Fertility 2021 Full Abstract Book

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Fertility 2021 Full Abstract Book ORAL PRESENTATIONS 1 ORAL PRESENTATIONS SRF PhD Prize Session SRF.1 The novel use of androgens to optimise detection of the fertile window in giant pandas Kirsten Wilsona, Jella Wautersb, Iain Valentinec, Alan McNeillya, Mick Raed, A. Forbes Howiea, Ruth Andrewe, W. Colin Duncana aMRC CRH, University of Edinburgh; bGhent University, Belgium; Pairi Daiza Foundation, Belgium; Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Germany; cZoocraft; dEdinburgh Napier University; eBHF CVS, University of Edinburgh Background: Giant pandas are seasonally monoestrus. In Spring, estrogens increase for 1-2 weeks before a peak is reached, followed by 24-48 hours of fertility. Accurately monitoring the hormone profile is therefore vital for prediction and detection of this fertile window to facilitate insemination in a captive breeding programme. Aim: To consider biomarkers for advanced warning of estrus and the accurate timing of insemination. Methods: Urine samples from three females covering 9 breeding cycles, from 40 days before estrus until 10 days after estrus, were assayed for estrone-3-glucuronide (E1G) and progesterone (P4) by Arbor Assays ELISAs, for testosterone (T) and DHEA by validated in-house ELISAs, and for luteinising hormone (LH) by bioassay. Hormone concentrations were corrected against urinary specific gravity (USpG). Results: E1G increased for 11.4 days (range 9-14) before peaking, with the start of the rise detected retrospectively. Prospectively, using current methods, it starts when E1G concentrations become higher than P4 (9.6 days, range 7- 11). Alternatively, E1G becoming higher than T gives 4-days advanced warning of impending estrus (12.7 days, range 9-17). LH was analysed as a marker of peak fertility to time insemination. Only 7/9 cycles showed a surge, ranging -1 to +3 days from peak E1G; thus LH could not reliably predict optimal insemination timing. However, DHEA showed a significant increase only on the day of peak E1G, and not before. Conclusion: Monitoring T alongside P4 can provide 4 days additional warning of upcoming estrus and monitoring DHEA can identify the day of peak E1G without needing to observe a decrease in E1G itself. Hence respectively enlarging the preparative window for captive breeding, facilitating panda management within the ex-situ conservation breeding programme, and unequivocally confirming impending estrus. Therefore, measuring androgens advances and optimises how estrus is monitored in the giant panda. SRF.2 "Horsing around" with gene copy number is associated with equine early pregnancy loss Charlotte A. Shiltona, Brian W. Davisb, D. Claire Wathesa, Terje Raudseppb, Amanda M de Mestrea aRoyal Veterinary College; bTexas A&M University Introduction Copy number variation (CNV) is suggested as necessary to facilitate the rapid growth and differentiation of human placentae, with alterations in CNV associated with human pregnancy loss. The causes of over 60% of equine early pregnancy loss (EPL) are unknown. This study investigated CNV acquisition during normal equine placental development, and identified abnormalities associated with EPL. Methods Extracted DNA from placental tissue of 54 EPLs (14-65 days gestation), 10 age matched clinically normal pregnancies, and 5 term placenta were hybridised to the Axiom Equine 670K SNP Genotyping Array. Probe intensity values (Log2Ratio) were assessed in R (DNAcopy package) to generate CNV calls. Calls were filtered to include only autosomal CNVs of Log2Ratio ±0.2, p<0.05, and over 1 kb in length. Calls within 5 kb were merged. DNA quality was assessed to minimize false positives as a result of lower quality DNA. Results The average number (±SD) of autosomal CNVs increased over time across pre-implantation (25.5±5.3 CNVs), post-implantation (32.3±6.9) and term (34.4±5.1) placenta. EPLs prior to implantation (<40 days) had significantly increased CNVs compared to age matched controls (246.9±439.2 and 25.5±5.3 respectively, p=0.02). This increase was across autosomes with 14.8% of EPLs (n=8/54) having an extreme number of CNVs (range 362-1323) compared with controls (n=10, range 19-41). Conclusion CNV studies in human placental development and pregnancy loss are limited by sample size, and placental tissue differences, making it difficult to draw conclusions. This first study of CNV in equine placentae found that similarly to the limited human studies, equine placentae require increasing CNVs to facilitate rapid expansion. Equine EPLs were associated with extremely high CNVs, a phenomenon not previously described in human pregnancy loss (associated with lower number of CNVs). Further investigation therefore is warranted to establish whether this also occurs in human placentae associated with miscarriage. 