Adolescents conceived with IVF psychosocially similar to those born naturally

Adolescents conceived through IVF show similar psychosocial development to adolescents conceived naturally and have comparable relationships with their parents, researchers report.

Hilde Colpin and G. Bossaert from the University of Leuven in Belgium previously compared psychosocial development at age 2 years in children born naturally and those born using IVF.

Most previous studies of this kind have found no statistically significant differences between children conceived through IVF and those conceived naturally, but these focused on young children, mostly less than 5 years of age.

For the current report, Colpin and Bossaert studied 24 of the families involved in the original research, each of which had a child conceived through IVF now aged 15 or 16 years.

The investigators assessed psychosocial development in these families and in 21 control families with children born through natural means.

The results of this assessment show that parents who used IVF to conceive and their children are not significantly different to families who did not use IVF in terms of parenting style, parenting-related stress, and behavioural problems in the child.

Behavioral problems also occurred at a similar frequency in children who knew they were conceived using IVF and those who did not, the team reports.

"As far as we know, this is the first psychosocial study following up IVF families into children's mid-adolescence and the first to investigate adjustment level by disclosure status in this age group," conclude the investigators.

Implants or Indians?

Selby quadruplets turn 5

Everyone in the seven-member Selby family gets to claim a day of the week. Having a "special day" means each girl -- quadruplets turning 5 today and 7-year-old big sister Brooke -- can pick breakfast, choose a movie and generally have a say in daily decisions. It's one way Brian and Bonnie Selby balance the competing needs in a family where "everything we do is five times over."

The river of laundry, diapers and formula unleashed by the quads after they were born six weeks premature on Aug. 25 in 2003 is a distant memory. Car seats and strollers also are gone, making it much simpler to get out.The biggest challenges now are tracking all the activities, from part-time preschool to ballet to swimming lessons, and tailoring parenting to the girls' evolving personalities.

"They're individuals," said Bonnie, 41. "They don't like to do the same things."

Sydney -- a tall brunette in contrast to her shorter, blond sisters -- is introverted and passionate. Amanda is a "sweet teddy bear" who loves to cuddle.

McKenna and Ryleigh looked enough alike that their parents finally decided on a DNA test to determine whether they're fraternal or identical. Turns out, they're identical.

Along with looks, the two share some personality traits. They're outgoing, strong-willed and free-spirited. But while Ryleigh is the princess, McKenna is more sporty.

The "quad squad" still shares a room, recently switching from toddler bed to bunk beds. To keep things fair, they switch every couple of months so each girl gets time in a coveted top spot.

The four girls also share a middle name -- Faith -- after Baby Faith, a fifth sister who died during the second trimester of Bonnie's pregnancy, the result of an exceptionally fruitful in-vitro fertilization.

Though multiple births are on the rise, quadruplets remain rare.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention there were 434 quadruplet births recorded in the United States in 2002, compared to 69 quintuplet births. There were 4 million U.S. births that year.

Mornings at the Selby house are a mad rush to get everyone fed and dressed and Brooke to nearby Superior Elementary, where she's in second grade. At night, even with "assembly line" showers, it takes an hour to get all the girls washed, dried, dressed in pajamas and hair detangled.

And, five years after their birth, the quads' baby books aren't done.

"I still haven't really started," Bonnie said. "The intentions are good, but the time isn't there."

Big sister Brooke is generally "gracious" about sharing her world with four younger sisters. To give her personal attention, she gets to go on "date nights" with dad, a 46-year-old corporate controller for a biotech firm.

Bonnie keeps their Rock Creek home ruthlessly organized.

A new mud room -- previously the laundry room -- keeps a multitude of shoes and coats out of the way. Plastic bins keep art supplies and toys contained. A drawer in the kitchen holds hair brushes and ties.

The basement was transformed into a fantasy playroom with the help of friends.

Walls are washed in pastel hues. A friend painted a tree on one wall, while Bonnie added hand-painted letters that spell out words like "dream" and "laugh." There's a "schoolroom," a homemade wood "stage" and a playhouse donated by a neighbor.

The Selbys said they've been blessed with both material donations and donated time.

A friend with older twin girls regularly leaves clothes on the doorstep. A stalwart volunteer from Rock Creek Church has continued her weekly visits since the girls were born, coming each Wednesday to make peanut butter sandwiches. Bonnie's mother, Minnie Byrd of Denver, remains their No. 1 helper.

The girls celebrated turning 5 with a weekend party at Chuck E. Cheese. They donned princess outfits, played games and indulged in the rare treat of soda.

Turning 5, McKenna said, is "to be older and do more fun stuff."

The family took their first real vacation, a weeklong trip to a ranch near Gunnison in June, since the quads were born. But their favorite activity of summer, hands-down, was a trip to Denver's Elitch Gardens amusement park. Coming in a close second was learning to ride two-wheel bikes and learning to swim.

