Lab Created Sperm?!

A team of British scientists have claimed to have created human sperm using embryonic stem cells, in a medical first that they say will lead to a better understanding of fertility.

Researchers led by Professor Karim Nayernia at Newcastle University and the NorthEast England Stem Cell Institute (NESCI) developed a new technique that allows the creation of human sperm in the laboratory.

They stressed that the sperm, developed from stem cells with XY chromosomes (male), would not be used for fertility treatment, as this is prohibited by British law and in any case is not their main interest.

"This is an important development as it will allow researchers to study in detail how sperm forms and lead to a better understanding of infertility in men -- why it happens and what is causing it," said Nayernia.

"This understanding could help us develop new ways to help couples suffering infertility so they can have a child which is genetically their own."

He said more investigation was needed to decide whether the so-called in-vitro derived (IVD) sperm, could be used as a fertility treatment, for example for boys who became infertile after receiving chemotherapy for cancer.

While such a treatment would not likely be developed for at least a decade, Nayernia said legislation should be put in place "sooner rather than later" to allow the technique to be licensed.

The team's work involved developing stem cells that had XY chromosomes into germline cells -- cells that can can pass their genetic material to future generations.

These were then prompted to complete meiosis, or cell division, which then produced "fully mature, functional sperm."

Stem cells are immature cells that can develop into different cell types.

The scientists tried to develop cells with XX chromosomes (female) in the same way but they did not progress beyond early stage sperm, called spermatagonia. The team concluded that the genes on a Y chromosome are essential for sperm maturation.

The research, published in the journal Stem Cells and Development, could also lead to a better understanding of how genetic diseases are passed on.

However, other scientists expressed doubt about the work.

"As a sperm biologist of 20 years' experience, I am unconvinced from the data presented in this paper that the cells produced by Professor Nayernia's group from embryonic stem cells can be accurately called 'spermatozoa'," said Dr Allen Pacey, senior lecturer in andrology at the University of Sheffield.

"While the cells produced may possess some of the distinctive genetic features and molecular markers seen in sperm, fully differentiated human spermatozoa have specific cellular morphology, behaviour and function that are not described here."

So whatever comes to be with this new information this is a huge step forward in the world of fertility- this shows that infertility is becoming an true disease, like cancer, and AIDS and we need to find ways to cure it or at least treat it, so that couples around the world can fulfil their dreams of parenthood. IVF was a huge step in the fertility world many years ago, but there is so much that we do not know. Especially when it comes to the actual egg and the sperm, we do not know what makes a bad egg or a bad sperm- if they can figure out how sperm form then we can figure out how to fix bad sperm.
This may not be the end all be all in sperm testing, but its a step forward in learning more about the sperm. Who knew it was so complicated?!

The Bailey Multiples

I have been watching The Bailey Multiples on TLC and I find it so touching and interesting to watch other couples who have endured infertility. This paticular couple, Stacy and Steven Bailey went through IVF and had eight frozen embryo transfers before getting pregnant with sextuplets. They transfered 4 embroyos, due to all the failed attempts and all 4 stuck, and 2 divided into idential twins, giving them 6 babies. The identical twin boys dies in utero and the remaining 4 babies were delivered healthy and happy. I am sitting her on my couch bawling my eyes out, maybe its the hormone injections, maybe its because I know exactly what that couple is feeling. I cannot wait to have that moment of "we're pregnant" and going through the entire pregnancy and then the delivery of our child. While, I would love to have twins, anymore then that scares the crap out of me. I know God does not give us more then we can handle, but twins seem managable to me. To have that moment in the delivery room when you hear your child cry for the frist time will be the most memorable moment of my life and I cannot wait to experience that with John.

The Bailey multiples are perfectly healthy and happy today and will celebrate their 3rd birthday on February 17th, 2009. Happy Birthday Bailey kids!

A broken heart

Well, no break cycle Christmas miracle for us, tonight my wonderful monthly friend came to visit! Oh, how I wish she would take a hike for nine months.

John and I had our typical responses, we cried then yelled, it seems to be our monthly regime. This sucks! That is all I can really say at this point. Yes, I still cry, but really I am mad. I don't understand why this is happening to us. The amount of anger I have inside of me cannot be healthy for any human to be carrying around.

The other day I was thinking about why this bothers me so much, and I am going to try to explain this without sounding like too much of a snob, and if it comes across snobbish I apologize up front. But growing up, I got whatever I wanted, I had a great life, great friends, a loving family, and a comfortable upbringing.
My friends were always jealous of me, not the other way around. Not that my friends didn't have a good life, they did. I grew up in an upper middle class small town, we all had good lives. But out of my friends I was the only one who had a pool at my house, got a brand new car when I turned 16 and another new one when I turned 18, I had a horse, and the membership to the country club where we would hang out all summer long. I had a great life, and things were easy for me. So when you have everything that you need what do you have to be jealous of? I had nothing to be jealous of.

Now that I am an adult things have changed. Now do not get me wrong John and I have a good life, we have a beautiful home, good jobs, great family and friends, but we do not have a baby, we are losing the baby race.

We are the only people out of our close friends who doesn't have a baby (out of those who want kids) and it stinks! We have to sit through holidays and birthday parties with everyone elses kids, with none of our own. It absolutely sucks! So now I have something to be jealous of, now I know you never want someone else's life, because you don't know truly what their life is like, however its hard to think about that then you see them with their children.

I have grown a lot in realizing that things do not make you happy, all the stuff that I had growing up doesn't make you happy, its just stuff. So I do not want anymore stuff, what I want is the love of a child, our child.

A little more techno!

So yesterday I discussed how to chart your temperature and use ovulation predictor kits to track your ovulation. Now, there is an easier way!
For all of you that don't want to wake up, take your temperature, and track it every day.
There is an easier way! The Clear Blue Easy Fertility Monitor (CBEFM). Its a machine that is about the size of your palm that takes sticks that track your cycle. Its very easy to use, you set it when you start your period and then it will tell you when it needs a stick. When the stick is inserted it simply tests the amount of hormone in your urine and spits out a reading. It tells you when your fertility is low, high, and peak. That way you can plan intercourse when your fertility is at its peak.

The monitor can be purchased online, or at a pharmacy. I have at the best luck at Walgreens. I purchased my monitor online from an online pharmacy, I got it at a discount and it came with a 3 month supply of sticks.

The CBEFM is an investment, the monitor itself runs about $150-$200 depending on where you purchase it. And for a 3 month supply of sticks its about $50, again depending on where you purchase them. I have searched all over and the only pharmacy that I could find the sticks at consistently was Walgreens.

I highly suggest the monitor for someone who doesn't want to go through the hassle of the temping and the charting. And the CBEFM is very effective, I have never had it be wrong with its timing.