Aurora magazine

It is thought that high fever in the first trimester of pregnancy may cause serious birth defects in the child. Dr. Sass's team checked this link, focusing on the cases of Danish mothers and children.

Fever is a typical reaction of the body to ongoing infections. The organism increases the temperature in order to eliminate invading bacteria. However, it can also cause the destruction of some cell membranes and damage the placenta in a more or less serious way. In some cases this causes congenital malformations to arise in the child.

The Danish research team studied data from 77,344 pregnant women, some of whom were affected by fever during pregnancy. They focused in particular on the episodes occurred in the first quarter. They then examined whether there were cases of malformations in the first three and a half years of a child's life.

Scientists detected a total of 8,321 women affected by fever in the first trimester and 876 children with malformations. According to the study, however, there would be no certain link between fever and malformations. It is true that the fever in the first trimester would have been associated with a higher rate of malformations on the face and neck. However, it would also be associated with a lower risk of malformations of the nervous system, urinary tract and respiratory system.

Fever in pregnancy does not seem to be related to major malformations. On the other hand, it is possible that the most serious malformations are not found in the data, since they were concluded with a spontaneous abortion.

Source: medicalnewsbulletin.com

Evelyn Telfer has been studying the machine of human reproduction for over 30 years and has achieved an unprecedented result. Together with her team she was able to isolate oocytes from fresh ovarian tissue to grow them in the laboratory in different substrates, reaching the right degree of maturation to be ready for fertilization, thus giving a great chance of pregnancy even to women who recover from a tumor.
The results of this extraordinary study were published in "Molecular Human Reproduction".

This discovery is a new step in the study to preserve the fertility of women with cancer, who face a chemotherapy that can damage the ovaries. To date, before treatment, patients can undergo an egg retrieval, which are then frozen and used after healing, with assisted reproduction techniques (PMA). The alternative, even if still considered experimental, is to take a piece of ovarian tissue. In order to re-implant it, however, as Eleonora Porcu, head of the Center for Infertility and Medically Assisted Procreation of the S. Orsola-Maalpighi Polyclinic Hospital in Bologna, has underlined, further invasive surgery is required. In addition, the ovary does not always start functioning again and you could also have the risk, by replanting the tissue, to reintroduce the cancer, if cancer cells were present. By taking the oocytes to grow in vain, however, the risk of cancer drops dramatically.

This is a great achievement, since before this moment no one had ever succeeded in obtaining mature oocytes from a human being in the laboratory (only from mice and sheep).

Eleonora Porcu added that this is a big step forward, but to which many questions shared by the researchers are still associated.
The ovarian tissue used was fresh. But what happens if you freeze as you usually do? Furthermore, the percentage of oocytes reaching the fertilization stage is very low and there are several anomalies. The authors of the study wrote that they have noticed in some oocytes a large polar cell, which indicates an anomaly. Oocytes of the genus, usually, in the Pma are discarded, as they can transmit these possible anomalies to the embryo.

The study, therefore, is still experimental and for this Eleonora Porcu is keen to not give too many false hopes, despite the great progress made at the time. It is about giving some more possibilities to patients who have recovered from a tumor, but it is not yet at the points to solve the problems of infertility.

Lorenzo D'Avack, bioethicist and vicar president of the National Bioethics Committee, interviewed by ANSA, defines this discovery, if it is aimed at human procreation, condemnable and scientifically dangerous. Furthermore, it considers unacceptable the possible use of oocytes developed in the laboratory for the purpose of treating diseases.

Cristina Eguizabal Argaiz, on behalf of the Esre (European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology) explained on Repubblica that it is a very interesting discovery but invites caution, as a fabric of young women has been used (30 years) and not older women or with infertility problems, so you can not know at the moment if it can be effective even in these cases. It is necessary to continue with new studies to demonstrate the functionality of the oocytes.

Source:
repubblica.it

According to a study published in the journal Human Reproduction, those who follow the Mediterranean diet have more chances of success with IVF. The researchers analyzed the diet of a group of women who were about to undergo in vitro fertilization. They found that those who ate vegetables, legumes and fish had 65-68% more chance of becoming pregnant.

The study focused more on diet as a whole than on the consumption of individual nutrients. Scholars examined the diet of 244 Greek women in the last 6 months by means of a questionnaire. All women were between 22 and 41 years old, were healthy and had a body mass index below 30. The researchers evaluated the degree of "Mediterraneanity" of the diets, giving a score from 0 to 55.

The team of Professor Nikos Yiannakouris divided the women into 3 groups, based on the degree of Mediterraneanness of their diet. The first group included women who did not follow a Mediterranean diet. The second group included those who followed a not entirely Mediterranean diet. The third group included women who followed a Mediterranean diet.

The 86 women who followed a Mediterranean diet had a pregnancy rate of 50%, against 29% of the other groups. This means that a healthy diet like the Mediterranean one significantly increases the chances of success of IVF, especially under 35 years. Moreover, even if the study focused on women, the Mediterranean diet is also decisive for the quality of the seed.

Source: eshre.eu

Drinking probiotic milk in pregnancy could reduce the risk of complications. This is suggested by a Norwegian study based on data from over 70,000 women. According to the study, this type of milk would help reduce inflammation, the risk of pre-eclampsia and premature delivery.

A team of Norwegian researchers examined responses to a survey about lifestyle in pregnancy. Among the questions there was also one concerning the consumption of probiotic milk before pregnancy and during. Probiotic milk is a milk enriched with good bacteria, such as Kefir milk. It is a very common food in northern countries and very consumed.

About 23% of women said they had consumed probiotic milk before pregnancy. 38% said they consumed it early in the pregnancy and 32% in the last. Average consumption was around 1.5 cups a day.

Women who consumed probiotic milk in the last stages of gestation had a 20% lower risk of preeclampsia. Consumption seems to have also benefited from the pressure and protein level in the urine, often too high towards the end of pregnancy. These women also had 21% less premature births.

An explanation could lie in the anti-inflammatory properties of probiotic milk. In fact, various complications in pregnancy are caused by inflammation. It is true, however, that the study does not prove a cause and effect relationship between this type of milk and reduction of complications. Show at most a correlation relationship between the two factors.

Source: livescience.com