Experts warn of rising infertility in developing countries

Infertility levels are rising faster in developing countries than in developed countries, warned experts speaking at the 'Updates in Infertility Treatment (UIT) 2010' conference in Seville, Spain, last week. The infertility treatment specialists called for assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) to be made accessible to those in the poorest parts of the world, where infertility has the greatest consequences. They proposed a low-cost IVF (in vitro fertilisation) programme that could be made available for only Rs 15,000 per couple, a fraction of the cost of treatment in the US and Western Europe.

Infertility affects a far greater proportion of couples in developing countries than in developed nations. Estimates suggest that infertility is over three times higher in some developing regions, often as a result of inadequate healthcare, unsafe abortions or untreated infections of the reproductive organs. In many of these countries, infertility treatment is almost non-existent. Professor Basil Tarlatzis, President of the International Federation of Fertility Society (IFFS) and a human reproduction expert at Aristotle University, Greece, commented that the poorest countries fall far short of the optimum target of 1500 cycles of IVF per million population per year. Most fail to reach even one per cent of the target.

The consequences of infertility are also greatest in developing countries, and this is especially true for women. Professor Tarlatzis commented that 'womanhood is defined by motherhood in some regions so infertile women can be seen as 'cursed' and are deprived of all social status'. Infertile women can also face domestic violence, separation or a polygamous marriage. So infertility treatment could prove particularly beneficial to women in the developing world.

Professor Tarlatzis suggested a two-pronged attack to manage infertility, focusing on 'prevention of avoidable infertility and making available assisted reproduction techniques'. The prevention of avoidable infertility will require many social changes including improved sexual education, treatment of sexually transmitted diseases and the introduction of safe birthing and abortion practices. Increasing the availability of ARTs will require the provision of inexpensive fertility treatment.

A Task Force from the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) is currently developing a framework for the provision of cheap infertility treatment in developing countries. Meanwhile the Low Cost IVF Foundation (LCIF) of Massanfo, Switzerland has funded three clinics located in the Sudan, Tanzania and South Africa to pilot their budget IVF treatment package. The LCIF has managed to cut the cost of IVF dramatically by using inexpensive equipment, simplifying procedures and customising services so that couples are given the minimum level of treatment for their specific condition.

Merck receives EU approval for new infertility drug

The European Commission has granted approval of ELONVA, a first-in-class drug manufactured by White House Station pharmaceutical company, Merck. ELONVA is used for controlled ovarian stimulation in women embarking on IVF (in vitro fertilisation) treatment for infertility. With this approval, Merck has marketing authorisation for the drug in all EU member states.

Approximately 15 per cent of couples are considered to be affected by infertility. This can be due to a number of causes such as blocked Fallopian tubes or sperm ducts. Several treatment options are now available which may enable the couple to have children, including IVF. In IVF, mature eggs are removed from 'follicles' in the female ovary and fertilised outside the body by the sperm. Viable embryos are then replaced in the uterus of the female after which pregnancy may result.

In order to increase the chances of a viable embryo being produced, multiple follicles are stimulated to mature at once in a process called superovulation. Typically the woman undergoes several injections of a hormone called 'follicle stimulating hormone' (FSH) on a daily basis. ELONVA has the same pharmacological properties to FSH, with the advantage that the stimulatory effects of ELONVA are maintained over an entire week post-injection; it is a first-in-class of sustained follicle stimulants (SFS). Consequently a single subcutaneous injection of the recommended dose of ELONVA may replace the first seven injections of any daily FSH preparation in a treatment cycle. After the first week of treatment, FSH is given on a daily basis until follicles are ready to be removed. In a trial of more than 1500 couples undergoing IVF, the pregnancy rates of those receiving ELONVA followed by FSH compared to women receiving only FSH were comparable.

'ELONVA will reduce the burden of injections for women experiencing difficulty conceiving, and the positive opinion is an important step toward a European approval,' said Mirjam Mol-Arts, senior vice president of Merck Research Laboratories, adding: 'ELONVA demonstrates Merck's commitment to providing effective patient-focused fertility treatments and extends the company's leadership in this therapy area'.

