Tag Archives: Fertility

How Menstrual Pads Can Provide Women with Insights into Fertility Changes

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Menstrual Pads: A Revolutionary Tool for Tracking Women’s Fertility

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Innovative home tests integrated into menstrual pads are empowering women to monitor their fertility through menstrual blood. This non-invasive method eliminates the need for frequent blood tests or clinic visits.

For many women, understanding their fertility journey often remains elusive until they attempt to conceive. In case of any complications, clinical tests can offer vital information.

These tests are instrumental in assessing the levels of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), a key indicator of “ovarian reserve,” which reflects the quantity of eggs remaining in a woman’s ovaries. In adults, AMH levels naturally decrease with age, indicating that higher levels signify a robust supply of eggs, whereas lower levels may signal reduced reserves or early onset of menopause.

Traditionally, AMH measurement has involved either clinic-based blood tests or at-home finger-prick tests, both requiring lab analysis before results are available.

Recently, Lucas Dosnon from ETH Zurich and his team in Switzerland have created a user-friendly test utilizing menstrual blood for immediate results.

The test functions as a lateral flow assay—similar to a COVID-19 test—utilizing small gold-coated particles with antibodies that selectively bind to AMH. When the test strip is exposed to menstrual blood, the hormonal interactions create a visible line, where the darkness of this line correlates with AMH levels.

While visual assessments can estimate results, researchers have developed a smartphone app that accurately analyzes test strip images. When tested against menstrual blood samples with known AMH concentrations, results aligned closely with clinical evaluations.

Moreover, the research team has seamlessly integrated this test into menstrual pads, enabling passive AMH level monitoring throughout menstruation. Over time, this approach may reveal trends in ovarian reserves that single tests could miss.

“We believe this research could be a game-changer for women’s health,” stated Dosnon, highlighting the potential for regular ovarian health screenings useful for various purposes, including during IVF and for diagnosing conditions outside of reduced ovarian reserve. Elevated AMH levels, for instance, can indicate polycystic ovarian syndrome and, in rare cases, granulosa cell tumors affecting the ovaries. “Menstrual blood is an underutilized resource with great potential in monitoring overall health,” Dosnon added.

Richard Anderson from the University of Edinburgh emphasizes the interpretation challenges all family medicine tests face, noting that understanding results can be complex, as no AMH test assesses egg quality. He questions whether women will prefer this test over traditional methods: “Is obtaining a reliable blood test that much of a burden?”

In response, Dosnon clarified that the test isn’t designed to replace clinical evaluations but rather offers an alternative that addresses the challenges in women’s health monitoring and research, praised for its non-invasive nature, user-friendliness, and affordability.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Unveiling the Ovary’s Secret Ecosystem: Its Unexpected Impact on Fertility

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Neural networks (white) and eggs (green) in a mouse ovary (left) and a fragment of a human ovary (right). Growing follicles containing eggs are depicted in magenta

Eliza Gaylord and Diana Laird, UCSF Laird Laboratory

A novel imaging technique has uncovered an unexplored ecosystem within the ovaries that could affect the aging process of human eggs. This breakthrough may pave the way for strategies to slow ovarian aging, maintain fertility, and enhance health after menopause.

Women are born with millions of immature eggs, with one maturing each month post-puberty. However, after the late 20s, fertility declines sharply, typically attributed to diminishing egg quantity and quality.

To gain insights into this decline, Eliza Gaylord and her team at the University of California, San Francisco, developed a 3D imaging method that visualizes eggs without the need for slicing the ovaries, a traditional technique.

These newly captured images revealed that eggs cluster in pockets, rather than being uniformly distributed, indicating that the ovarian environment may significantly influence egg aging and maturation.

By integrating this imaging with single-cell transcriptomics, which identifies cells by their gene expression, researchers examined over 100,000 cells from both mouse and human ovaries. Samples were taken from mice aged 2 to 12 months and four women aged 23, 30, 37, and 58.

