Can Baby Powder Really Cause Ovarian Cancer?
A jury has ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $417 million in damages to a 63-year-old woman in Los Angeles who developed ovarian cancer after using the company’s talc-based baby powder for decades. Like many women who use baby powder to freshen up or reduce chafing between their thighs, on their genitals, or in their underwear, Eva Echeverria was unaware for many years of the potential link between ovarian cancer and talc, an ingredient in some types of baby powder. This isn't
Flame retardants may hinder infertility treatments, study suggests
Researchers have linked higher exposure to a type of flame retardant to a greater likelihood that in vitro fertilization (IVF) won't work. "Couples undergoing IVF and trying to improve their chances of success by reducing their exposure to environmental chemicals may want to opt for products that are flame retardant-free," said senior study author Russ Hauser. He is a professor of reproductive physiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. The study is
China’s embrace of embryo selection raises thorny questions
Fertility centers in China are making a massive push to increase preimplantation genetic diagnosis in a bid to eradicate certain diseases. Getting time with Qiao Jie is not easy. At 7:30 a.m., the line coming out of the fertility centre that she runs blocks the doorway and extends some 80 meters down the street. Inside, about 50 physicians on her team are discussing recent findings, but Qiao, a fertility specialist and president of Peking University Third Hospital in Beijing,
World's Largest Gathering of Twins
If you unwittingly pass through this Midwestern town on the first weekend in August, you might think you’ve stumbled into a mirrored funhouse. Everywhere you look there are identical twins, all of them wearing matching outfits. Here, two stout gray-haired men dressed as pilgrims. Over there, a pair of bearded dudes in lederhosen, hoisting trays stacked with mugs of beer. Even the baby girls in the two-seat stroller, sporting Steelers onesies, are spitting images. This double-
Vitamin B3 may prevent some miscarriages, birth defects, study says
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) -- found in meat and green vegetables -- has been shown to prevent one genetic cause of birth defects and miscarriages, according to a new study. Overall, birth defects and miscarriage are global problems, affecting up to 6% of babies and up to 20% of known pregnancies. A possible prevention, then, could help millions worldwide. "Not only have we identified a cause of miscarriage, and of birth defects where the babies affected have heart and vertebral and
Single Chinese women want to freeze their eggs and enjoy life
The rise of "singledom" is a worldwide trend and China is no exception. China replaced its one-child policy with a universal two-child policy in 2015, but it is also witnessing the rise of a female workforce that wants to focus on their careers and postpone starting a family. An increasing number of Chinese women see egg freezing as a solution that could allow them to have it all. But the Chinese government forbids unmarried women from freezing their eggs, and there are still
IVF babies tend to be lighter than others but end up heavier
Since the first “test tube” baby arrived 39 years ago, an estimated 6.5 million children have been born thanks to IVF and similar techniques. But we are only just starting to learn about the long-term health of people conceived using assisted reproduction techniques (ART), who may have a higher risk of obesity in later life. “Today, 1 in every 30 babies in Japan is conceived by ART,” says Tomoya Hasegawa of Tokyo Medical University. IVF babies are usually healthy, but tend to
First embryo gene-repair holds promise for inherited disease
Altering human heredity? In a first, researchers safely repaired a disease-causing gene in human embryos, targeting a heart defect best known for killing young athletes — a big step toward one day preventing a list of inherited diseases. In a surprising discovery, a research team led by Oregon Health and & Science University reported recently that embryos can help fix themselves if scientists jump-start the process early enough. It's laboratory research only, nowhere near rea
