In Vitro Fertility Goddess

Perfumes Toxic to Pregnancy

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Wednesday 3 September, 2008 

Source: University of Edinburgh

Pregnant women should stop using perfume as it could cause boys to suffer infertility or cancer in later life.

Researchers in Scotland studying rats found that the reproductive system of male foetuses could be damaged by chemicals found in common perfumes and scented creams.

Lead author Professor Richard Sharpe, principal investigator at the Medical Research Council's Human Sciences Unit in Edinburgh says the damage to the male foetus could lead to testicular cancer or infertility.

The most crucial time to avoid using perfumes would be in the 8 to 12 week of pregnancy, a period during which hormones in the foetus are activated and the male reproductive system is created.

Professor Sharpe told the Scotland on Sunday newspaper his research had discovered that the male programming window occurred far earlier in foetal development than was previously thought, before the reproductive organs fully develop.

He added: "Women could stop using body creams and perfumes. Although we do not have conclusive evidence that they do harm, there are components about which there are question marks; for example it could be certain combinations of chemicals."

Sarah Williams, IVFG Reporter

UK fertility clinics asked to use single embryo transfer

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Wednesday 3 September, 2008

Source: British Fertility Society  

Experts from the British Fertility Society and the Association of Clinical Embryologists have called on fertility clinics to mainly use single embryos for women younger than 37 to reduce a rate of multiple births.

The call is aimed at helping Britain's fertility clinics to meet the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's three-year target to cut multiple pregnancy rates by more than half over the next three years. Currently, there were 11,262 children born through IVF treatment last year of whom 4,000 were twins.

Multiple pregnancies and births are the single biggest risk for women during fertility treatment because they increase the likelihood of premature birth miscarriage, long-term health problems for the child and can also endanger the mother's health.
                            
Out of the more than 3.5 million babies born worldwide using assisted reproductive technology in the past 30 years, most since have been born to women aged between 30 and 39.

The move for single embryo implantation in Britain follows is not an isolated case as some European governments have already legislated to outlaw multiple implants reduce pregnancy risks.
                            
The HFEA wants women younger than 37 who produce high quality embryos to only receive a single transfer during their first cycle and to freezed the other embryos for use later.

Sarah Williams, IVFG Reporter