in vitro fertilization

Alabama Legislature moves to protect IVF services after state court ruling

4:59pm February 29, 2024

by The Associated Press

Alabama lawmakers rushed to protect in vitro fertilization services after fertility clinics shut down in the wake of a ruling that frozen embryos are children under the state wrongful death law.

Conception's chief scientific officer, Pablo Hurtado, examines very early primordial germ cells under a microscope in a company lab in Berkeley, California.

Startup aims to make lab-grown human eggs, transforming options for creating families

6:01am July 15, 2023

by Rob Stein

New companies are working to commercialize in vitro gametogenesis, or IVG, a technology that could make human eggs and sperm in the lab from any cell in the body.

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Even when IVF is covered by insurance, high bills, surprises and hassles abound

5:00am May 04, 2022

by Phil Galewitz

Only 15 states require insurance to cover in vitro fertilization, a pricey path to parenthood. But expensive procedures and drugs can lead to unexpected bills even for the fortunate who are insured.

When Heather Woock was conceived, her mom sought the help of a fertility specialist. What happened next was not what she was led to believe. But it took three decades for it to come to light.

Health & Safety

Her Own Birth Was 'Fertility Fraud' And Now She Needs Fertility Treatment

6:15am January 20, 2020

Years ago, doctors sometimes lied about whose sperm they used for artificial inseminations. Could it happen now? Some argue regulation is weak in the multibillion dollar fertility treatment industry.

A light micrograph of a primitive human embryo, composed of four cells, following the initial mitotic divisions that ultimately transform a single-cell organism into one composed of millions of cells.

Embryo Research To Reduce Need For In Vitro Fertilization Raises Ethical Concerns

9:10pm January 15, 2020

by Rob Stein

Aiming to find a cheaper, easier way than IVF to ensure human embryos are healthy before implantation, researchers paid women to be inseminated, then flushed the embryos from their wombs for analysis.

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Fertility treatments like in vitro fertilization led the twin birthrate to rise from the early '80s. Now the rate has started to decline among white women.

Health & Safety

Twin Birthrate Drops For First Time Since The '80s

11:28am October 03, 2019

by Emily Vaughn

The twin birthrate nearly doubled between 1980 and 2014. Now it's going down among white mothers. What's behind the change?

The creation of eggs from skin cells and genetic screening of embryos could transform in vitro fertilization for the masses.

Will Genetic Advances Make Sex Obsolete?

2:57pm June 16, 2016

by Aurora MacRae-Crerar

Before long, human embryos will be made so easily in the laboratory that many people will choose that route for having children. The option would offer genetic control at an ethical price.

Cleveland Clinic surgeons in February transplanted a uterus from a deceased donor into 26-year-old Lindsey McFarland, who was born without one. Though the experimental surgery was initially thought successful, a raging infection forced removal of the orga

Health & Safety

A Transplanted Uterus Offers Hope, But Procedure Stirs Debate

7:34pm June 01, 2016

by Rob Stein

At least one U.S. hospital is attempting uterine transplants for women born without a uterus, or who've lost it to disease. The surgery has yielded births in other nations, but poses real risks, too.

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Frozen sperm straws and embryos are stored in liquid nitrogen, in a process known as cryopreservation. One question confronting the courts: Should embryos such as these be treated as property, or as children subject to custody action?

After A Divorce, What Happens To A Couple's Frozen Embryos?

5:23pm August 25, 2015

by Jennifer Ludden

Former spouses who disagree over whether their embryos can be destroyed have taken their case to court. In the process, one thing has become clear: how far the law lags behind reproductive technology.

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Stefano Gabbana (left) and Domenico Dolce, seen here during the recent Milan Fashion Week, are being criticized for remarks about same-sex families, sparking a boycott led by musician Elton John.

Elton John Leads Boycott Against Dolce & Gabbana Over 'Synthetic Children' Remarks

1:43am March 17, 2015

by Bill Chappell

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana are locked in a public argument with Elton John over their recent remarks condemning in vitro fertilization and saying same-sex couples shouldn't raise children.