2 ORAL PRESENTATIONS SRF.3 The effect of repeated doses of doxorubicin on the pre-pubertal mouse testis Kathleen Duffin, Federica Lopes, Rod Mitchell, Norah Spears University of Edinburgh Background: Increasing childhood cancer survival rates mean more adults living with the consequences of treatment, including infertility (1). For pre-pubertal boys, there are no fertility preservation options available, increasing the importance of understanding effects of chemotherapy on the immature testis. Experimental models usually test the effect of single exposure to a drug; however, clinically, chemotherapy drugs are given at repeated intervals. This work aims to assess whether multiple doses of doxorubicin cause more damage to the germ cells, specifically spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs), than the same cumulative dose given in a single exposure. Methods: Testes fragments from pnd5 mice (n=8) were cultured on polycarbonate membrane floating on medium (α- MEM,10%KSR) at 34°C; 5% CO2 (2,3). Tissue was randomly allocated to receive: control; single dose of doxorubicin (0.1µg/ml) on D2 or D5; or two half doses (0.05µg/ml), on both D2 and D5. On D8, BrdU was added to medium. Immunohistochemistry identified germ cells/MVH+, SSCs/PLZF+, and proliferating SSCs/BRDU+PLZF+. Results: All treatments of doxorubicin caused significant loss of SSCs, with no difference between treatment groups. Only the single dose on D2 caused a significant reduction in density of proliferating SSCs. Doxorubicin caused significant germ cell loss when given in a single dose on D2 or in two half doses on D2 and D5; the single dose on D5 did not cause a significant loss of germ cells. Discussion: Doxorubicin causes significant loss of SSCs, with no differences between regimens, suggesting that cumulative dose could be a key factor in determining doxorubicin-induced damage in the pre-pubertal mouse testis. Overall, however, tissue treated on D2 consistently showed more damage than tissue treated on D5. Ongoing work is investigating whether this is due to time in culture post-exposure, and/or to testicular developmental stage at time of exposure. 1. Chow EJ, Stratton KL, Leisenring WM, Oeffinger KC, Sklar CA, Donaldson SS, et al. Pregnancy after chemotherapy in male and female survivors of childhood cancer treated between 1970 and 1999: A report from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study cohort. Lancet Oncol. 2016 May 1;17(5):567- 76. 2. Smart E, Lopes F, Rice S, Nagy B, Anderson RA, Mitchell RT, et al. Chemotherapy drugs cyclophosphamide, cisplatin and doxorubicin induce germ cell loss in an in vitro model of the prepubertal testis. Sci Rep. 2018;8(1):1773. 3. Sato T, Katagiri K, Gohbara A, Inoue K, Ogonuki N, Ogura A, et al. In vitro production of functional sperm in cultured neonatal mouse testes. Nature. 2011;471(7339):504-7. SRF.4 MiR-371a disrupts the stroma-epithelium communication in human endometrium Dimitra Makri, Marcos Castellanos-Uribe, Sean May, Walid Maalouf University of Nottingham Purpose/background: Members of the miR-290/miR-371 cluster are of the earliest de novo synthesised by embryos and have important actions in mammalian reproduction. Stroma-epithelium communication at the peri-implantation window is necessary to prepare the endometrium to accept an invading embryo. While growth factors, hormones, and cytokines are well-known mediators of this crosstalk, the roles of miRNAs at the embryo-maternal interactome are less clear. Here we investigated the effects of miR-371a in the transcriptome of endometrial stromal cells with specific focus on processes related to the uterine cell communication. Methods: The miR-371a-3p mimic was transfected in human endometrial stromal cells using lipid-based transfection reagents at a 30nM concentration for 72 h. The cells were collected and RNA was extracted and sent for microarray analysis with