Through this approach, the team identified 11 major cell types and uncovered some surprises. One unexpected finding was the presence of glial cells—typically associated with the brain—that nourish and repair nerve cells, alongside sympathetic nerve cells that manage the fight-or-flight response. In mice lacking sympathetic nerves, fewer eggs matured, suggesting these nerves may influence when eggs develop.

Moreover, the researchers observed that fibroblasts, crucial for structural support, decrease with age, potentially leading to inflammation and scarring in the ovaries of women in their 50s.

This research indicates that ovarian aging is influenced beyond just the eggs; it involves the surrounding ecosystem, as noted by Diana Laird, also affiliated with UCSF. Importantly, she highlights the similarities discovered between aging ovaries in mice and humans.

“These similarities provide a basis for using laboratory mice to model human ovarian aging,” states Laird. “With this roadmap, we can start to explore the mechanisms that dictate the pace of ovarian aging to devise treatments that might slow or reverse the process.”

One potential avenue is to adjust sympathetic nerve activity to slow egg loss, thereby extending the reproductive time frame and delaying menopause.

Whole eggs (green) and a subset of developing eggs (magenta) in the ovaries of 2-month-old (left) and 12-month-old (right) mice.

Eliza Gaylord and Diana Laird, UCSF Laird Laboratory

Theoretically, this approach not only preserves fertility but may also diminish the risk of common postmenopausal conditions, including heart disease. “While later menopause could increase the risk for some reproductive cancers, this pales in comparison to the 20-fold higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease post-menopause,” explaines Laird.

However, such interventions are likely still far in the future. Evelyn Telfer, a researcher at the University of Edinburgh—known for being the first to successfully culture human eggs outside the ovary—points out that the limited age range and samples from just four women restrict the applicability of the findings. “Though intriguing, this study’s results are too preliminary to support treatment strategies aimed at altering follicle utilization or slowing egg loss,” she notes.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Revolutionary Video Unveils Hidden Aspects of Human Fertility

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For the first time, real-time footage of human embryos being implanted into an artificial uterus has been recorded.

This remarkable achievement, published in the journal Advances in Science, offers an unparalleled glimpse into one of the crucial stages of human development.

Implantation failure is a leading cause of infertility, responsible for 60% of miscarriages. Researchers aim to enhance understanding of the implantation process to improve fertility results in both natural conception and in vitro fertilization (IVF).

“We can’t observe this, due to the transplantation in the mother,” stated Dr. Samuel Ojosnegros, head of bioengineering at the Institute of Bioengineering (IBEC) and the lead author of the study, as reported by BBC Science Focus.

“Thus, we required a system to observe how it functions and to address the primary challenges to human fertility.”

Implantation marks the initial phase of pregnancy, where the fertilized egg (developing embryo) attaches to the uterine lining, allowing it to absorb nutrients and oxygen from the mother—vital for a successful pregnancy.

To investigate this process, the research team developed a platform that simulates the natural uterine lining, utilizing a collagen scaffold combined with proteins essential for development.

The study then examined how human and mouse embryos implant onto this platform, uncovering significant differences. Unlike mouse embryos that adhere to the uterine surface, human embryos penetrate fully into the tissue before growing from within.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p3in1fzrec

Video showing the implantation process of mouse embryos (left) and human embryos (right).

“Human embryos are highly invasive,” said Ojosnegros. “They dig a hole in the matrix, embed themselves, and then grow internally.”

The footage indicated that the embryo exerts considerable force on the uterus during this process.

“We observed that the embryo pulls, moves, and rearranges the uterine matrix,” stated Dr. Amélie Godeau, co-first author of the research. “It also responds to external force cues. We hypothesize that contractions in vivo may influence embryo transfer.”

According to Ojosnegros, the force applied during this stage could explain the pain and bleeding many women experience during implantation.

Researchers are currently focused on enhancing the realism of implantation platforms, including the integration of living cells. The goal is to establish a more authentic view of the implantation process, which could boost the likelihood of success in IVF, such as by selecting embryos with better implantation potential.