Britain's first iPhone baby due

The couple had tried for three years to conceive before they heard about the fertility app and downloaded it to her iPhone. The 30-year-old entered her body temperature daily and the app calculated when she would be most fertile.

A relative said: "She followed the advice and within two months she was expecting. We're all overjoyed." The mother-to-be does not want to be identified until after the baby has been born.

The relative said: "It's due any day. Every one's keeping their fingers crossed there are no complications. She's proud to say it will be an 'iPhone baby'. Without the app she might not have fallen pregnant."

Last week an iPhone application that claims to be able to tell parents what their baby's cries mean was launched.

The Cry Translator app, which costs INR 1600 is said by its designers to be 96 per cent accurate in interpreting cries of distress from babies.

The program uses the iPhone's microphone to receive the sound, analyzes it, and displays information about what it means on the screen.

Researchers led by Dr Antonio Portugal Ramírez, a Spanish paediatrician, developed the project after finding that babies' wails could be broken down into five separate categories.

They learned that all babies, regardless of the language they are exposed to at home, have the same distinctive cries to indicate whether they are hungry, annoyed, tired, stressed or bored.

Do It Yourself Binary

This film clip was really eye-opening and scary. I take 100+ flights a year & a regular flyer will s*^t bricks watching this!

Terminator 3

Field-Trip

The Town Devoured By Rock

Struck by a meteor? The 3,000-odd inhabitants of Setenil de las Bodegas, a city in Spain’s beautiful Andalucia region, seem to be stuck between a rock and a hard place. When they enter their houses, they see rock face; when they stroll through their city, they walk on rocks. Has the city been hit by a meteor and if not what caused its unusual construction?Setenil de las Bodegas, about 18 km away from Ronda in the province of Cadiz, has wedged itself between the cliffs eroded by the Rio Trejo river. The old houses especially are built under the cliff overhang and the newer ones against the hillside.
The name Setenil developed from the the Latin septem nihil – “seven times no” – which refers back to the period of the Christian reconquest, when Catholic kings tried to win back territory from the Moors, who had come from Africa and ruled the Iberian peninsula since 711. In Setenil’s case, only the seventh reconquest attempt was successful, in 1485, making the city one of the last bastions of the Moors until they were driven out of western Europe in 1492.
Regarding the second part of the name, “de las Bodegas,” at least two different stories circulate. According to one, Sentenil proudly added “de las Bodegas” to its name in the 15th century, because of the many vineyards that had sprung up. Sadly, vine pests ended this tradition in the 1860s.
According to another story, since the early 16th century, “bodegas” referred to Sentenil’s big storerooms under the rock that kept all kinds of produce cool even in the hottest of summers. Regardless of which version is true, fact is that even today, Setenil is famous for delicacies like chorizo, cerdo, olive oil, honey, jam and excellent Andalucian wine.
Other than being built into the rock, Setenil is also one of the typical White Villages of Andalucia; villages that try to stay as cool as possible in this hottest region of Spain by whitewashing their houses every year, as white reflects sunlight best.When looking at images like this, with a whole village literally living in the shadow of a huge rock, one wonders: Why, isn’t it depressing, especially in the winter?
The reason people choose to live here is pragmatism, more or less. The natural caves at Setenil proved perfect living quarters, it is believed since pre-historic times. Instead of having to build a whole house and insulating it against heat in the summer and cold in the winter, many rock caves just needed a façade and voila, there was a house in tune with nature!
Also, one shouldn’t forget that Setenil de las Bodegas is a city that is many centuries old and thus has seen its fair share of fighting. And which enemy would go for the city with rock solid defenses, literally, when the next town over has no such protection? After all, that’s why it took the Catholic kings seven attempts before they won Setenil back from the Moors…
Overall, a very minimally invasive building style. Rock on, Setenil!