DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Egg-Freezing Fertility Clinics Are Targeting Gen Z; High Storage Costs
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Eve Upton-Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

She started researching and found numerous articles preaching the advantages of freezing eggs before age 35 for higher viability in the future. For the first time, egg freezing was an option for younger women worried about their reproductive future. But that also comes with a cost — and Carney doesn't plan to do another round. Other studies have found that there isn't much added benefit to freezing eggs earlier than 30. Fertility clinics have an obvious business case for trying to convince as many people as possible that egg freezing is something they should do.

Persons: Brenna Carney, I'd, Carney, —, ASRM, it's, Gurtin, there's, she'll, Dr, Geeta Nargund, she's, There's, Emily Tiemann, Alex Stewart, Serena Kerrigan, Lala Kent, PitchBook, Kindbody, Yoojin Jang, who'd Organizations: American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Society for, Reproductive Technology, Institute for Women's Health, University College London, —, Apple, Trellis, YouTube, University of California Locations: Texas, New York City, New York, San Francisco

☆ 'Too few college-educated men': A look at why many women undergo egg freezing, and the costs associated with it
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Women who choose to undergo reproductive technology procedures such as egg freezing face a long road riddled with obstacles. Here's a look into the driving forces behind egg freezing and the financial, social and emotional costs that come with it — based on personal experiences from women across the country. She wanted to remove some of the stigma around egg freezing and give her followers an inside look at the arduous process. The benefits are high, but so are the costsWhile the benefits of egg freezing are certainly enormous, so too are the associated costs. Many women need multiple egg freezing cycles, especially as they grow older and egg number and quality begin to deteriorate.

Persons: Lynn Curry, cryopreservation dewar, Roselle Chen, That's, Marcia Inhorn, Inhorn, Nicole Noyes, Aimee Eyvazzadeh, Noyes, Eyvazzadeh, Serena Kerrigan, Kerrigan, Jenny Hayes Edwards, Hayes Edwards Organizations: Huntsville Reproductive, Reuters, Life Sciences, Women, Yale University, CNBC, Nutrition Locations: Huntsville, Madison , Alabama, U.S, Alabama, United States, America, New York, California, Colorado

☆ Choosing to Skip Sex and Go Straight to I.V.F.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Alyson Krueger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In February, in vitro fertilization, or I.V.F., was thrown into the spotlight when the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos in the state should be considered children. The decision led to a pause on I.V.F. procedures in parts of the state, and even a pause on shipping embryos out of state, to avoid potential criminal liability. At least 12 million babies have been born globally using I.V.F. Dr. Alan Copperman, the chief executive of RMA of New York, a fertility center, is one of many doctors seeing more couples, who are well aware of the challenges of conceiving and carrying a healthy baby to full term, skip sex and go straight to I.V.F.

Persons: Couples, Alan Copperman Organizations: Alabama, National Committee, Technologies, American College of Obstetricians Locations: United States, New York

☆ Nancy Mace is introducing a resolution expressing support for IVF — but it doesn't do anything to actually protect the procedure
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

GOP Rep. Nancy Mace is introducing a resolution supporting IVF in the wake of the Alabama ruling. Business Insider obtained a copy of the resolution, which doesn't actually protect the procedure. Mace once cosponsored the Life at Conception Act, which potentially threatens IVF. AdvertisementRep. Nancy Mace is set to introduce a resolution this week expressing support for in vitro fertilization (IVF) in the wake of an Alabama Supreme Court ruling that has put the procedure at risk in the state. "That is why I support IVF treatment, which has been a blessing for many moms and dads who have struggled with fertility."

Persons: Nancy Mace, Mace, —, Roe, Wade, Mike Johnson, Johnson, OTYCUbbrV7 —, @RepNancyMace, Sen, Tammy Duckworth of Organizations: Business, Service, Alabama Supreme, Alabama, Senate Locations: Alabama, The, Carolina

☆ John Oliver says Alabama's IVF ruling is 'wrong for a whole bunch of reasons'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

John Oliver criticized Alabama's ruling that frozen embryos are people. "Burning books and ending IVF are the natural endpoints of the extreme policies they've held hands with," Oliver said. At least three fertility clinics have paused IVF treatment due to fears of legal repercussions, BBC News reported. AdvertisementOliver also criticized politicians like Trump for "desperately trying to distance themselves from extreme policies that they have enabled." "Burning books and ending IVF are the natural endpoints of the extreme policies they've held hands with."