the Clariom™ S Human Arrays. The Partek® software and online bioinformatics tools were used to identify the top differentially expressed genes, affected processes, and altered pathways. Results: A total of 4.760 genes were altered by miR-371a, which disrupted cell communication, immune response, damage response, binding and enzyme activities and pathways related to signalling -- MAPK, chemokine, p53, Wnt, TNF, and oestrogen. Specific stroma-epithelium communication genes were significantly dysregulated, with downregulation of 7 fibroblast growth factors (FGF-1, -5, -7, -9, -17, -20), the HAND2 stromal factor, progesterone receptor PGR, and insulin growth factor IGF-1. Conclusions: MiR-371a at the embryo-maternal interface causes major changes in the endometrial transcriptome with immediate effects in biological, cellular, and molecular processes which disrupt the stroma-epithelium communication. This disruption could impair the process of implantation,
Recommended publications
  • 2 Biologically Active Nucleoside Analogues with 5- Or 6- Membered Monocyclic Nucleobases 31
    VU Research Portal Robust Applications in Time-Shared Distributed Systems Dobber, A.M. 2006 document version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link to publication in VU Research Portal citation for published version (APA) Dobber, A. M. (2006). Robust Applications in Time-Shared Distributed Systems. General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal ? Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. E-mail address: [email protected] Download date: 25. Sep. 2021 Mureidomycin A and Dihydropyrimidine Nucleosides Exploring efficient multicomponent reactions and chemo‐enzymatic approaches Danielle J. Vugts © 2006, D. J. Vugts, Amsterdam Cover design: Anette Coppens VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT Mureidomycin A and Dihydropyrimidine Nucleosides Exploring efficient multicomponent reactions and chemo-enzymatic approaches ACADEMISCH PROEFSCHRIFT ter verkrijging van de graad Doctor aan de Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, op gezag van de rector magnificus prof.dr. L.M. Bouter, in het openbaar te verdedigen ten overstaan van de promotiecommissie van de faculteit der Exacte Wetenschappen op vrijdag 15 december 2006 om 13.45 uur in het auditorium van de universiteit, De Boelelaan 1105 door Daniëlle Johanna Vugts geboren te Tilburg promotor: prof.dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Endometrial Scratch Trial
    PATIENT INFORMATION SHEET ENDOMETRIAL SCRATCH TRIAL. A Multicentre Randomised Controlled Trial of Induced Endometrial Scratch in Women Undergoing First Time in Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) Protocol Number: V7 (28/01/2019) ISRCTN Number: ISRCTN23800982 Sponsor: Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Clinical Research Office Sheffield Royal Hallamshire Hospital D Floor Glossop Road Sheffield. S10 2JF Chief Investigator: Mostafa Metwally Local Principal Investigator: Dr Sarah Martins Da Silva Consultant Gynaecologist and Honorary Senior Lecturer Medical Research Institute Level 5 Ninewells Hospital and Medical School Dundee DD1 9SY [insert contact details] Introduction You are being invited to take part in a research trial. Before you decide it is important for you to understand why the research is being done and what it will involve. Please take time to read the following information carefully and discuss it with others if you wish. Ask us if there is anything that is not clear or if you would Generic PIS (Dundee only) V5.1 dated 15/03/2019 1 like more information. Take time to decide whether or not you wish to take part. Thank you for reading this. What is our research about? Taking a small amount of tissue from the lining of the womb (endometrium) can sometimes improve the chance of achieving a pregnancy in women who have previously had several unsuccessful attempts at In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) or Intra- cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). This procedure has been named “Endometrial Scratch” (ES). It is not known exactly why performing an Endometrial Scratch may be beneficial, but it is thought that the process of “scratching” the lining of the womb may release certain chemicals that are important in helping the fertilised egg (embryo) stick to the lining of the womb (implantation).
