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Your weekly dose of evidence
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Couples having trouble conceiving a baby are offered a range of procedures and treatments. Making sense of which of these might work can be difficult – especially when science doesn’t have all the answers.
Intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), which involves injecting a single sperm into an egg, is a technology used commonly in IVF clinics. Although it’s designed for couples where the fertility issue lies with the man, it’s being used more widely. But one study has just found where infertility is related to the woman, or the cause is not known, ICSI may not work.
Vulnerable couples will often spend thousands of dollars on extra procedures they believe might improve their chances of conceiving. As Hannah Brown writes, we need to ensure whatever they’re being offered is grounded in the strongest possible scientific evidence.
And this week, we’ve seen a landmark result in the High Court, where a sperm donor has been ruled a legal parent of the child who resulted. But as Hannah Robert and Fiona Kelly write, this creates uncertainty for other women who have conceived with known donors, and their children. The court provides little guidance about what level of involvement is necessary to transform a donor into a parent.
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Phoebe Roth
Assistant Editor, Health+Medicine
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Almost 65% of couples in Australia and New Zealand are using ICSI as part of their IVF treatment.
From shutterstock.com
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.
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Who’s your daddy? This latest court case doesn’t provide any certainty for donors, women and their children.
Halfpoint/Shutterstock
Hannah Robert, La Trobe University; Fiona Kelly, La Trobe University
When can a donor be a legal parent? The latest High Court ruling doesn't make it clear how much involvement a donor needs to have to be a legal parent.
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From the archives: IVF and donor conception
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The highest IVF success rates are reported in women under 30 who have an around a 26% chance of having a baby.
Philippe Put/Flickr
Damian Adams, Flinders University; Deborah Dempsey, Swinburne University of Technology; Fiona Kelly, La Trobe University; Loretta Houlahan, Monash University; Roger Cook, Swinburne University of Technology
Thanks to IVF and donor conception, infertile couples, single women and lesbian couples now have a better chance of starting families. But while common, it's rarely openly discussed.
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Age is the biggest predictor of IVF success, but not all clinics are equal.
Brooke Cagle
Hannah Brown, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute; 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.
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Women’s ability to conceive and give birth to healthy babies starts to decline before the age of 30.
Image from shutterstock.com
Kathy Sanders, University of Western Australia
It’s said that “40 is the new 30” and “50 is the new 40”. But, when it comes to female fertility, 40 is still 40, and the likelihood of successful pregnancy and childbirth has notably decreased from age…
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Claims by IVF clinics can be misleading making it difficult to interpret success rates.
Couple on computer/Shutterstock
Karin Hammarberg, Monash University
Our recent audit of success rates provided on the websites of IVF clinics’ in Australia and New Zealand identified some common traps in the way these figures are presented.
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Expert answers to serious, weird and wacky questions
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Alina Donea, Monash University
It's true that here on Earth, if you want to burn something you need oxygen. But the Sun is different. It is not burning with the same kind of flame you would have on Earth if you burned a candle.
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Marco Arkesteijn, Aberystwyth University
Being double jointed doesn't mean you have an extra joint – an expert in biomechanics explains what makes some people doubly bendy.
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Top picks from the week
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US singer Lady Gaga disclosed she lives with the chronic pain condition fibromyalgia, which affects about 2% of the population.
Adriana M. Barraza/WENN.com/AAP
Michael Musker, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute; Tiffany Gill, University of Adelaide
People with fibromyalgia live with chronic pain all over their body. And not all treatments work for everyone.
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Exercise is good for you, no matter what your weight.
Pressmaster/Shutterstock
Tim Olds, University of South Australia
Nike has recently displayed a plus-sized mannequin in its London store, triggering responses ranging from outrage to celebration. But there's no denying the health risks of obesity.
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The more comfortable women feel about breastfeeding in public, the better for both babies and society.
Maxim Krivonos/Shutterstock
Jenny Donovan, La Trobe University
Promoting the benefits of breastfeeding isn't enough when uncomfortable and uninviting public places deter mothers. Places that help them feel comfortable breastfeeding have several key features.
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Featured jobs
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RMIT University — Melbourne, Victoria
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Charles Sturt University — West Bathurst, New South Wales
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CSIRO — Alexandria, New South Wales
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Griffith University — South Brisbane, Queensland
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Featured events
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ICC Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia — International Society on Early Intervention in conjunction with Early Childhood Intervention Australia (ECIA)
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Law School Foyer, Sydney Law School, Eastern Avenue, University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, 2006, Australia — University of Sydney
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The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia — University of Sydney
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G06 Theatre, Ground Floor, Elisabeth Murdoch Building, Spencer Road, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia — University of Melbourne
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