Persons: John Oliver, Alabama's, Donald Trump, they've, Oliver, —, It's, Trump Organizations: Service, Alabama, BBC News, Medical Association of Locations: Alabama

☆ How the fall of Roe v. Wade led to the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos are children
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —An Alabama Supreme Court ruling that decided frozen embryos are children, and those who destroy them can be held liable for wrongful death, shows a new way in which the overturning of Roe v. Wade can affect how embryos are viewed under certain state laws. That decision is the first known case in which a US court has ruled that frozen embryos are human beings. Events leading up to the Alabama Supreme Court decision can be traced to 2006, when the criminal statute for homicide in the state was changed to include in utero. President Joe Biden said in a statement Thursday that the Alabama Supreme Court decision was a “direct result” of the overturning of Roe. “From the beginning, I’ve been warning that the fall of Roe v. Wade wasn’t just about abortion – and the recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling proves that,” Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who introduced the legislation with Pennsylvania Rep. Susan Wild, wrote in an email Thursday.

Persons: Roe, Wade, Mack, Carmack, ” Dr, Shaun Williams, ”, Williams, Joe Biden, ” Biden, “, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, I’ve, Wade wasn’t, –, Illinois Sen, Tammy Duckworth, Susan Wild, ” CNN’s Devan Cole Organizations: CNN, An, An Alabama Supreme, Alabama, of, Democratic, Senate, CNN Health, “, Pennsylvania Locations: An Alabama, US, Alabama, Connecticut, of Alabama, “, America, Illinois

☆ Reproductive startup launches test to identify an embryo's genetic defects before an IVF pregnancy begins
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Reproductive technology startup Orchid on Tuesday announced a comprehensive new genetic test that may help many prospective parents across the U.S. breathe a little easier. Orchid said its new test will help couples identify whether their embryos present genetic risks such as birth defects, neurodevelopmental disorders, chromosomal abnormalities, or pediatric and adult-onset cancers that were previously only detectable after birth. IVF is a taxing process that can cost an average of more than $12,000 in the U.S., according to the Institute for Reproductive Health. Success is not guaranteed, and some people go through multiple rounds of IVF before a pregnancy develops. Orchid's genetic test will cost couples an additional $2,500 per embryo sequenced, but it does not add any new steps or risks to the IVF process, Siddiqui said.

Persons: Noor Siddiqui, Siddiqui, Couples Organizations: CNBC, Institute for Reproductive Health, Austin Locations: Dublin, Ireland, U.S, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami

☆ 5 ways China's trying to get people to have more babies — from cash incentives to cracking down on the 'bride price'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In 2022, China's population started shrinking for the first time in six decades. The push for marriage and babies comes after China last year saw a record low of 6.83 million marriages registered. Here's how China has tried to get its people to have more babies over the past two years. Wenzhou, a city in southeast China, is offering would-be parents up to 3,000 yuan in subsidies per child. In August, a county in eastern China started offering couples 1,000 yuan in cash if the bride was 25 years old or younger, according to a post on its official WeChat account.

Persons: —, Trip.com Organizations: Service, United Nations, Technology, QiaoYin City Management, China Women's Federation, Authorities, Bloomberg Locations: China, Hangzhou, East China, Wenzhou, Shanghai, Shanxi, Beijing, Zhejiang, Provinces, skewing, Jiangxi, Hebei —, Sichuan, Western China

☆ Women May Face Higher Risk of Stroke Following Infertility Treatment
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Roni Caryn Rabin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

About 2 percent of births in the United States involve infertility treatment of some kind, according to the paper. Background: The largest study yetPrevious studies of stroke after infertility treatments have yielded mixed results. What’s Next: A warning for womenIn an interview, Dr. Ananth outlined three possible explanations for a link between stroke and infertility treatment. “We know that women who receive infertility treatment have certain vascular complications, typically an increased risk of pre-eclampsia and placental abruption,” he said. Third, he added, “is that people who receive the treatment receive it for a reason.

Persons: —, Cande, Ananth, Robert Wood, ” Organizations: JAMA, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Locations: United States, New Jersey

☆ Controversial Chinese scientist He Jiankui proposes new gene editing research
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Authorities in China took multiple steps to tighten rules and ethical standards affecting human gene editing in the wake of the revelations about his previous research. But the scientist’s release of a new proposal involving gene editing of embryos has scientists and medical ethics experts concerned – and confused. Genetic manipulation of human embryos – both viable and nonviable ones – is typically tightly controlled globally and some countries ban all such research, experts say. But there is robust global debate around allowing genome editing of human embryos to treat serious genetic conditions or expanding research. Chinese law does not allow gene-edited human embryos used in research to be implanted into humans, or developed for more than 14 days.

