that of the average US family, which may bias their largely positive parenting experiences.

RESULTS

Most women and men believed that childbearing later in life resulted in advantages for themselves and their families. These included having established careers with financial security and career-time flexibility, enhanced emotional preparedness, committed co-parenting relationships and a positive overall family experience. The main disadvantage was the unexpected difficulty in conceiving that culminated in the use of IVF and resulted in a smaller family than desired, although many expressed feeling ‘lucky’ to have children at all. Other disadvantages were lack of energy for parenting, less available lifetime to spend with children and anticipated stigma as older parents.

CONCLUSIONS

These disadvantages appear to have influenced conception and parenting experiences so that in hindsight the majority of participants identified the optimal age for first-time parenting as 5–10 years earlier than they had conceived. This age range was imagined to maximize the financial and emotional advantages of later parenting while minimizing the impact of age-related infertility, diminished energy, anticipated health issues and the social stigma of appearing too old to parent.

Source:
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/rss/current.xml

BACKGROUND

Looking for a qualitative marker of ovarian function, we aimed to verify whether responsiveness of antral follicles to FSH administration, as reflected by the Follicular Output RaTe (FORT), is related to their reproductive competence.

METHODS

We studied 322 IVF-ET candidates aged 25–43 years who underwent controlled ovarian hyperstimulation with similar initial FSH doses. Antral follicle (3–8 mm) count (AFC) and pre-ovulatory follicle (16–22 mm) count (PFC) were performed, respectively, at the achievement of pituitary suppression (before FSH treatment) and on the day of hCG administration. The FORT was calculated by PFC x 100/AFC. FORT groups were set according to tercile values: low (<42%; n= 102), average (42–58%; n= 123) and high (>58%; n= 97).

RESULTS

The average FORT was 50.6% (range, 16.7–100.0%). Clinical pregnancy rates per oocyte retrieval increased progressively from the low to the high FORT groups (33.3, 51.2 and 55.7%, respectively, P< 0.003) and such a relationship assessed by logistic regression was independent of the confounding covariates, women's ages, AFC and PFC.

CONCLUSIONS

The observed relationship between IVF-ET outcome and the percentage of antral follicles that effectively respond to FSH administration reaching pre-ovulatory maturation suggests that FORT may be a qualitative reflector of ovarian follicular competence. Further studies with broader inclusion criteria and more personalized protocols are needed to validate these results.

Source:
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/rss/current.xml

BACKGROUND

Infertility can significantly impact women's lives and personal relationships. Despite the negative impact of infertility, a significant number of women who are struggling to conceive do not consult a physician. This cross-sectional survey was conducted to determine the emotional impact of infertility on women to identify which aspects of fertility treatment contribute to the psychological stress experienced by so many patients and to identify barriers to seeking treatment.

METHODS

Women (n = 445; 18–44 years) who had received fertility treatment within the past 2 years or were having trouble conceiving but had not received treatment, completed a 15-min survey online.

RESULTS

Participants were from France (n = 108), Germany (n = 111), Italy (n = 112) and Spain (n = 114). Responses indicated that infertility causes a range of emotions and can strain relationships. Women who had received treatment were more likely to feel hopeful (26 versus 21%) and closer to their partner than women not in treatment (33 versus 19%, P < 0.05). Most women delayed starting treatment because of a desire to conceive naturally, and on the advice of physicians. Women aged ≥35 years took longer to seek help with their fertility issues. Injection-related anxiety was the second greatest barrier to treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

This study has provided insight into the physical and psychological challenges of infertility treatments and permitted a better understanding of the factors that impact patient lives. A treatment protocol with minimal injections and provision of additional information may lessen the emotional impact and challenges of infertility and contribute to patient satisfaction with fertility treatment protocols.

Source:
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/rss/current.xml

BACKGROUND

Although cryopreservation and transplantation of ovarian tissue represent a promising alternative to safeguard fertility in cancer patients, low recovery rates of oocytes aspirated from antral follicles and a significant number of empty follicles have been observed in women with transplanted frozen–thawed ovarian tissue. In order to understand how freezing and/or grafting may affect follicular development, the follicular expression of kit ligand (KL) and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), two key factors activating and inhibiting follicle growth, were assessed after long-term grafting in severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice.

METHODS

Ovarian biopsies from eight patients were used for fresh and frozen–thawed tissue xenografting in 13 SCID mice for a period of 28 weeks, including 2 weeks of gonadotrophin stimulation. KL, AMH and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) immunostaining were quantified before and after grafting in the two treatment groups (fresh and frozen–thawed grafted ovarian tissue).

