Aurora magazine

Guided by the University of Adelaide, ARC Center for Excellence for Nanoscale BioPhotonics researchers (CNBP) have improved embryo selection in IVF. The merit is a new image diagnostic technique, which will help establish the quality of embryos in the early stages. The technique could greatly increase the likelihood of successful in vitro fertilization cycles.

The researchers used a particular type of image, showing differences in metabolism and chemical composition of embryos. The technique allows for an objective measurement of the conditions of the various embryos. In this way scientists can only choose the healthiest for the implant in the uterus.
Hyperspectral images measure the light that cells produce during their normal activities. Depending on the chemical or metabolic reactions in progress, the light changes. By measuring light, therefore, information on the conditions of embryonic metabolism is obtained.

Usually IVF embryo selection is performed using a normal microscope. This is often a subjective process, which tends to distinguish embryos with more success. The new technique, on the other hand, provides an objective measurement to follow for evaluation.

For the time being, scientists have tested technology only on cat embryos, but the results are very promising. It allows to analyze embryos in a non-invasive way, giving measurable information in real time. Nevertheless, they will still have to go several years before finding it in fertility clinics.

Source: medicalxpress.com

Taking too much weight in the first trimester of pregnancy increases the risk of childhood obesity in the baby. The study led by Dr. Leanne M. Redman analyzed the effects of maternal weight on the baby's weight. He was not the first to do so, but it is so far the largest and most important one.

The researchers examined 16,218 Chinese puppets throughout pregnancy. They have thus discovered that gaining too much weight in the first 24 weeks has a strong impact on the baby. Even in cases where the mother has lost weight in the following weeks, the effects were still apparent. The children in the mothers in question had 2.5 times more chance of being born than the average.

Maternal obesity and overweight in pregnancy have often been linked to problems in fetal development. Children born from overweight mothers are older at birth and more at risk of childhood obesity. It is therefore important for gynecologists to give patients more attention to their pregnancy weight.
The first trimester of pregnancy has a strong impact on the baby's future. It is in this phase that any long-term risks to health develop. It is therefore important that those planning a pregnancy also pay attention to diet and fat levels.

Source: obesity.org

The Welsh government plans to introduce non-invasive prenatal screening from 2018. The decision comes after a similar provision by the English Government. Minister of Public Health Rebecca Evans assures that all future mothers will receive the information they need.

For the time being, the prenatal screening test will be applicable to Down syndrome only. It will help locate any traces of chromosomal anomalies, but especially to reduce the risk of abortion. Traditional tests, in fact, are effective but also invasive. In the amniocentesis a needle is used to extract amniotic fluid, sometimes risky operation. Non-existent risk with non-invasive screening texts, which use a sample of maternal blood.

New tests will be offered to future Welsh mothers who are more likely to give birth to a sick child. If the non-invasive test is to be positive, only then it will be advisable for them to undergo amnesia. This will also reduce the risk of false positives, with further benefits for screening accuracy.

Julian Hallett, of the Down Syndrome Association in Wales, claims that health professionals will need to be formed. They will have to enable women to evaluate the test results so that they can make the best decision for them.

Source: bbc site

Yale's researchers compared the physical response of some women in IVF treatment. They asked the participants to report the reasons why they were undergoing hormone cycles. There is thus a correlation between the reasons for IVF and body response.

The researchers followed 50 women in preparation for in vitro fertilization and 62 egg donors. They asked them to describe the experience and the level of fatigue that he was doing. The pharmacological treatment was the same for all, yet donors have lived it less intense. This means that women's motives influence how it will react to the hormone cycle.

To make the analyzes more accurate, the researchers went beyond measuring only physical pain. Instead, they applied a special statistical method to take into account stress and cognitive deficits as well. They have thus proven that different emotions and expectations lead to different levels of physical fatigue.

A woman who is investing health and money in looking for a child will react differently to those who are giving their own eggs. Women who sell their gametes - legal practice in the United States - will in any case receive the desired reward. This is not said in the case of who is looking for a son. For the same reason, the analyzes revealed differences between those who were undergoing IVF cycle and those who were already in the second.

Source: yale.edu