    [Show full text]
  • Endogenous Metabolites: JHU NIMH Center Page 1
    S. No. Amino Acids (AA) 24 L-Homocysteic acid 1 Glutaric acid 25 L-Kynurenine 2 Glycine 26 N-Acetyl-Aspartic acid 3 L-arginine 27 N-Acetyl-L-alanine 4 L-Aspartic acid 28 N-Acetyl-L-phenylalanine 5 L-Glutamine 29 N-Acetylneuraminic acid 6 L-Histidine 30 N-Methyl-L-lysine 7 L-Isoleucine 31 N-Methyl-L-proline 8 L-Leucine 32 NN-Dimethyl Arginine 9 L-Lysine 33 Norepinephrine 10 L-Methionine 34 Phenylacetyl-L-glutamine 11 L-Phenylalanine 35 Pyroglutamic acid 12 L-Proline 36 Sarcosine 13 L-Serine 37 Serotonin 14 L-Tryptophan 38 Stachydrine 15 L-Tyrosine 39 Taurine 40 Urea S. No. AA Metabolites and Conjugates 1 1-Methyl-L-histidine S. No. Carnitine conjugates 2 2-Methyl-N-(4-Methylphenyl)alanine 1 Acetyl-L-carnitine 3 3-Methylindole 2 Butyrylcarnitine 4 3-Methyl-L-histidine 3 Decanoyl-L-carnitine 5 4-Aminohippuric acid 4 Isovalerylcarnitine 6 5-Hydroxylysine 5 Lauroyl-L-carnitine 7 5-Hydroxymethyluracil 6 L-Glutarylcarnitine 8 Alpha-Aspartyl-lysine 7 Linoleoylcarnitine 9 Argininosuccinic acid 8 L-Propionylcarnitine 10 Betaine 9 Myristoyl-L-carnitine 11 Betonicine 10 Octanoylcarnitine 12 Carnitine 11 Oleoyl-L-carnitine 13 Creatine 12 Palmitoyl-L-carnitine 14 Creatinine 13 Stearoyl-L-carnitine 15 Dimethylglycine 16 Dopamine S. No. Krebs Cycle 17 Epinephrine 1 Aconitate 18 Hippuric acid 2 Citrate 19 Homo-L-arginine 3 Ketoglutarate 20 Hydroxykynurenine 4 Malate 21 Indolelactic acid 5 Oxalo acetate 22 L-Alloisoleucine 6 Succinate 23 L-Citrulline 24 L-Cysteine-glutathione disulfide Semi-quantitative analysis of endogenous metabolites: JHU NIMH Center Page 1 25 L-Glutathione, reduced Table 1: Semi-quantitative analysis of endogenous molecules and their derivatives by Liquid Chromatography- Mass Spectrometry (LC-TripleTOF “or” LC-QTRAP).
    [Show full text]
  • Post Layout 1
    10 Established 1961 Analysis Monday, March 12, 2018 Established 1961 The First Daily in The Arabian Gulf THE LEADING INDEPENDENT DAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF ESTABLISHED 1961 Founder and Publisher YOUSUF S. AL-ALYAN Editor-in-Chief ABD AL-RAHMAN AL-ALYAN EDITORIAL : 24833199-24833358-24833432 ADVERTISING : 24835616/7 FAX : 24835620/1 CIRCULATION : 24833199 Extn. 163 ACCOUNTS : 24835619 COMMERCIAL : 24835618 P.O.Box 1301 Safat,13014 Kuwait. E MAIL :[email protected] Website: www.kuwaittimes.net How infertility treatment has left sperm science behind hey can make test-tube babies, grow human eggs in a lab and reproduce mice from frozen Ttesticle tissue, but when it comes to knowing how a man’s sperm can swim to, find and fertilize an egg, scientists are still floundering. Enormous advances in treating infertility in recent decades have helped couples conceive longed-for offspring they previously would not have had. Yet this progress has also been a workaround for a major part of the problem: Sperm counts are falling drasti- cally worldwide - and have been doing so for decades - and scientists say their honest answer to Xi mandate seals march of strongmen why is: “We don’t know”. Infertility is a significant global health problem, he Chinese Communist Party’s decision to give Chinese model the country has taken a decisive turn away from the with specialists estimating that as many as one in six President Xi Jinping a mandate to rule for life is fur- Human rights campaigners warn that authoritarians idea of a more pluralistic society with greater political couples worldwide are affected.
