Women aged over 35 are sometimes offered genetic testing of their IVF embryos to rule out abnormalities. But it’s expensive and doesn’t increase their chance of a baby. In fact, it could reduce it.
Should Australia allow the creation of babies with DNA from more than two people? This reproductive technology could prevent babies being born with mitochondrial disease, so the simple answer is yes.
Miscarriages are more common than many people realise and can be devastating. Here’s what we know about why they happen, what we can do to treat the causes, and what we could do better.
The story of how human eggs became an integral part of a multi-billion dollar global fertility industry starts in a unlikely place: the sex lives of farm animals.
Avalanche: A Love Story, is a play based on the author’s memoir detailing the anguish of her six unsuccessful attempts at IVF. It depicts doctors who prey upon an ageing woman’s despair and the stigma attached to ‘failed’ mothers.
Don’t get too excited about the prospect of freezing ovarian tissue to postpone menopause. The costs, risks and unknowns are likely to outweigh the potential benefits.
The High Court has decided that a man who donated sperm to a friend is considered a legal parent – a ruling that could have a chilling effect on similar artificial insemination arrangements.
Hannah Brown, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute
It can be difficult to understand all the ‘add-on’ procedures available with IVF. A new study finds one popular fertility technology, ICSI, is being offered to couples it might not be suitable for.
Children with cancer not only endure chemotherapy or radiation treatment but they may also face infertility in adulthood. Now a new procedure, just proven in monkeys, may be close to use in humans.
Hannah Brown, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute and Louise Hull, University of Adelaide
If you’re one of the one in six Australian couples experiencing infertility, you’ve probably thought about IVF. Here’s a step by step breakdown of how it all works.
Who is a child’s legal parent? The question is at the heart of a case due before the High Court this year. It may have implications for children born via IVF or surrogacy, and the people who raise them.
To announce the world’s first gene-edited babies, scientist He Jiankui did what movie directors do: release a trailer on YouTube. The video is a positive spin on unauthorized gene editing.
Professor - Emerging Technologies (Stem Cells) at The University of Melbourne and Group Leader - Stem Cell Ethics & Policy at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, The University of Melbourne
Visiting Professor in Biomedical Ethics, Murdoch Children's Research Institute; Distinguished Visiting Professor in Law, University of Melbourne; Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics, University of Oxford