RESULTS

Lower expression of KL was found in primordial and primary follicles after grafting of both fresh and frozen–thawed tissue. Consistent expression of AMH was found in most growing follicles at a similar rate in both graft types. In fresh and frozen–thawed grafts, 13–14% of primordial follicles were PCNA-positive, indicating a similar maintenance of quiescent follicles despite follicle activation.

CONCLUSIONS

Grafting and/or gonadotrophin stimulation appear to affect the follicular expression of KL, which may alter oocyte quality. AMH expression in growing follicles after ovarian tissue transplantation may be one of the factors contributing to the preservation of resting follicles in 28-week-old grafts.

Source:
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/rss/current.xml

BACKGROUND

The aim of the present study was to explore current Australian support levels for surrogacy treatments and also whether this support differed between traditional surrogacy and gestational surrogacy. The focus was also on understanding the underlying influences on surrogacy attitudes. It was hypothesized that cognitions, psychological and demographic characteristics would all predict attitudes to surrogacy and that cognitive concerns about surrogacy would be the strongest predictor.

METHODS

Participants (N = 195: 79 male, 116 female; age range 18–76 years) were first-year psychology undergraduates (47%) and friends and associates of the authors (53%). They completed a survey pack which assessed attitudes and knowledge about surrogacy, as well as empathy and other personality characteristics.

RESULTS

The results indicated that there has been a marked increase in support for surrogacy treatment in recent years, with nearly 80% of participants supporting surrogacy, and that support for gestational surrogacy was greater than that for traditional surrogacy (P< 0.001). As anticipated, cognitive concerns about surrogacy were the strongest predictors of surrogacy attitudes (R²= 0.393).

CONCLUSIONS

A limitation of the present study was the use of a non-representative, self-selected sample that tended to be well educated and perhaps liberal minded. Despite this, given the high levels of support, it could be concluded that the recent, more permissive legislative changes, which were finalized in 2010, are reflective of the values of Australian society.

Source:
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/rss/current.xml

Everyone knows saturated fat is bad in high amounts -- it might even kill you.

Anewstudy suggeststhat fat may also damage semen quality among men.

A preliminary study published online in the medical journal Human Reproduction, suggests that men who intake higher amounts of omega-3 polyunsaturated fats, like the ones found in fish and plant oils, have better-formed sperm than those who don't.

A research team, led by Dr. Jill Attaman conducted the study, a small trialinvolving99 men in the U.S. over the course of four years.

Attamanwas a clinical and research fellow in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Massachusetts General Hospital and an instructor in obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School during the study.

The men were asked about their diets andthen separated into three groups according to the amount of fat they consumed.

Those in the highest-fat-consumption had a 43 percent lower total sperm count and 38 percent lower concentration of sperm than the men in the group who ate the least amount of fat.

Attaman suggests that the benefits of lowering the amount of fat in a man's diet extend beyond heart health.

A lower-fat diet "may not only improve their general health, but could improve their reproductive health too," she said in a statement.

One fertility specialist cautioned against relying on the findings of a study that relies on the past history of participants to diagnose their current condition.

Read the original:
Fatty Foods May Damage Semen: Study

BACKGROUND

Vitrification is a fast and effective method to cryopreserve ovarian tissue, but it might influence mitochondrial activity and affect gene expression to cause persistent alterations in the proteome of oocytes that grow and mature following cryopreservation.

METHODS

In part one of the study, the inner mitochondrial membrane potential (^mit) of JC-1 stained oocytes from control and CryoTop vitrified pre-antral follicles was analyzed by confocal microscopy at Day 0, or after culture of follicles for 1 or 12 days. In part two, proteins of in vivo grown germinal vesicle (GV) oocytes were subjected to proteome analysis by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, tryptic in-gel digestion of gel slices, and one-dimensional-nano-liquid chromatography of peptides on a multi-dimensional-nano-liquid chromatography system followed by mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and Uniprot Gene Ontology (GO) analysis. In part three, samples containing the protein amount of 40 GV and metaphase II (MII) oocytes, respectively, from control and vitrified pre-antral follicles cultured for 12 or 13 days were subjected to 2D DIGE saturation labeling and separated by isoelectric focusing and SDS gel electrophoresis (2D DIGE), followed by DeCyder^Tm analysis of spot patterns in three independent biological replicates. Statistical and hierarchical cluster analysis was employed to compare control and vitrified groups.