    [Show full text]
  • Kinesin Motor Protein Inhibitors: Toward the Synthesis Of
    KINESIN MOTOR PROTEIN INHIBITORS: TOWARD THE SYNTHESIS OF ADOCIASULFATE ANALOGS by CHETAN PADMAKAR DARNE (Under the Direction of TIMOTHY M. DORE) ABSTRACT Cell division and intracellular functions are dependent on kinesin motor proteins. These proteins convey their cellular cargos by “walking” along the microtubule tracks. Specific inhibitors of kinesin would selectively abolish its activity in vivo, and knowledge regarding this inhibition pathway would aid our understanding regarding the enzyme mechanism. Currently, few inhibitors of kinesins exist. The marine natural products adociasulfates (AS) might act as lead compounds toward designing analogous inhibitors. Only AS-1 has been synthesized, requiring twenty-eight steps; therefore, we envisioned the synthesis of simpler analogs via shorter routes. We attempted functionalizing commercial steroids at one end, while the other end was transformed into an anionic moiety pivotal for binding with the kinesin motor domain. Though our AS analog does not inhibit the ATPase activity of human kinesin, this synthetic approach is practical and with some modifications, offers the potential to generate bioactive analogs of therapeutic importance. INDEX WORDS: kinesin, motor protein inhibitors, adociasulfate, AS analog KINESIN MOTOR PROTEIN INHIBITORS: TOWARD THE SYNTHESIS OF ADOCIASULFATE ANALOGS by CHETAN PADMAKAR DARNE B.Sc., University of Bombay, India, 1994 M.Sc., University of Mumbai, India, 1998 A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF SCIENCE ATHENS, GEORGIA 2005 © 2005 Chetan Padmakar Darne All Rights Reserved KINESIN MOTOR PROTEIN INHIBITORS: TOWARD THE SYNTHESIS OF ADOCIASULFATE ANALOGS by CHETAN PADMAKAR DARNE Major Professor: Timothy M. Dore Committee: George Majetich Robert Phillips Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia May 2005 DEDICATION To my family members- for their unconditional love and encouragement, and for keeping my faith alive.
    [Show full text]
  • Chiral Separation for Enantiomeric Determination in the Pharmaceutical Industry
    Chapter CHIRAL SEPARATION FOR ENANTIOMERIC DETERMINATION IN THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY Nelu Grinberg, Su Pan Contents 6.1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................... 235 6.2. ENANTIOMERS, DIASTEREOMERS, RACEMATES ................................................................... 236 6.3. REQUIREMENTS FOR CHIRAL SEPARATION ............................................................................ 237 6.4. THE TYPES OF MOLECULAR INTERACTIONS ........................................................................... 237 6.4.1. Chiral separation through hydrogen bonding ............................................................. 237 6.4.2. Chiral separation through inclusion compounds ....................................................... 243 6.4.2.1. Cyclodextrins ............................................................................................................ 243 6.4.2.2. Crown ethers ............................................................................................................. 245 6.4.3. Charge transfer .......................................................................................................................... 259 6.4.4. Chiral separation through a combination of charge transfer, hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions ........................................................................... 260 233 Chapter 6 6.4.5. Ligand exchange ......................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Oedipus Hex: Regulating Family After Marriage Equality
    Florida State University College of Law Scholarship Repository Scholarly Publications 11-2015 The Oedipus Hex: Regulating Family After Marriage Equality Courtney Megan Cahill Florida State University College of Law Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.law.fsu.edu/articles Part of the Constitutional Law Commons, Family Law Commons, Law and Society Commons, and the Sexuality and the Law Commons Recommended Citation Courtney Megan Cahill, The Oedipus Hex: Regulating Family After Marriage Equality, 49 U.C. DAVIS L. REV. 183 (2015), Available at: https://ir.law.fsu.edu/articles/520 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Scholarly Publications by an authorized administrator of Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Oedipus Hex: Regulating Family After Marriage Equality ∗ Courtney Megan Cahill Now that national marriage equality for same-sex couples has become the law of the land, commentators are turning their attention from the relationships into which some gays and lesbians enter to the mechanisms on which they — and many others — rely in order to reproduce. Even as one culture war makes way for another, however, there is something that binds them: a desire to establish the family. This Article focuses on a problematic manifestation of that desire: the incest prevention justification. The incest prevention justification posits that the law ought to regulate alternative reproduction in order to minimize the potential for accidental incest between individuals involved in the donor conception process. A leading argument offered by both conservatives and progressives in defense of greater regulation of alternative reproduction, the incest prevention justification hearkens back in troubling ways to a taboo long used in American law to discipline the family.
