A new expert consensus statement aims to improve endometriosis evaluation. Endometriosis is a common condition with substantial diagnostic delay, leading patients to experience pain, infertility, lost wages and interrupted relationships. The consensus provides recommendations for augmenting routine pelvic ultrasounds through additional maneuvers and imaging to improve diagnosis of deep endometriosis ..read more

A study suggests families with infertile male relatives may face elevated cancer risks. Tapping into genetic data, families could help personalize cancer risk assessments ..read more

After the egg has been fertilized by a sperm, the surrounding egg coat tightens, mechanically preventing the entry of additional sperm and the ensuing death of the embryo, a new study finds. The work also explains how mutations in egg coat proteins can cause female infertility and may eventually lead to new contraceptive methods ..read more

The fertility of both female and male tsetse flies is affected by a single burst of hot weather, researchers have found ..read more

New research describes the science behind a promising technique to treat infertility by turning a skin cell into an egg that is capable of producing viable embryos. The technique could be used by women of advanced maternal age or for those who are unable to produce viable eggs due to previous treatment for cancer or other causes. It also raises the possibility of men in same-sex relationships having children who are genetically related to both parents ..read more

A widespread bacteria called Wolbachia and a virus that it carries can cause sterility in male insects by hijacking their sperm, preventing them from fertilizing eggs of females that do not have the same combination of bacteria and virus. A new study has uncovered how this microbial combination manipulates sperm, which could lead to refined techniques to control populations of agricultural pests and insects that carry diseases like Zika and dengue to humans ..read more

A novel screening system enables researchers to investigate sperm cell development and health at the molecular level. The new approach promises breakthroughs in male contraception and infertility treatments ..read more

The accumulation of misfolded or damaged proteins in long-lived, non-dividing cells like neurons are linked to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. A study now finds that the build-up of these toxic proteins also influences oocyte quality and female fertility. The researchers discovered that mouse oocytes have specialized structures which roam the cytoplasm and act like a clean-up crew which capture and hold onto protein aggregates, rendering them harmless. Failure to degrade the toxic proteins led to the formation of defective eggs. 3 in 5 (60%) of mouse embryos that inherited the tox ..read more

Scientists discovered a new target for reversible, non-hormonal male birth control. The drug, an HDAC inhibitor, blocked sperm production and fertility in male mice without affecting libido or future reproduction ..read more

The discovery of a pair of genes that work in perfect harmony to protect male fertility could provide new insights into some unexplained cases of the most severe form of infertility, research suggests ..read more