RESULTS

(i) Mitochondrial inner membrane potential differs significantly between control and vitrified GV oocytes at Day 0 and Day 1, but is similar at Day 12 of culture. (ii) LC-MS/MS analysis of SDS gel fractionated protein lysates of 988 mouse GV oocytes revealed identification of 1123 different proteins with a false discovery rate of <1%. GO analysis assigned 811 proteins to the ‘biological process’ subset. Thirty-five percent of the proteins corresponded to metabolic processes, about 15% to mitochondrion and transport, each, and close to 8% to oxidation-reduction processes. (iii) From the 2D-saturation DIGE analysis 1891 matched spots for GV-stage and 1718 for MII oocyte proteins were detected and the related protein abundances in vitrified and control oocytes were quantified. None of the spots was significantly altered in intensity, and hierarchical cluster analysis as well as histograms of p and q values suggest that vitrification at the pre-antral stage does not significantly alter the proteome of GV or MII oocytes compared with controls.

CONCLUSIONS

Vitrification appears to be associated with a significant transient increase in ^mit in oocyte mitochondria, which disappears when oocyte/cumulus cell apposition is restored upon development to the antral stage. The nano-LC-MS/MS analysis of low numbers of oocytes is useful to obtain information on relevant biological signaling pathways based on protein identifications. For quantitative comparisons, saturation 2D DIGE analysis is superior to LC-MS/MS due to its high sensitivity in cases where the biological material is very limited. Genetic background, age of the female, and/or stimulation protocol appear to influence the proteome pattern. However, the quantitative 2D DIGE approach provides evidence that vitrification does not affect the oocyte proteome after recovery from transient loss of cell–cell interactions, in vitro growth and in vitro maturation under tested conditions. Therefore, transient changes in mitochondrial activity by vitrification do not appear causal to persistent alterations in the mitochondrial or overall oocyte proteome.

Source:
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/rss/current.xml

Citizens rally in the rotunda of the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City to ask Governor Herbert to veto HB363, Wednesday, March 14, 2012.

Ravell Call, Deseret News

Enlarge photo

As a lifelong resident of Utah, I am writing to express my concern over HB363 and am asking as a parent of teenage children that Gov. Gary Herbert please veto this sincere but misguided bill. For the past 15 years, I have taught courses on human development at a large private institution in Utah. I do not speak on behalf of my employer or its supporting institution, but as a private citizen and parent.

Part of the curriculum I teach is on human reproduction. Each semester, I take an informal survey asking how many students have talked with their parents about sex. Fewer than half of my students typically raise their hands. The reality is that many good families in Utah abdicate their role in teaching their children about sex, including the consequences and responsibilities associated with human sexuality.

My own parents waited until the night before my wedding to have a rather brief "talk" with me. While I appreciated their attempt, it came too late in my own development to help me through the confusing changes that coincide with adolescence.

Unfortunately, many youths are learning about sex from misinformed friends, media and other sources, including the Internet, where the dialogue is often devoid of any meaningful discussion about human relationships, birth control, sexually transmitted infections and the consequences of unplanned teen pregnancies. It is misguided to suggest that the absence of discussion about contraceptives, sexual intercourse and STIs in our schools is necessary or sufficient to deter kids from thinking about and engaging in sex.

A respectful dialogue on these matters may do more to appropriately encourage abstinence, especially when our children are well-informed and human sexuality is demystified for them. While it makes sense to encourage our youths to abstain, from a "public good" perspective, there is also compelling public good to arm our youths with accurate and complete information to help them make informed decisions regarding sex, especially when these decisions can have life-altering and generational consequences.

Research shows that what youth need to internalize behavioral standards is clear consistent messages coupled with adequate levels of information. This involves opportunities for a rational dialogue in which the individual child feels empowered to make informed decisions for himself or herself. Our schools are a safe place for such discussions to occur, especially in the absence of discussions in the home. An absence of any opportunity for respectful dialogue leaves open the possibility that our youth will be vulnerable to accepting the most persuasive messages they encounter, which today commonly comes in the form of popular media and friends.

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My view: Gov. Herbert should veto sex-ed bill

A higher intake of saturated fat damages the quality of men's sperm, according to a new study published in the online journal Human Reproduction.

The study of 99 men who attend fertility clinics, which measured fatty acid levels in sperm and seminal plasma, found that "higher total fat intake was negatively related to total sperm count and concentration."

The study's participants were 89 percent Caucasian with an average age of 36.4 years. More than 7 in 10 men in the study were obese and 61 percent never smoked.

The 33 men with the highest fat intake were found to have a sperm count 43 percent lower than those who were on better diets.

"This association was driven by the intake of saturated," the study found. "Levels of saturated fatty acids in sperm were also negatively related to sperm concentration, but saturated fat intake was unrelated to sperm levels."

Men who had a higher intake of healthy omega-3 fats was positively related to the size and shape of their sperm.

