reproduction

The mother of recently separated conjoined Bangladeshi twins does not want custody of the daughters she gave up for adoption and wants them to have new lives in Australia, newspapers reported Saturday. The twins, who turn 3 next months old, had been joined at the top of their heads and shared brain tissue and blood vessels. They were separated Tuesday after 25 hours of delicate surgery in a Melbourne hospital and then underwent an additional six hours of reconstructive work.

I think she'd like to do that, but that's something we can't make a decision on at the moment   -Margaret Smith

 

I'm 48 and a half. I have started missing my period once or twice a year now. Last month I did miss my period with no other symptoms, and this month I have had three days of brown spotting one week before my period was due and I still have no period and its 10 days late.  

Some of the antibiotics used to treat urinary tract infections during pregnancy may increase the risk of several birth defects if a woman uses them early in pregnancy, a new study in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine shows. Researchers found an increased risk for two classes of antibiotics: sulfonamide (example: Bactrim) and nitrofurantoins (example: Macrobid). But the antibiotics pregnant women are most likely to be prescribed, the penicillins and erythromycins, appeared to be safe.

It's important to realize that in every pregnancy, regardless of any medication use, there's a 3 percent chance of a birth defect   -Krista S Crider

 

Noninvasive screening for Down syndrome (as well as the other major fetal genetic or chromosomal abnormalities in the developing baby) involves a specific early ultrasound and series of tests for biochemicals in the mother's blood at particular times during pregnancy. Depending on the institution and clinic, tests are done during the first and/or second trimesters of pregnancy. Optimally, noninvasive screening also includes that a preliminary ultrasound to detect nuchal translucency takes place late in th  

While the nature of embryos remains a source of political controversy, some patients seek resolution to their dilemma in a way that suggests they see embryos neither as life nor as not-life. Lyerly's 2007 survey discovered that patients were eager for a disposal ceremony, something akin to a funeral for their thawed cells. The survey also indicated significant interest in what Resolve has begun to call "compassionate transfer" -- embryo transfer procedures that would not result in pregnancy.

It’s sort of saying, ‘Oh, if it’s God’s will, it will happen,’   -Joseph Hill

 

Scientists have known for years of a process that occurs in men's sperm to put the tiny gametes "in the mood." New research has begun to reveal exactly how this happens -- a discovery that could lead to new treatments for infertility or even to a male contraceptive. Before it can fertilize an egg inside a woman's body, the sperm goes through a transformation that prepares it for the task ahead: The membrane of the sperm softens and the whipping action of its tail speeds up, allowing it to more easily pe

There is not a really good male contraceptive that is reversible   -Mark D Platt

 

Early registration has begun for the next Upper Cumberland Women's Conference. The event will be held Jan. 23 at Avery Trace Middle School from 8:30 - 4:30. Admission for the conference is $25 including lunch if you register between now and Nov. 30, after that the price will be $35.  

A Ugandan woman has given birth at the age of 54, ten years after reaching menopause. The woman, a university lecturer, delivered a baby boy at the Women's Hospital International and Fertility Centre in Kampala on Thursday last week. The baby boy, fondly known as Baby Precious, follows a 15-year-old girl.  

Honestly, I really couldn't wait to get my surgery. For the most part I was really excited. But, I did have some anxiety over it too.