“We understand more about the development of flies and worms than our own species,” remarked Ojosnegros. “So enjoy watching the film.”

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Gut Microbiota Alterations Associated with Fertility Challenges in PCOS Patients

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Restoring the levels of specific intestinal microorganisms may help treat fertility problems in people with PCOS

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Women diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) seem to face a heightened risk of pregnancy complications linked to lower levels of gut microorganisms.

PCOS stands as the most prevalent hormonal disorder among women of reproductive age and is a leading cause of infertility. Yet, the underlying causes and effective management remain somewhat elusive. For instance, it remains unclear why women with PCOS who do conceive are more susceptible to complications such as miscarriage, premature birth, and gestational diabetes.

Aixia Liu from Z Jiang University in China and her research team tracked the pregnancy outcomes of 220 women across 44 cities, half of whom had PCOS. All were younger than 35 and provided blood samples as well as stool and tissue samples from the endometrial (internal lining of the uterus).

Despite having comparable pregnancy rates, women with PCOS exhibited nearly double the likelihood of facing pregnancy complications, including miscarriage, premature birth, gestational diabetes, and delivering babies with low birth weight. Furthermore, researchers determined that women with PCOS have roughly half the quantity of gut bacteria, particularly Parabacteroides merdae, which was more closely linked to pregnancy outcomes than in those without the condition.

P. merdae aids in converting specific nutrients, like the amino acid isoleucine, into beneficial compounds known as short-chain fatty acids, which are crucial for reproductive health. This likely accounts for the 39% higher average isoleucine levels in the blood samples of PCOS participants and their 10% lower levels of short-chain fatty acids. Additionally, high isoleucine concentrations were noted in the endometrial tissue.

In laboratory settings, when researchers cultured the participants’ endometrial cells and introduced isoleucine, they observed increased markers of cell senescence, indicating wear or damage in the cells that compromised their function. Isoleucine seemed to disrupt the processes endometrial cells typically undergo during pregnancy.

“These findings suggest age-related changes within the uterus,” Li remarked in a statement from the annual meeting of the European Breeding Association, where the data was revealed. “Our research points to high levels of isoleucine from P. merdae potentially impairing endometrial health, even in women under 35.”

Such results suggest that alterations in the gut microbiome could play a role in PCOS-related fertility challenges; however, Andrea Dunaif at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, expresses skepticism. Her studies indicate that reproductive aging in PCOS is more delayed than accelerated. “Reproductive issues often improve in your 30s,” Dunaif notes. “This leads me to doubt the significance of endometrial findings and their true responsibility for pregnancy outcomes.”

Nonetheless, these insights could pave the way for enhanced fertility treatments for women with PCOS. “Where might we intervene in the microbiome and adjust with various probiotics?” Dunaif suggests.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Trump Advocates for Increased Birth Rates but Dismisses Fertility Experts

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Every year, tens of thousands of young women opt to freeze their eggs. This procedure can be costly and at times painful, with numbers rising as more Americans delay childbirth.

However, many uncertainties surround the process: What is the optimal donor age for egg freezing? What are the success rates? And importantly, how long can frozen eggs remain viable?

Finding reliable answers to these questions is challenging. During the significant downsizing at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Trump administration disbanded a federal research team dedicated to collecting and analyzing data from fertility clinics aimed at enhancing outcomes.

According to Aaron Levine, a professor at Georgia Tech’s Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter School of Public Policy, who collaborated with the CDC team on research, the dismissal of the six team members was “a real, serious loss.”

“They held the most extensive data on fertility clinics, focused on ensuring truthfulness in patient advertising,” stated Barbara Collura, CEO of the National Infertility Association.

Collura emphasized that losing the CDC team is a significant blow to both couples facing infertility and women contemplating egg freezing.

These layoffs come amidst rising political interest in declining U.S. fertility rates. President Trump has dubbed himself the “infertile president” and signed an executive order aimed at expanding access to in vitro fertilization.