Here are five foods to keep your sperm healthy based on the study's findings:

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1. Salmon

Salmon is high in omega-3 fatty acids as well as protein.

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Diet For Super Sperm? Cut Saturated Fat, Up Omega-3 Intake: Study

Gents, if you want to make sure your swimmers are in tip top shape, you may want to reconsider tucking into the burger and fries.

In a new study published online in the journal Human Reproduction March 13, a team of US researchers found that men who consumed diets high in saturated fats had both lower total sperm count and sperm concentration.

Meanwhile, men who consumed more omega-3 fatty acids, commonly found in fish and plant oils, were found to have slightly more sperm -- about 2 percent -- compared to those with the lowest intake.

For their study, Harvard researchers questioned a group of 99 men from 2006 to 2010 about their diet and analyzed samples of their semen, measuring the levels of fatty acids in their sperm.

The participants -- 71 percent of whom were obese or overweight -- were divided into three groups.

Those in the group with the highest intake of fat had a 43 percent lower sperm count, in addition to 38 percent lower sperm concentration compared to the group who consumed the least amount of fat.

Total sperm count is defined as the total number of sperm in the ejaculate, while sperm concentration denotes the number of sperm per unit volume.

The World Health Organisation defines normal total sperm count as a minimum of 39 million. The concentration of spermatozoa should be at least 15 million per milliliter.

While the researchers acknowledge the small sample size for the study, it's not the first to provide a link between poor diet and sperm quality.

Another Harvard study conducted jointly with researchers from the University of Murcia in Spain found that eating foods high in trans fats reduced the sperm quality in even healthy young men.

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Fatty diets linked to reduced sperm quality

While the world continue to talk about the teaching of tolerance, global education, preparing students to become world-wise citizens, the cultivating of cosmopolitanism in human consciousness, the Malaysian public education system is still taking pride in its system of apartheid and the sustaining of educational ideology, practice, and reproduction of separateness and unequalness.

In an attempt to engineer what seems to be a successful system of failure in a hyper-modernising state that prides itself in the slogan of human capital and education for all, Malaysians seem to live with these oxymorons. In the words of George Orwell in his prophetic novel of a dystopic society of Oceania in the classic work called 1984, this means doublespeak, in which contradictions abound in the inner-workings of the conveyor belt called education.

While the world continue to talk about the teaching of tolerance, global education, preparing students to become world-wise citizens, the cultivating of cosmopolitanism in human consciousness, the Malaysian public education system is still taking pride in its system of apartheid and the sustaining of educational ideology, practice, and reproduction of separateness and unequalness.

Either ignored or plainly blindsided by her educational policymakers, multiculturalism and the infusion of the practices of multicultural education is absent, even though it is clear that politics and education cannot be taken as separate disciplines in order to understand the nature and future of national development.

Malaysias survival as a nation depends primarily on the re-crafting of an education system philosophically, systemically, and pedagogically sound enough to bridge the gaps between the socio-economic and cultural deficiencies brought about by the legacy of Mahathirism; one based on the use of race ideology to sustain control and to design hegemony of the Malay-Muslim race.

Education as the only means for personal, social, cultural, and even spiritual and ecumenical progress can only be achieved if one goes back to the its philosophical foundations and re-look at the conception of human nature itself.

In Malaysia, a legacy of British colonial policy and its tool of social reproduction, i.e. schooling, has paved the way for Malaysias neo-colonialist strategy of a hidden system of apartheid, to ensure that the races are still separated in an unequal way.

Issues and institutions in such a scenario reflect the ideology of dominance - of one race over others or the rest - blinding educationalists and policy-makers to see beyond race and religion in making sure that the gentle profession and humanistic enterprise called education is driven fundamentally by the almost ideologically-bankrupt United Malays National Organisations (Umnos) idea of education and nation-building.

Pre-schools, primary schools, secondary schools and even universities take the nature of racial educational exclusivity.

Shining examples of this apartheid-isation of education are any all-racial schools, Mara Junior Science Colleges, and the Universiti Teknologi Mara system - all these in addition to the already apartheid-ised Malaysian Civil Service, albeit de facto in nature, whose existence is shackled by the ideology of an endangered ruling class of Malay-dominated politicians, in all its ignorance of the meaning of education, claimed superior knowledge to what that enterprise solely means.

Link:
Dismantle our apartheid education

Diets high in saturated fat are bad for waistlines, but they can also have a negative impact below the waist. They may lower sperm count and sperm concentration, according to a new study published in the journal Human Reproduction.

Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School collected semen samples from 99 mostly overweight or obese men and assessed their diets by asking them how often over the previous year they had certain foods and beverages.

