All articles tagged with #fertility
In Athens, 54-year-old Cristina Rapti-Tzelepi gave birth to Georgia, a daughter conceived from an embryo frozen for 22 years; the baby was named in honor of their late son Giorgos, who also was born via IVF. The birth occurred at a private maternity clinic and underscores IVF's reach for older parents, with Cristina's husband Constantinos Raptis, 60, by her side.
Squirmy and Grubs star Hannah Burcaw is pregnant with her and Shane Burcaw’s first child, about 20 weeks along and due in January. The couple announced the news on Instagram with sonograms, plan to document the journey on a new baby blog, and note their long fertility journey—including years of IVF—while aiming to share their experience thoughtfully with fans.
A 19-year-old from Caernarfon, Enlli Thompson, was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer after years of misattributed symptoms; she had a hysterectomy that caused immediate menopause and ended her fertility, but she froze seven eggs before chemotherapy and is now navigating menopause while campaigning for awareness and pursuing a career in cancer care.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez revealed she froze her eggs and documented the process publicly, saying the choice gives her more life control while sparking debate about the politics and cost of fertility care—particularly in New York, where cycles can exceed $17,000 and out-of-pocket expenses can approach $9,000.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez revealed she froze her eggs, a candid act she casts as empowerment but that has sparked debate about the political risks and potential misperceptions of discussing personal fertility.
US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she’s freezing her eggs to gain control over her life, joining a growing trend of women delaying motherhood. Egg freezing—formally oocyte preservation—involves hormonal stimulation, egg retrieval and rapid freezing for long-term storage, with better outcomes when done in a younger age window. It’s not a guaranteed path to pregnancy and can cost around $10,000–$15,000 plus ongoing storage, with limited insurance coverage for elective cases. Many cite flexibility for education or career, but experts emphasize managing expectations and recognizing that the uterus ages too, so IVF may still be needed later to use the eggs.
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez revealed she is freezing her eggs and posted early steps on social media, then told ABC News she has not ruled out a future presidential bid. She used the moment to discuss costs, procedures, and how fertility care works in the United States, arguing the system is broken and urging leaders to normalize conversations about reproductive health despite political risk. She offered a light, non-committal response when asked about a 2028 run.
A CNN Health report highlights that quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), common disinfectants’ active ingredients, may pose health risks beyond cleaning. Animal studies connect QAC exposure to placental inflammation and fertility issues, while human exposure has been detected in blood, breast milk, urine, and dust—often higher in daycare and healthcare settings. Experts urge caution, noting dose and real-world use matter, and suggest reading labels, avoiding unnecessary “antibacterial” products, and opting for safer alternatives (e.g., citric acid, hydrogen peroxide, ethyl alcohol) or simple soap and water when disinfection isn’t needed.
The Pentagon’s plan to screen and treat testosterone in service members—despite doctors warning against universal screening—risks repeating VA’s past failures in testosterone replacement, may drive unnecessary therapy, threaten fertility, and complicate care when service members transition to veterans benefits, all amid limited coverage for infertility under TRICARE.
A New York Post report cites doctors warning that testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is widely used—often via online scripts—yet it can dramatically reduce sperm production, risking infertility for men who want future children; side effects can include acne, breast development, and testicular shrinkage, and high testosterone may raise blood pressure and heart risk without proper medical supervision. Because many men skip in-person evaluation, experts urge regular monitoring and consider alternatives like clomiphene, enclomiphene, or hCG to raise testosterone while preserving fertility, while also addressing sleep apnea, obesity, or other root causes.
Across 62 diseases, disease-risk alleles tend to shorten longevity but increase fertility; a subset that raises both traits shows signals of recent positive selection over the last ~50,000 years. Mendelian randomization suggests genetic liability to disease lowers longevity, with no robust causal effect on fertility after accounting for socioeconomic factors. In UK Biobank analyses, individuals with high disease risk generally have more children than low-risk peers, though early-onset diseases dampen reproductive success. Together, the findings support antagonistic pleiotropy and mutation-accumulation as mechanisms maintaining disease alleles via life-history trade-offs and early-life fitness advantages.
The US plans to require routine testosterone screening for male service members aged 30 and up, with the option to start testosterone replacement therapy if low levels and symptoms are present. Medical experts caution that aggressive screening can cause misdiagnoses, TRT carries risks like infertility and other side effects, and large‑scale military monitoring could be logistically challenging. The Pentagon has offered few details on implementation, and clinicians emphasize treatment should be tied to both low testosterone and clinical symptoms.
A study of 1,774 women found that while younger donor eggs raise IVF chances for some, women aged 49 and older still face lower pregnancy and live-birth rates and higher miscarriage risk. Pregnancy chances drop from about 54% in younger women to ~43% at 49+, live births fall from ~46% to ~32%, and miscarriage rises from 24% to 38%, suggesting age-related changes in the womb lining (endometrium) may limit the benefit of donor eggs. The findings don’t discourage donor-egg treatments but highlight that aging of the uterus matters and should be discussed with patients.
A University of Oxford-led analysis of about 55,000 men and 30 non-human species finds sperm quality declines the longer sperm are stored, so more frequent ejaculation is linked to healthier sperm with less DNA damage, challenging the WHO-recommended seven-day abstinence and aligning with evidence that ejaculating within 48 hours before IVF improves outcomes; the study also notes species differences in how males and females maintain sperm quality, with female storage organs often better at preserving viability, suggesting implications for clinical fertility practice and animal breeding.
Anne Hathaway opened up about the painful fertility struggles she faced years before announcing her third pregnancy, stressing that the path to conception isn’t the same for everyone and highlighting the isolation and self-doubt many experience; she had a miscarriage in 2015, and with husband Adam Shulman already has two sons, Jonathan and Jack. She revealed baby No. 3 via Instagram and was photographed with a growing bump in St. Tropez.