    [Show full text]
  • Appendix E Papers That Were Accepted for ECOTOX
    Appendix E Papers that Were Accepted for ECOTOX E1. Acceptable for ECOTOX and OPP 1. Aitken, R. J., Ryan, A. L., Baker, M. A., and McLaughlin, E. A. (2004). Redox Activity Associated with the Maturation and Capacitation of Mammalian Spermatozoa. Free Rad.Biol.Med. 36: 994-1010. EcoReference No.: 100193 Chemical of Concern: RTN,CPS; Habitat: T; Effect Codes: BCM,CEL; Rejection Code: LITE EVAL CODED(RTN,CPS). 2. Akpinar, M. B., Erdogan, H., Sahin, S., Ucar, F., and Ilhan, A. (2005). Protective Effects of Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester on Rotenone-Induced Myocardial Oxidative Injury. Pestic.Biochem.Physiol. 82: 233- 239. EcoReference No.: 99975 Chemical of Concern: RTN; Habitat: T; Effect Codes: BCM,PHY; Rejection Code: LITE EVAL CODED(RTN). 3. Amer, S. M. and Aboul-Ela, E. I. (1985). Cytogenetic Effects of Pesticides. III. Induction of Micronuclei in Mouse Bone Marrow by the Insecticides Cypermethrin and Rotenone. Mutation Res. 155: 135-142. EcoReference No.: 99593 Chemical of Concern: CYP,RTN; Habitat: T; Effect Codes: CEL,PHY,MOR; Rejection Code: LITE EVAL CODED(RTN),OK(CYP). 4. Bartlett, B. R. (1966). Toxicity and Acceptance of Some Pesticides Fed to Parasitic Hymenoptera and Predatory Coccinellids. J.Econ.Entomol. 59: 1142-1149. EcoReference No.: 98221 Chemical of Concern: AND,ARM,AZ,DCTP,Captan,CBL,CHD,CYT,DDT,DEM,DZ,DCF,DLD,DMT,DINO,ES,EN,ETN,F NTH,FBM,HPT,HCCH,MLN,MXC,MVP,Naled,KER,PRN,RTN,SBDA,SFR,TXP,TCF,Zineb; Habitat: T; Effect Codes: MOR; Rejection Code: LITE EVAL CODED(RTN),OK(ARM,AZ,Captan,CBL,DZ,DCF,DMT,ES,MLN,MXC,MVP,Naled,SFR).
    [Show full text]
  • Siblings Conceived by Donor Sperm Are Finding Each Other
    Siblings conceived by donor sperm are finding each other By Amy Harmon NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE Like most anonymous sperm donors, Donor 150 of the California Cryobank probably will never meet any offspring he has fathered through the sperm bank. There are at least four children, according to the bank's records, and perhaps many more, since the dozens of women who have bought Donor 150's sperm are not required to report when they have a baby. The half-siblings – twins Erin and Rebecca Baldwin, 17, (right); Justin Senk, 15, (center); and McKenzie Gibson, 12, and her 18-year-old brother,Tyler – found each other in a registry. Even the mothers know only the code number the bank uses for identification and the fragments of personal information provided in his donor profile that drew them to select Donor 150 over other candidates. But two of his genetic daughters, born to different mothers and living in different states, have been e-mailing and talking on the phone regularly since learning of each other's existence this summer. They plan to meet over Thanksgiving. Danielle Pagano, 16, and JoEllen Marsh, 15, connected through the Donor Sibling Registry, a Web site that is helping to open a new chapter in the oldest form of assisted reproductive technology. The three-year-old site allows parents and offspring to enter their contact information and search for others by sperm bank and donor number. Donors who want to shed their anonymity are especially welcome, but the vast majority of the site's 1,001 matches are between half-siblings.