They found that eating a lot of saturated fat was associated with a lower total sperm count and concentration. Diets high in omega-3 polyunsaturated fats -- the fats commonly found in fish and plant oils -- were associated with better-quality semen, meaning the sperm cells were of a better size and shape. The study did not determine what particular kinds of saturated fats were linked to sperm count.

The study's lead author, Dr. Jill Attaman, now a reproductive endocrinologist at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, said the study could lead to a better understanding of how lifestyle factors affect male fertility.

"There are few clearly identifiable lifestyle modifications that can be made to optimize natural fertility, especially for males," Attaman told ABC News in an email. "This is the first report of a relation between specific dietary fats and semen quality."

Experts not involved with the study have different opinions on the role diet plays in male fertility. Some say the research opens up an important door to future studies, while others say there are factors that play a much bigger role in fertility.

"The study explores an inadequately studied field in andrology and suggests associations between dietary habits and sperm parameters among subfertile, mostly overweight men," said Dr. Tamer Yalcinkaya, associate professor and section head of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

Diet is an important fertility-related variable, other doctors told ABC News.

"Maintaining a healthy, well-balanced diet will be the key to optimizing sperm parameters," said Dr. John Petrozza, director of the MGH Fertility Center, a center involved in the study. "The concept of omega-3 fatty acids will be the key, since it has been well established as an important cell membrane stabilizer."

"We have been discussing diet with our female patients for quite a while," said Dr. Alan Penzias, associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School. Researchers at Harvard Medical School were also involved with the study, though Penzias was not. "This evidence is entirely plausible and affords us the opportunity to expand the discussion to the male partners of our female patients."

Go here to read the rest:
Does Dietary Fat Affect Semen?

By Ryan Flinn - Wed Mar 14 00:01:00 GMT 2012

Mike Peres RBP SPAS Custom Medical Stock/Newscom

Human sperm under microscope.

Human sperm under microscope. Photographer: Mike Peres RBP SPAS Custom Medical Stock/Newscom

Men who eat fatty foods may be harming their chances for fatherhood, researchers say.

Sperm samples from almost 100 men on a range of diets showed those with the highest total of saturated fat intake had lower semen counts and concentrations, according to the study published today by the journal Human Reproduction. Men who ate more omega-3 fatty acids, found in some fish and flax, had a larger amount of normal-shaped sperm, scientists said.

Infertility affects about 15 percent of couples, with mens health linked to the issue 40 percent to 60 percent of the time, researchers said. While an earlier study showed an association between obesity and fewer healthier sperm, todays analysis looked at types of fats consumed among overweight individuals, said Jill Attaman, lead author.

This is the first study to demonstrate such an association, Attaman, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, New Hampshire, said in an interview.

The study examined sperm samples and food surveys from 99 men, 71 percent of whom were obese or overweight, taken from 2006 to 2010 at Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center in Boston. Participants were asked how often in the past year they ate specific foods. Men in the top third of fat consumption had 43 percent fewer sperm and 38 percent lower sperm concentration than those in the lowest fat intake group.

A reduced sperm count and concentration can decrease the odds of fertilizing an egg, according to the Mayo Clinic. Having normal-shaped sperm, or morphology, is also important.

Continued here:
Sperm Goes Limp With Fatty Foods While Fish Perks Them Up

March 14, 2012

A new report in the journal Human Reproduction showcases a study that links fatty, high-carbohydrate diets to lower sperm counts. A better diet that included high intakes of omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish and plant oils, were associated with higher sperm concentration, reports BBC News.

The team, led by Prof Jill Attaman from Harvard Medical School in Boston, questioned 99 men about their diet and analyzed sperm samples over the course of four years.

Compared with those eating the least fat, men with the highest fat intake had a 43 percent lower sperm count and 38 percent lower sperm concentration. Men consuming the most omega-3 fatty acids had sperm with a more normal structure than men with the lowest intake.

Prof. Attaman said, the magnitude of the association is quite dramatic and provides further support for the health efforts to limit consumption of saturated fat given their relation with other health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease.

However, 71 percent of participants were overweight or obese, which could have had an impact on sperm quality. Furthermore, none of the men had sperm counts or concentrations below the normal levels defined by the World Health Organization of at least 39 million and 15 million per milliliter.

Commenting on the research, British fertility expert Dr. Allan Pacey, of the University of Sheffield, this is a relatively small study showing an association between dietary intake of saturated fats and semen quality.

Perhaps unsurprisingly there appeared to be a reasonable association between the two, with men who ate the highest levels of saturated fats having the lowest sperm counts and those eating the most omega-3 polyunsaturated fats having the highest.

