General

STDs on the Rise and May Lead to More Infertility

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is reporting a rise in sexually transmitted infections across the United States. For the fifth year in a row, there is a rise in gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis cases across the country.

“Combined they total 2.4 million infections that were diagnosed and reported just in the last year alone,” said Elizabeth Torrone, an …

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Men and Women Should Consider Avoiding Alcohol Prior to Conception

A new study, published in the journal European Journal of Preventative Cardiology, showed a link between prospective parents’ drinking prior to conceiving and congenital heart defects in babies.

The study was a meta-analysis that reviewed existing studies on the topic.  When putting the data from those studies together, this one found that fathers who drank alcohol during the three …

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Smoking During Pregnancy May Harm Daughter’s Future Fertility

A new study, presented at the 58th Annual European Society for Pediatric Endocrinology Meeting, shows that baby girls born to women who smoked during pregnancy exhibit signs of increased testosterone exposure, which might affect their future reproductive function.

Cigarette smoking during pregnancy has already be linked to multiple adverse outcomes, including premature birth. The toxins found in cigarettes are also …

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Conceiving After Failed IVF

A new study, published in the journal Human Reproduction, found that one in six women who had failed in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment were able to conceive on their own.

The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Aberdeen.  They studied data from 2,133 women who underwent IVF treatment between 1998 and 2011 at a fertility clinic …

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Don’t Rely on Fertility Apps

Millions of women use fertility apps to predict timing of ovulation, but unfortunately, most apps do not reliably predict the fertile window.

A review of 73 fertility apps, published in Current Medical Research and Opinion, in May 2018 found that even the best app only had 21 percent accuracy in predicting a woman’s day of ovulation.  Another study presented …

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More Companies Expanding Fertility Benefits to LGBTQ Employees

As pride month comes to an end, it’s nice to hear that more companies are expanding fertility benefits to their LGBTQ employees.  These changes help LGBTQ employees access reproductive benefits that were previously only tailored to straight couples.

In the past, many companies and insurance providers limited access to fertility benefits to those employees that met a strict definition of …

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