    [Show full text]
  • Maximizing Autonomy and the Changing View of Donor Conception: the Creation of a National Donor Registry
    DePaul Journal of Health Care Law Volume 12 Issue 1 Winter 2009 Article 9 October 2015 Maximizing Autonomy and the Changing View of Donor Conception: The Creation of a National Donor Registry Jean Benward Andrea Mechanick Braverman Bette Galen Follow this and additional works at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/jhcl Recommended Citation Jean Benward, Andrea Mechanick Braverman & Bette Galen, Maximizing Autonomy and the Changing View of Donor Conception: The Creation of a National Donor Registry, 12 DePaul J. Health Care L. 225 (2009) Available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/jhcl/vol12/iss1/9 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Law at Via Sapientiae. It has been accepted for inclusion in DePaul Journal of Health Care Law by an authorized editor of Via Sapientiae. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MAXIMIZING AUTONOMY AND THE CHANGING VIEW OF DONOR CONCEPTION: THE CREATION OF A NATIONAL DONOR REGISTRY Jean Benward, L. C.S. W. Andrea Mechanick Braverman,Ph.D. Bette Galen, L. C.S. W. "It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important" Sir Arthur Conan Doyle INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW We can only estimate the number of donor conceived children in the United States. The frequently cited number of 30,000 births a year from sperm donation comes from a US government sponsored study done in 1987, over 20 years ago.' Although most donor sperm now comes from commercial sperm banks that keep records on donors and sale of sperm, neither physicians, IVF programs, nor parents consistently report pregnancies or births to sperm banks nor do most sperm banks reliably follow up with recipients to track births.
    [Show full text]
  • I Was a Donor at California Cryobank Who Was Open to Contact and Still Every Time a Biological Child of Mine Has Reached out They Have Put up Roadblocks
    CALIFORNIA CRYOBANK (CCB) Note From Wendy: For those of you who used California Cryobank, and wonder why your donor hasn't yet registered on the DSR, here's a possible reason why: A former California Cryobank donor emailed me about what CCB had just told him about the DSR. He said, "...they were quite strong in their position that I should NOT register [on the DSR] bc there are likely errors with people putting wrong donor id, or even fakes, so that if I register, CBank says there's more than a slim chance I'd be reaching out or opening up to people not really offspring of mine." If you used CCB or are a CCB offspring, I encourage you to let CCB know how you feel about them discouraging donors from posting and connecting on the DSR. This is from the sperm bank who has been known to delete urgent medical information from a donor’s profile? We have been operating since 2000, long before CCB ever thought about having a registry. We spend many thousands of dollars each year to maintain and protect our website and our member's privacy. We have successfully connected more than 19,400 people, with more than 70,000 members. In all that time, and through all those members, we had one single donor impostor, a couple of years ago. I caught him within the first 24 hours. Certainly not worthy of negating our 20 years of hard work and thousands of successful connections! 8/2020 DSR’s Facebook Group I was a donor at California Cryobank who was open to contact and still every time a biological child of mine has reached out they have put up roadblocks.
    [Show full text]
  • Need for National Regulation of Cryobanks
    Citizen Petition January 1, 2017 The undersigned submits this petition under 10.20 and 10.30 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act or the Public Health Service Act or any other statutory provision for which authority has been delegated to the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to request the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to issue regulations. A. Action Requested Because the FDA currently mandates minimal medical testing of sperm and egg donors (no other regulation exists), we request that the commissioner of the FDA look into the state of affairs surrounding the sperm donation industry, and then develop the appropriate and much needed regulation/oversight. B. Statement of Grounds Challenges Faced by Donor Conceived People and Their Families Show Need for National Regulation of CryobanKs Christina Mickle, Research Assistant for the Donor Sibling Registry with Wendy Kramer, Director and Co-Founder of the Donor Sibling Registry Introduction: Cryobanks give women and couples who were once not able to have a child, the opportunity to conceive - the ability to start or grow their own family. The great majority of sperm bank customers are LGBT people and single women procuring donor* gametes as a way to build their families [3], while a smaller percentage of sperm bank customers are infertile couples. According to the Center of Disease Control, impaired fecundity (the inability to have a child) affects 18% of men who have sought help for fertility (594,000- 846,000 men) [14]. Although not all want or require donor gametes, the need and desire for cryobanks continues to grow, and challenges in the field are becoming more apparent.
    [Show full text]