Importantly, the study does not show that one causes the other and further work needs to be carried out to clarify this. But it does add weight to the argument that having a good healthy diet may benefit male fertility as well as being good general health advice.

Read more here:
Junk Food Diets Linked To Low Sperm Counts

Public release date: 13-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Emma Mason wordmason@mac.com European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology

Men's diets, in particular the amount and type of different fats they eat, could be associated with their semen quality according to the results of a study published online in Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction [1] today (Wednesday).

The study of 99 men in the USA found an association between a high total fat intake and lower total sperm count and concentration. It also found that men who ate more omega-3 polyunsaturated fats (the type of fat often found in fish and plant oils) had better formed sperm than men who ate less.

However, the researchers warn that this is a small study, and its findings need to be replicated by further research in order to be sure about the role played by fats on men's fertility. Professor Jill Attaman, who was a Clinical and Research Fellow in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Instructor in Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology at Harvard Medical School at the time of the research [2], said: "In the meantime, if men make changes to their diets so as to reduce the amount of saturated fat they eat and increase their omega-3 intake, then this may not only improve their general health, but could improve their reproductive health too. At a global level, adopting these lifestyle modifications may improve general health, as high saturated fat diets are known to be a risk factor for a range of cardiovascular diseases; but, in addition, our research suggests that it could be beneficial for reproductive health worldwide."

A number of previous studies have investigated the link between body mass index (BMI) and semen quality, with mixed results. However, little is known about the potential role of dietary fats and semen quality, and so Prof Attaman and her colleagues set out to investigate it in men attending a fertility clinic.

Between December 2006 and August 2010 they questioned the men about their diet and analysed samples of their semen; they also measured levels of fatty acids in sperm and seminal plasma in 23 of the 99 men taking part.

The men were divided into three groups according to the amount of fats they consumed. Those in the third with the highest fat intake had a 43% lower total sperm count and 38% lower sperm concentration than men in the third with the lowest fat intake. "Total sperm count" is defined as the total number of sperm in the ejaculate, while "sperm concentration" is defined as the concentration of sperm (number per unit volume). The World Health Organisation provides a definition of "normal" total sperm count and concentration as follows: the total number of spermatozoa in the ejaculate should be at least 39 million; the concentration of spermatozoa should be at least 15 million per ml.

The study found that the relationship between dietary fats and semen quality was largely driven by the consumption of saturated fats. Men consuming the most saturated fats had a 35% lower total sperm count than men eating the least, and a 38% lower sperm concentration. "The magnitude of the association is quite dramatic and provides further support for the health efforts to limit consumption of saturated fat given their relation with other health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease," said Prof Attaman.

Men consuming the most omega-3 fats had slightly more sperm (1.9%) that were correctly formed than men in the third that had the lowest omega-3 intake.

See the article here:
Fatty diets may be associated with reduced semen quality

Doug Struthers / Getty Images

Gentlemen, you may want to hold the bacon. A new study suggests that eating a high-fat diet may be associated with lower sperm quality.

The study, published online in the European journal Human Reproduction, found that men who ate diets higher in saturated fat had lower sperm counts and concentration than men who consumed less fat. But men who consumed more omega-3 fatty acids healthy fats found in fish and plant oils had better formed sperm.

Researchers looked at 99 American men in their mid-30s who were participating in an ongoing study on fertility and environment, at the Massachusetts General HospitalFertility Center. From December 2006 to August 2010, the researchers questioned the men about their diet and analyzed their semen samples.

The men were divided into three groups based on their total fat intake. The men in highest third of fat consumption (at least 37% of their total calories) had a 43% lower sperm count and 38% lower sperm concentration than the men with the lowest fat intake.

Saturated fats appear to be the star culprit behind poor sperm quality in this study. Men who consumed the most saturated fat (at least 13% of their daily calories) had a 35% lower total sperm count and a 38% lower sperm concentration than the men consuming the lowest levels.

Men who ate the most omega-3 fatty acids, however, had more correctly formed sperm.

MORE: Could a Healthy Diet Boost Sperm?

According to Dr. Richard Sharpeof the Medical Research Councils Human Reproductive Sciences Unit at the University of Edinburgh, for normal functionality, sperm depend on their plasma membrane, which is mainly composed of fats. It is therefore not unreasonable to imagine that the type of fats in the diet may affect sperm membrane fat composition which, in turn, may affect sperm function. To an extent, we are what we eat, he said in an email statement. Dr. Sharpe is the deputy editor ofHuman Reproduction and is unaffiliated with the study.

