Science offers many hopes to would-be families anxious to start a family. But in this week's Scrubbing Up, a leading expert warns age is still the critical factor in achieving that dream. 10 February 2010, 12:04 am
A 59-year-old plans to have a baby through IVF and dissenting voices can be heard everywhere from the newspapers to the office watercooler. But is there really any reason why we should have a problem with the idea, asks medical ethicist Daniel Sokol. 26 January 2010, 11:55 am
The UN declaration that it has never faced a crisis on the scale found in Haiti following Tuesday's earthquake dominates Sunday's papers. 17 January 2010, 6:55 am
A woman has given birth to twins after she had fertility treatment using the frozen sperm of her late husband after he died of cancer. 8 January 2010, 12:26 pm
A liberalisation of the rules regulating fertility clinic in Denmark has seen people travelling long distance for treatment in the country. 23 December 2009, 12:35 pm
An embryo screening test called preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD)is safe for the children of singleton pregnancies, Belgian researchers say. 21 December 2009, 1:59 pm
The Supreme Court in the Republic of Ireland dismisses an appeal by a woman to have three of her frozen embryos released to her. 15 December 2009, 1:19 pm
A tutor is jailed for indecently assaulting a girl as she read the Koran to him at her Leicestershire home in the 70s and 80s. 10 December 2009, 4:48 pm
The fertility watchdog is to discuss more generous compensation to egg and sperm donors as a means of tackling the severe shortage of supplies for those desperate for a baby. 9 December 2009, 5:50 pm
A Lincolnshire woman has triplets, two years after the birth of her first daughter from the same set of eggs, making them quadruplets. 4 March 2010, 7:32 pm
The residents of Guanmenyan prepare to abandon the village, as a local reservoir is expanded to feed the thirst for water of China's big cities, flooding their homes. 3 March 2010, 1:02 am
Women who undergo fertility treatment are four times more likely to have a stillborn baby than those who conceive naturally or use other methods, according to a new study... 1 March 2010, 5:03 pm
An IVF technique whereby fertilisation is achieved by injecting an individual sperm into an egg cell is being overused and may pass on infertility to the next generation, the scientist who developed the technique has warned... 1 March 2010, 5:03 pm
Researchers have found Asian-American women are less likely than white women to successfully have a baby through IVF, but were unable to pinpoint why... 1 March 2010, 4:58 pm
It is no surprise that the recently published research into the epigenetic effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy has received considerable media attention. Practically all pregnant women will worry - understandably - about the health of their future children, and will quickly seize on information or reassurance from credible-seeming sources... 1 March 2010, 4:43 pm
Doctors need to be trained in DNA-based medicine, the US scientist who led the Human Genome Project has told a scientific conference... 1 March 2010, 4:41 pm
Regulation is important, but we are not discussing the most fundamental issue at hand: the human experiences that make or break surrogacy relationships. What common factors can be identified behind the small number of surrogacy cases that wind up in court?... 1 March 2010, 4:40 pm
Canadians need better protection from genetic discrimination by insurers and employers, according to Winnipeg North MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis... 1 March 2010, 4:31 pm
The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has proposed a broader definition of 'human embryonic stem cell' (HES), which would allow Federal funding of research using cells at an early development stage.... 1 March 2010, 11:43 am
A personalised blood test that could track how a tumour responds to treatment and whether cancer is recurring has been developed by researchers in the U.S... 1 March 2010, 9:31 am
I think the producers of this emotive BBC One documentary sought to challenge criticisms of saviour siblings by presenting the heartbreaking, desperate struggle that two couples face in their battle against time to create the miracle baby that will save their child's life... 23 February 2010, 11:23 am
Comparing the genomes of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and !Gubi, a Khoisan elder from the Kalahari, reveals that, although they are geographical neighbours, their genomes are as different from each other as they are from European or Asian individuals. These findings, published in the journal Nature, reflect the extent of human... 22 February 2010, 6:04 pm
An international team of scientists have identified two genetic variants associated with fronto-temporal dementia (FTD), a common form of early onset dementia. The study, published in Nature Genetics, could help in the search for new treatments to tackle the disease.... 22 February 2010, 5:36 pm
A new study has cast doubt over how useful human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells could be for research and the treatment of degenerative disease... 22 February 2010, 4:54 pm
A fast, low cost DNA test that can reveal a person's chances of developing certain inherited diseases could soon be a reality, scientists in Scotland have said. The test involves testing a patient's saliva to identify disease-related variations in their genetic code and is faster and cheaper than conventional methods,... 22 February 2010, 2:27 pm
Sixty infertile couples protested on Canada's annual Family Day holiday against a lack of provincial government funding for IVF (in vitro fertilisation) treatment. The February rally was organised by the group Conceivable Dreams, which represents 1,100 infertile couples who say they are suffering because the government refuses to help them.... 22 February 2010, 1:33 pm
An Australian insurance firm has become the subject of criticism after offering customers reduced price genetic tests while providing in the small print that the results are to be made available for consideration by life insurance providers should they desire them.... 22 February 2010, 1:22 pm
Scientists have created a new way of using the human genetic code, by adding 'designer' amino acids to the proteins in DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) to alter its biochemical behaviour. The research could pave the way to the development of what lead researcher Jason Chin is calling 'a parallel genetic code'.... 22 February 2010, 1:16 pm
The percentage of IVF cycles using elective single embryo transfer has increased since 2007, according to a report released last week.... 22 February 2010, 12:52 pm
Scientists have identified a genetic variant that may influence the rate at which a person will age. The finding, published in last week's edition of the journal Nature Genetics, could help identify which individuals are most susceptible to common age-related conditions, such as heart disease and Alzheimer's disease.... 15 February 2010, 4:28 pm