Noted Ryleigh, "I'm learning to blow bubbles out my nose."

Asked what it's like to be a set of four, the girls are stumped. After all, they've never known another way.

Five years into living as a family of seven, their parents can't imagine a different reality, either.

"This is my life," Bonnie said. "You either fight it or learn to love it. I love it."

Septuplet joy for Egyptian couple

An Egyptian woman has given birth to seven babies in the northern city of Alexandria, doctors said. The mother, named as 27-year-old Ghazala Khamis, is said to be well and the septuplets - four boys and three girls - are reported to be stable. The babies are said to weigh between 1.45 and 2.8kg (3-6lb); the couple already have three girls.
They sought fertility treatment hoping to have a boy, and were said to be astonished at the multiple pregnancy. Since the introduction of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment 30 years ago, the number of multiple births has increased dramatically.
Health experts say septuplets are very rare, and it is even less common for all to survive. The seven were delivered by Caesarean section a month early, and all have been placed in incubators designed for premature babies. The woman's brother said that the Egyptian health minister had promised free milk and nappies for the babies for two years, to help the family cope.

Heated seats may be frying your sperm

Scientists from the University of Giessen in Germany, reporting in the New Scientist, have warned that heated car seats could damage sperm production.The optimal temperature for healthy sperm production is between 35 and 36 degrees centigrade , which is 1 to 2 degrees centigrade lower than core body temperature. However, having tested the effects of heated car seats on 30 healthy men, scientists found that the average scrotal temperature was 37.3 degrees centigrade . This was enough of an increase to damage sperm production, according to Andreas Jung, leader of the study.

The study involved 30 healthy volunteers, who sat on heated car seats for 90 minutes while fitted with temperature sensors. An hour into the trial, the average scrotal temperature of the men sitting on the heated car seats was 37.3 degrees centigrade, with one man reaching a high of 39.7 degrees centigrade . In contrast, the average scrotal temperature of volunteers sitting on non-heated car seats was 36.7 degrees centigrade . If the scrotum is subject to higher than optimal temperatures, effects
also attributed to laptop use and keeping a mobile phone in a trouser pocket, the body's ability to keep the testes cool is compromised and sperm are able to swim less far. This has a negative impact on men's fertility, with studies also suggesting that the partners of men who drive for over three hours a day take longer to conceive. Tight-fitting underpants have also been found to reduce sperm counts, as compared to men wearing loose-fitting underpants, a Dutch study has found.

Perfumed 'risk' to future fertility

A principal investigator for the Human Reproductive Sciences Unit of theUK's Medical Research Council (MRC) has revealed that using certain cosmetics during the early stages of pregnancy could affect fertility in males in later life. Professor Richard Sharpe undertook research on rats, which showed that after exposure to certain chemicals commonly found in cosmetics such as perfume and household fabrics, the actions of male sex hormones were blocked and the animals suffered fertility problems.

Professor Sharpe and his Edinburgh-based team believe that there is a crucial window between eight and 12 weeks of pregnancy when the male reproductive system is established and male sex hormones are activated. It is at this time that if exposed to chemicals in cosmetics, the male fetus 'may not realise its full reproductive potential, including the size of the
penis and testes, undescended testes or sperm count', he said. Professor Sharpe told the Scotland on Sunday newspaper that the 'male programming' window occurs far earlier in fetal development than previously thought, and it is at this time that male sex hormones such as testosterone are most active.

Speaking to BBC Scotland's news website, he said: 'If you are planning to become pregnant you should change your lifestyle... We would recommend you avoid exposure to chemicals that are present in cosmetics, anything that you put on your body that might then get through your body into your developing baby'. He added: 'It is not because we have evidence that these chemicals categorically cause harm to babies, it is only based on experimental studies on animals that suggest it is a possibility'.

Disorders of the male reproductive function can affect up to one in six young males with low sperm counts being the most common dysfunction. Professor Sharpe said that the chemicals he is concerned about may also increase the risk of suffering testicular cancer in later life.

Pregnant Blonde

The other day my neighbor, who is blonde, came running up to me in the driveway jumping for joy! I didn't know why she was jumping so excitedly but I thought, "what the heck", and I starting jumping up and down along with her.

She said, "I have some really great news....

I said, "Great. Tell me why you're so happy."

She stopped jumping and breathing heavily from all the jumping up and down, told me that she was pregnant. I knew she'd been trying for a while so I told her, "That's great I couldn't be happier for you!"

Then she said, "There's more" I asked, What do you mean there's more.

She said, "Well, we are not having just one baby. We are going to have TWINS!"

Amazed at how she could know so soon after
getting pregnant, I asked her how she knew.
She said....

(You're going to love this!)

"Well, that was the easy part. I went to Wal-Mart and they actually had a home pregnancy kit in a TWIN-pack. Both tests came out positive!"