Diets containing higher amounts of omega-3 fat and lower amounts of saturated fat are associated with favorable semen quality parameters and may be beneficial to male reproductive health,says study author Dr. Jill Attaman, professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School. Although these findings need to be reproduced, adapting these nutritional modifications may not only be beneficial for reproductive health but for global general health as well. Given the impact infertility has worldwide, many men as well as couples may benefit from such lifestyle changes.

Link:
Does Your Sperm Need a Diet? Fatty Foods Linked to Poor Sperm Quality

Fatty diets may be associated with reduced semen quality, according to a study published Wednesday in the European reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction.

In a study of 99 U.S. men, researchers found an association between high total fat intake and lower total sperm count and concentration. It also found that men who ate more omega-3 fats (often found in fish and plant oils) had better formed sperm than men who ate less of these types of fats.

"At a global level, adopting these lifestyle modifications may improve general health, as high-saturated fat diets are known to be a risk factor for a range of cardiovascular diseases; but, in addition, our research suggests that it could be beneficial for reproductive health worldwide," said Dr. Jill Attaman, an Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology instructor at Harvard Medical School at the time of the research, in a statement.

"Little is known of how diet may influence male reproductive potential," researchers said in the study.

Men, with an average age of 37 years, who attended a fertility clinic were investigated between December 2006 and August 2010.

Researchers questioned them about their diet and analyzed samples of their semen. Also, 23 of the 99 men participating in the study were measured for levels of fatty acids in their sperm and seminal plasma.

Participants were divided into three groups according to the amount of unsaturated fats they consumed. Men with the third-highest fat intake had a 43 per cent lower sperm count and 38 per cent lower sperm concentration than men in the group with the lowest fat intake.

Men who consumed the most omega-3 fatty acids had slightly more sperm (1.9 per cent) that were "correctly formed" than men in the third that had the lowest intake of omega-3.

Meanwhile, researchers noted some limitations: the study size is small and needs to be replicated by further research to confirm the role of fatty diets on men's fertility, they said. Also, the use of a food frequency questionnaire might not accurately reflect men's actual diets. And only one semen sample per man was collected.

Researchers cautioned that the study can only show an association between dietary fats and semen quality and cannot show causation.

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Too much fat in men's diet could lower chances of fertility: Study

In his 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae (Of Human Life), Pope Paul VI prophesied dire effects if contraceptives proliferated. He predicted:

-- Conjugal infidelity and the general lowering of morality.

-- Men coming to regard a woman as a mere instrument of sexual enjoyment and no longer as his respected and beloved companion.

-- Abuses by public authorities, promoting contraception for their own ends.

-- People deciding they had unlimited dominion over their own bodies, without consideration of Gods plan or moral restrictions.

All these predictions have come true. Today, many enter adulthood with half a dozen years of sexual experience, a sexually transmitted disease or the trauma of abortion. Angst seems reflected in girls dressing like prostitutes, youth self-mutilating, or sporting grotesque tattoos and extreme body piercings. Where is the reflective earnestness of a young woman preparing for life as a wife and mother? Where is the consideration a male shows a female, knowing she is a beloved daughter, someones sister, and possibly a future bride? As vulgarity, coarseness, and promiscuity intensifies, the culture becomes hostile to developing healthy relationships, forming life-long bonds, and nurturing children. Many nations today face underpopulation, as citizens choose not to marry, or to contain family size to just one child or two. Even committed couples face stresses when one partner, closed to life, pressures a mate to use birth control.

Jesus came so all people may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 16:21) America exists, planted on Christian bedrock, so citizens may have life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I thank God my parents gave me the right to life by welcoming my conception. I flourished within the embrace of family. I learned from my mother and father what sacramental love required, by watching them grow deeper in love through both joyful times and adversity. My parents strove to live and convey Church teachings about chastity offering a vision of purity that once upheld mainstream America.

Fertility and sexuality are God-given gifts to be used rightly. True sexual liberation exists only in marriage, when a man and woman share a deep, healing embrace, open to life and free of artificial barriers. When serious reasons compel a couple to avoid or postpone pregnancy, however, working naturally with the womans monthly cycles proves highly effective. Practising the symptothermal method of charting temperatures and cervical secretions leads to just a 0.4 - 0.6 per cent rate of unplanned pregnancy, according to Human Reproduction Today. I can add my own and others anecdotal evidence that, as a woman learns her bodys signals for ovulation and fertility, she develops a keen self-awareness, identifying other health issues as they arise.