“The White House is committed to IVF and remains focused on it,” Collura noted.

With one in seven married or unmarried women experiencing infertility, she remarked, “Looking at these statistics, it’s disheartening—and not surprising—that our public health agencies have chosen to sidestep this issue.”

When asked about the team’s elimination, a health and welfare spokesperson commented that the administration is “in the planning stage” of transitioning maternal health programs to a new Healthy America initiative, offering no further details.

The scientists from the National Assisted Reproductive Technology Surveillance System were working to address numerous questions surrounding IVF research.

“We lack comprehensive data on the success rates of egg freezing for personal use because it’s relatively new and tricky to track,” Dr. Levine explained.

This uncertainty weighs heavily on women wishing to have children. Simeonne Bookal, who collaborates with Collura at Resolve, froze her eggs in 2018 while waiting to find the right partner.

She got engaged earlier this year, with her wedding scheduled for next spring. At 38, she expressed that having her eggs banked offers her a “security blanket.”

Though she still has reservations about her chances of conceiving, the frozen eggs provide her some assurance.

The precise success rate of the egg freezing procedure remains ambiguous, as many published studies are based on theoretical models that utilize data from infertile patients or egg donors, which differ significantly from women preserving their eggs for future use.

Some studies provide limited insights, often involving fewer than 1,000 women who thaw their eggs and undergo IVF, according to Dr. Sarah Druckenmiller Cascante, a Clinical Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Nyu Langone and author of a recent review paper on this topic.

“The available data is scant, and it’s crucial to be transparent with patients about this,” she said.

“I wouldn’t regard it as a guaranteed insurance policy. While it could lead to a baby, it’s more about improving the chances of having a biological child later in life, especially if done at a younger age.”

The CDC team maintained a database known as the National ART Surveillance System, established by Congress in 1992. This tracked success rates for various fertility clinics but now faces an uncertain future without continuous updates.

While the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology offers similar databases to researchers, they are not as comprehensive as the CDC’s since they contain data from approximately 85% of U.S. fertility clinics.

According to Sean Tipton, Chief Advocacy and Policy Officer for the American Association of Reproductive Medicine, no dedicated research team oversees the database.

The surge in women opting to bank their eggs for future use has intensified the scrutiny regarding the risks and benefits of freezing eggs.

This procedure was regarded as non-experimental as of 2012. In 2014, only 6,090 patients opted to bank their eggs for fertility preservation. Fast forward to 2022, and that number soared to 28,207, with 39,269 recorded in 2023, the latest year for which data is available.

Source: www.nytimes.com

‘Ease of Pregnancy for Young Women in the Age of Smartphone Fertility Apps’

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A controversial app aimed at empowering women to manage their sex lives by predicting fertile days is being criticized for making inaccurate claims that could lead to unintended pregnancies.

Many women in the UK, including 69% of 18-24 year olds, use smartphone apps to track their menstrual cycles and identify their most fertile and least fertile days. However, experts caution that the data used by these apps to make predictions is often unreliable and limited.

Despite these concerns, one app, called the Period & Fertility Tracker, falsely promotes itself as a reliable method of contraception. Another app, Cycles, claims to accurately predict pregnancy chances daily but offers a disclaimer on its website stating it is for informational purposes only.

While some apps offer features to manage fertility goals and check chances of pregnancy each day, their effectiveness is doubted by experts. The increasing use of “natural contraception” methods raises further concerns, as studies show a rise in unintended pregnancies among users of these apps.

The accuracy of these apps in predicting fertile windows is also questioned, as they rely on traditional methods that have a high risk of error. Despite some apps requiring daily data entry for improved accuracy, the overall effectiveness of these methods remains low.

Regulators are urged to address the potential dangers posed by unregulated apps that claim to be contraceptives. While only one app is authorized to be sold as a contraceptive in some countries, the overall lack of regulation raises concerns about the safety and accuracy of these apps.

In conclusion, the growing trend of relying on period tracking apps for contraception raises serious issues about women’s health and the need for more reliable contraceptive methods.