Persons: ”, It’s, Peter Dröge, “, “ I’m, ” Joy Zhang, bioethicists, There’s, He’s, He’s “, Françoise Baylis, ” Baylis Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Authorities, Nanyang Technological University, Centre for Global Science, University of Kent, CNN, bioethicists, Twitter, China’s Ministry of Science, Technology, National Health Commission, Southern University of Science, China’s biosciences, Dalhousie University Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, Singapore, Britain, USA, Europe, Shenzhen

☆ Gay male couples face more challenges, higher costs to start a family
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Courtney Reagan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

watch nowWhy gay male couples face higher costsAlon Rivel, left, with his family. Gay male couples typically face a more expensive journey, as surrogacy or adoption are their primary choices. Employer fertility benefits offer limited helpMore employers are starting to offer fertility benefits, often through a specialized fertility benefits manager like Kindbody, Carrot, Progyny or Maven. But while more companies are offering fertility benefits, many of these packages are limited when it comes to covering what's needed to build families with non-traditional methods. At Rivel's insistence, he asked his human resources department to look into including surrogacy benefits.

Persons: Alon Rivel, Alon Rivel Alon Rivel, Rivel, Betsy Campbell, Maven, Will Porteous, Doug, Walter ., Porteous, Progyny's, Pete Anevski, Tammy Sun, Taryn Branca, they'll, Anevski, it's, Resolve's Campbell, Hanna, Stephen Hanna, Bret Shuford, Maverick Organizations: International Foundation of Employee, Equality, Mercer, Maven, Beam Therapeutics, Child Welfare Locations: Arlington , Massachusetts, U.S, Wynnewood , Pennsylvania, West, Massachusetts

☆ Dubai camel cloning caters to races, beauty pageants
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

We have to mature them in the lab for 24 hours before they reach the stage where we can use them for the cloning process," Wani said. Reproductive cloning of animals uses a process called somatic cell nuclear transfer. REUTERS/Rula RouhanaThe Reproductive Biotechnology Centre in Dubai works to preserve the cells of and reproduce elite racing camels, beauty contest winners, milking camels and prized males, Wani said. It has cloned critically endangered, double-humped wild Bactrian camels using the eggs and surrogate mothers of single humped camels, Wani said. After fertilisation with prized sperm, multiple embryos can be transferred to surrogate camels.

☆ BTIG says this niche stock 'delivering the joy of parenthood' set for a 30% gain
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

As more Americans try to grow their families through fertility treatments, Progyny will be a big beneficiary, according to BTIG. The Wall Street firm initiated coverage of the stock with a buy rating on Monday, noting that the benefits management company is "delivering the joy of parenthood" with its superior outcomes. Progyny partners with companies to provide fertility and family-building benefits for employees. "With a tight labor market, companies are more consistently seeking to work with Progyny in order to be able to attract and retain high-quality talent," Larsen said. There are smaller fast-growing companies entering the space that serve more niche areas relating to fertility," Larsen wrote.

☆ Joy, Loneliness, ‘Rejuvenation:’ Becoming a Mother After 40
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Dani Blum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +12 min

Still, Ms. McQueen longed for a baby. Terry Ratzlaff for The New York TimesEach year, she and her girls celebrate the anniversaries of their embryo transfers, Ms. McQueen said. Together, they look at the balls of cells on the girls’ ultrasound images and talk about the lengths Ms. McQueen went to in order to have them. Then, in 2016, Ms. Allen was diagnosed with a seizure disorder, which forced her to stop working and focus on her health. Caring for Ezra, who is now 5, has come with “overwhelming guilt” over the things she can’t do, Ms. Allen says.

☆ China weighs giving single women IVF access to stem population decline
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Crucially, Chen could access in-vitro fertility (IVF) treatment legally in a private clinic. We have liberalized the policies here and I know a lot of single women are doing IVF." watch nowLiberalizing IVF nationwide could unleash more demand for fertility treatment in what is already the world's biggest market, straining limited fertility services. The NHC's Sichuan branch did not address questions from Reuters about whether it would offer IVF treatment to all women in public hospitals. Shanghai and the southern Guangdong province have also permitted unmarried women to register their children but IVF services for single women remain banned.