Spouses faithfully practising natural family planning (NFP) face only a 0.2 per cent risk of divorce, cites the Family of the Americas Foundation. NFP-users often find intimacies improve with age. Love deepens, becomes more generous-hearted. Periods of abstinence lead to mini-honeymoons. Gods vision for humanity is happiness, and the type of love that refuses to use the other, enriches. Members of stable, loving marriages and families, become their best selves.

No, Mr President, as a devout Catholic, I do not want to pay for contraception. I do not want to pay higher premiums because my insurance company is forced to provide free contraception.

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WE ARE ONE: Biologists say common gut microbes such as Bacteroides fragilis may be as important as our genes. Image: Photo Researchers, Inc.

The human body harbors at least 10 times more bacterial cells than human cells. Collectively known as the microbiome, this community may play a role in regulating one's risk of obesity, asthma and allergies. Now some researchers are wondering if the microbiome may have a part in an even more crucial process: mate selection and, ultimately, evolution.

The best evidence that the microbiome may play this critical role comes from studies of insects. A 2010 experiment led by Eugene Rosenberg of Tel Aviv University found that raising Drosophila pseudoobscura fruit flies on different diets altered their mate selection: the flies would mate only with other flies on the same diet. A dose of antibiotics abolished these preferencesthe flies went back to mating without regard to dietsuggesting that it was changes in gut microbes brought about by diet, and not diet alone, that drove the change.

To determine whether gut microbes could affect an organism's longevity and its ability to reproduce, Vanderbilt University geneticist Seth Bordenstein and his colleagues dosed the termites Zootermopsis angusticollis and Reticulitermes flavipes with the antibiotic rifampicin. The study, published in July 2011 in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, found that antibiotic-treated termites showed a reduced diversity in their gut bacteria after treatment and also produced significantly fewer eggs. Bordenstein argues that the reduction of certain beneficial microbes, some of which aid in digestion and in the absorption of nutrients, left the termites malnourished and less able to produce eggs.

These studies are part of a growing consensus among evolutionary biologists that one can no longer separate an organism's genes from those of its symbiotic bacteria. They are all part of a single "hologenome."

"There's been a long history of separating microbiology from botany and zoology, but all animals and plants have millions or billions of microorganisms associated with them," Rosenberg says. "You have to look at the hologenome to understand an animal or plant." In other words, the forces of natural selection place pressure on a plant or animal and its full array of microbes. Lending support to that idea, Bordenstein showed the closer the evolutionary distance among certain species of wasps, the greater the similarities in their microflora.

Researchers believe that the microbiome is essential to human evolution as well. "Given the importance of the microbiome in human adaptations such as digestion, smell and the immune system, it would appear very likely that the human microbiome has had an effect on speciation," Bordenstein says. "Arguably, the microbiota are as important as genes."

This article was published in print as "Backseat Drivers."

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Gut Microbes May Drive Evolution

Struggling to make ends meet as a university English major, Elizabeth could not help but notice the online classified ad, offering healthy young women the potential to earn $5,000.

She jumped at the opportunity, even after discovering the work involved donating eggs for use in fertility treatment. The 22-year-old was told the money was to reimburse her for expenses and lost time at work or school, as stipulated by criminal law that bans paying egg or sperm donors commercial fees.

As it turns out, Elizabeth said she had no expenses to speak of and took off no time from school, yet the money came like clockwork the first $1,000 after she underwent various tests, the last $4,000 when the eggs were retrieved.

I was a broke student and the $5,000 price tag was very desirable, said the Vancouver Island resident, who asked that her last name be withheld. [But] I felt like one part on the production line to eventually create this child, which this family is paying thousands of dollars to essentially produce by artificial means.

The ad was placed by one of a handful of unusual brokers that recruit surrogate mothers and egg donors for the growing ranks of people longing to be parents, but unable themselves to give birth.

A rare RCMP investigation of the Ontario agency Ms. Sager worked with Canadian Fertility Consultants have put the spotlight on the surrogate-consultant market, commercial enterprises at the heart of a process that, officially at least, is not supposed to treat the ingredients of human reproduction as commodities.

The work can mean bringing together clients and wombs-for-loan located continents apart; the demand for surrogates is so strong, agencies offer gift certificates and cash incentives to those who recruit new mothers.

Some reportedly handle as many as 50 pregnant surrogates at a time.

Brokers charge thousands for the service, yet Canadian law prohibits payment beyond reimbursing expenses for the carriers and donors themselves, part of the legal grey zone that envelops the industry.

In fact, the Assisted Human Reproduction Act also says it is also illegal to accept consideration for arranging for the services of a surrogate mother or to offer or advertise to make such an arrangement.

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Canada’s murky legal world of surrogate-consultants and human-egg buyers