Aurora magazine

A new Danish study has denied the link between fertility and divorce rates. The researchers analyzed the data of 10,000 pairs who underwent assisted fertilization. Despite the stress caused by the practices, couples have come out stronger rather than weakened.

It all begins with a study by the Danish Cancer Society Research Center in Copenhagen, published in 2014. According to researchers, stress caused by assisted fertilization would increase the risk of divorce. The old study confirmed a widespread belief, but lacked concrete evidence. The new study, however, has denied what was said earlier.

Dr. Mariana Martins is a researcher at the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Porto. His team conducted a study on 42,845 Danish women who underwent assisted fertilization between 1994 and 2009. The researchers followed the sentimental status of women for a period of 16 years, comparing them with that of a control group.

65% of women had children with their partner, and 20% divorced. The percentages are comparable to those in the control group. This means that undergoing IVF does not increase chances of divorce. Previous studies linked high levels of IVF stress with the risk of divorce. In fact, much depends on the outcome of the procedures.

According to the researchers, the highest risk factor is the failure of fertilization treatments. Couples who can not have children despite efforts are much more vulnerable. On the other hand, tackling the difficulties together joins many couples instead of destroying them.

Source: medicalnewstoday.com

Cambridge University researchers have identified genes responsible for physical strength. The study analyzed the data of more than 140,000 British individuals, combined with those of 50,000 Dutch, Danish and Australians.

Dan Wright, the lead author of the study, studied the strength of the hold of nearly 200,000 individuals. The number of participants helped has understood the mechanisms behind a powerful handshake. He and his team have found 16 genetic variants commonly associated with muscle strength.

Scientists suspected that muscle strength was also the result of genes but lacked evidence. Now there are and many of the identified variants are placed in fundamental genes for muscle functions. Some of the genes in question determine the structure and behavior of muscle fibers. Others are essential for communication between the nervous system and muscle cells.

Discovery is also important for medical research. Some mutations are associated with severe monogenetic syndromes, caused by individual genetic abnormalities. This shows that variations in these genes can cause pathologies and affect the level of physical force. Discovery could therefore help study new treatments against excessive muscular weakness.

Beyond the muscular force, the strength of a handshake could also indicate the general state of health of the individual. It was thought to be associated with the risk of early mortality, cardiovascular disease, and fractures. Before the study, however, it was unclear how all these factors were bound together. Actually, according to Cambridge scholars, a force majeure lowers the risk of illness, but a smaller force does not raise it in any way.

Source: cam.ac.uk

There are several known cases of seemingly sterile women, who are, however, pregnant after adopting. It is difficult to carry out a rigorous study on this subject, yet almost all doctors of fertility can tell such stories. How is the phenomenon explained?

According to a British study of 2016, there are 29% chance of conceiving naturally within 6 years of the end of assisted fertilization procedures. The study tracks the footsteps of another 2012 study, conducted over 2,100 couples. Couples had undergone treatment for about 10 years before. Among those who did not conceive through the procedure, 24% had a child of course. Of those who had conceived, 17% had had another child without assistance.

There is no updated data on the link between adoption and conception, yet the phenomenon seems all but a myth. The explanation is very simple: many couples are not really infertile. In some cases, age and anxiety make it more difficult to conceive naturally. In others it is just impatience and because IVF is much more accessible, couples are more likely to recruit you. In fact, infertility is said after the first years of failed attempts to conceive. Nevertheless, the most anxious couples do not expect.

Significant factor is reduced fertility, something very different from infertility. In these cases couples put us more than average to conceive, but they can do it without any problems. Fertility treatments cycles accelerate timing and is enough. Once the first child is born or adopted, you can work the second with a lot more calm and stress.

Source: health.com

HIV positive pregnant women take drugs called Integra inhibitors. According to a study by Aleha Aziz of the Montefiore Medical Center, inhibitors decrease fetal DNA levels in maternal blood. This makes it more difficult to carry out non-invasive prenatal screening tests.

The researchers analyzed the blood of 20 patients who took inhibitors during pregnancy. They compared it to 40 patients who did not take them. Women were all in the early stages of pregnancy, between 30 and 31, coming from different ethnic groups.

Women in the first group have shown to have far fewer cells in the fetus in circulation. The phenomenon was particularly marked among those who were taking medication during the first prenatal visit. The difference between HIV-positive women and HIV-negative women was, however, not significant.
According to the authors, the phenomenon could also derive from the immune conditions of the patients. Patients as less circulating material were those with a lower viral load. Women who were not taking the drugs showed instead a higher viral load. This could have helped increase the fetal fraction and the genetic material circulating.

The study raises a problem that no one ever had: non-invasive prenatal screening tests work in combination with certain drugs? The authors have shown that some analyzes may be less effective for a whole range of people. It follows that physicians will have to change approach with certain subjects.

Source: medpagetoday.com