WASHINGTON, April 10 (Reuters) - A federal judge's decision last week to suspend the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval of abortion pill mifepristone could severely weaken the agency if allowed to stand, health policy and legal experts said. The FDA approved mifepristone, part of a two-drug regimen that accounts for more than half of U.S. abortions, over 20 years ago. Banning its sale calls into question the FDA's power to regulate all drugs nationwide, the experts said. The challenge was brought by a coalition of anti-abortion groups and doctors seeking withdrawal of the FDA's mifepristone approval before Kacsmaryk, who is himself a conservative former Christian activist. Plaintiffs are arguing that the FDA in its 2000 approval did not adequately consider the drug's safety when used by girls under age 18 to terminate a pregnancy.

Any impact on the FDA will depend on details of the judge's ruling in the case known as Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The challenge was brought by a coalition of anti-abortion groups and doctors seeking withdrawal of the FDA's mifepristone approval before U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of the Northern District of Texas, a conservative former Christian activist. The court could order mifepristone pulled from the market while it considers a final ruling. It would call into question the entire drug approval process, said Laurie Sobel, associate director for Women's Health Policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation. 'SO MUCH UNCERTAINTY'The possibility of its approvals being overruled would likely see the FDA become more cautious, Lee said.

☆ A Twitter employee had to stop IVF treatment after being laid off by Elon Musk, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Twitter employee says she had to stop IVF treatment after being laid off by Elon Musk. She told Wired she was promised that health cover would continue for a year after a takeover. According to the report, some other Twitter employees managed to use their benefits to pay for a cycle of IVF treatment. The woman told Wired: "It's a heartbreaking thing to be honest ... to be that close to having a child then being told that it's gone." Twitter staff were offered a severance package of up to three months depending on their location.

☆ It's 'early innings' in the fertility market. Here's how to play the booming business with under-the-radar names
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

The multibillion dollar global fertility market is ripe with opportunity. For investors thinking about the fertility market, pharma firms may come to mind. In fact, the number of employers looking at fertility benefits as a "must have" has skyrocketed, she said. The global market size for fertility within the private women's health market should reach $72 billion by 2027, a report by FemTech Focus and Coyote Ventures found. Just like there were a wave of fintech companies going public, she expects fertility companies to eventually follow suit.

☆ Billionaires like Elon Musk want to save civilization by having tons of genetically superior kids. Inside the movement to take 'control of human evolution.'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Julia Black | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +40 min

"We are the Underground Railroad of 'Gattaca' babies and people who want to do genetic stuff with their kids," Malcolm told me. Ellison, meanwhile, who has two children in their 30s, has reportedly resumed having kids — with his 31-year-old girlfriend. "The person of this subculture really sees the pathway to immortality as being through having children," Simone said. The person of this subculture really sees the pathway to immortality as being through having children. Before she met Malcolm, Simone was convinced she wanted to live her life single and child-free.

☆ Black infants born through assisted reproductive technology at significantly higher risk of death than White infants born through same means, study suggests
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Jacqueline Howard Raenu Charles | Jacqueline Howard | Raenu Charles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —It has been well-known in research that Black babies are about twice as likely to die as White babies before their first birthday. But when conceived by assisted reproductive technology, neonatal mortality was more than four-fold higher among babies of Black women. Assisted reproductive technology, which is used to treat infertility, includes infertility treatments that involve eggs and sperm. Those rates were four-fold higher in infants of Black versus White mothers who used assisted reproductive technology, such as IVF. Black women are about three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than White women, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

☆ Frozen embryos linked to increased risk of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Kaitlin Sullivan | Kaitlin Sullivan Is A Contributor For Nbcnews.Com Who Has Worked With Nbc News Investigations. She Reports On Health | Science | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Undergoing in vitro fertilization using frozen embryos is linked to a greater risk of hypertensive disorders, including preeclampsia, during pregnancy, according to research published Monday in the journal Hypertension. Overall, the risk of hypertensive disorders was low: about 7.4% in women who used frozen embryos, compared with 5.6% in women who used fresh embryos and 4.3% for women who conceived naturally. In addition, they found, there was no significant difference in risk between the women who conceived naturally and those who did IVF using fresh embryos. The group included 4.4 million naturally conceived pregnancies and compared them to just over 78,000 IVF pregnancies conceived using a fresh embryo and about 18,000 using a frozen embryo. Petersen emphasized that the overall risk for preeclampsia was still low and that the results of the new study should not scare women away from using frozen embryos.

Search resuls for: "Reproductive Technology"

22 mentions found