Source: www.theguardian.com

British women discuss their journey with fertility tracking app

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aAfter utilizing birth control pills for a span of 15 years, Francesca* made the decision to explore how her body would respond without the influence of hormones. She opted to use a fertility tracking app (which monitors menstrual cycles and ovulation symptoms to predict the most fertile window for conception) after discovering it through social media channels.

“I have been on hormone medication since my teenage years, but as an adult, I lacked awareness of my menstrual cycle,” shared the woman from London, now in her early 30s. She was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) at 18 and advised to continue hormone therapy to manage her symptoms. “Surprisingly, upon discontinuing the pill, most of my hormonal imbalance symptoms reduced significantly,” she recounted.

Initially, she found the app to be a beneficial tool. She diligently followed the instructions and even supplemented with ovulation tests for added precaution. “I felt a newfound sense of control over my menstrual cycle and body,” she noted.

However, after eight months, she encountered an unplanned pregnancy that led to a “traumatic” abortion. Believing it was due to human error, she resumed using the app, only to conceive again five months later. “Looking back, every time [these apps] are discussed, I feel compelled to caution others against their claims endorsed on online platforms and social media,” she emphasized. “We strongly advise exercising caution if relying solely on them for contraception.”

Francesca’s experience with fertility apps aligns with reports indicating an increasing number of women in England and Wales transitioning from traditional birth control methods like the pill to fertility tracking apps, heightening the risk of unintended pregnancies. She was among those who reached out to The Guardian to share her story.

She wasn’t alone in recounting experiencing an unwanted pregnancy while using a fertility tracker, although some women successfully leveraged the app to either avoid or achieve pregnancy. Testimonials varied, with some describing the app as “lifesaving” and “liberating.”

Notable in the shared experiences was the recurring theme of women feeling underserved by the healthcare system, despite the launch of the new Women’s Health Strategy in July 2022. “There’s a pervasive sentiment among many UK women that general practitioners often lack adequate training in women’s reproductive health,” Francesca observed. “[These apps] underscore these concerns and gaps in care.”

Other readers highlighted their positive encounters with the app. Sarah*, a 38-year-old from Yorkshire, relied on the app for contraception over 18 months and later for conception with her partner. She battled severe depression during certain phases of her menstrual cycle when off medication but found relief through the app.

“Staying off medication feels empowering,” she expressed. “I was prescribed it at 15 for menstrual complications, realizing in hindsight that it merely suppressed my cycle without addressing the underlying issues. It’s frustrating. Now, I take pride in monitoring my menstrual cycle. Thanks to the fertility app and my knowledge, I comprehend my body’s monthly rhythms. I no longer feel in conflict with my body.”

She and her partner weathered hardships over the past 15 months, enduring two early miscarriages and a medically necessitated termination. Nevertheless, the app provided solace. “The NHS advocates regular unprotected intercourse every few days, which can feel burdensome after 18 months of trying,” she reflected. “Moreover, observing my data recovery in the app imbues me with a sense of agency in healing after loss.”

Olivia, 30, from Leeds, discovered she had PCOS and was advised to shed weight prior to initiating pill-based treatment. Disenchanted with the contraceptive’s potential side effects, Olivia sought alternative birth control methods. She felt her doctor’s response lacked empathy and seemed scripted when discussing contraceptive options, prompting her to explore a different path.

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“I’ve been tracking my periods for over a decade. The familiarity with my condition proved invaluable after the PCOS diagnosis,” Olivia explained. “It enabled me to anticipate and interpret my body’s signals effectively. And now, I’m expecting my first child.”

Hannah, 50, from Aberystwyth. regarded the fertility tracking app as “liberating” post decades of employing condoms and copper coils for contraception with her three children.

“I refrained from hormonal contraceptives like the pill throughout, deeming them unnatural,” she shared. “Thanks to the app, I now engage in intercourse confidently during specified times each month without harboring anxieties about mishaps.”

*Name has been altered

Source: www.theguardian.com