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Today in terrible ideas: Pro life legislators in Virginia think it would be a dandy idea to declare that life begins at the moment of conception and that fertilized eggs are people and hop aboard the Personhood Express. This is the worst train since the one Mary Steenburgen traveled through time on in Back to the Future III. More »
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Today, Mississippi's voters weigh in on Initiative 26, the "Personhood" Amendment. If enacted, it will declare that a zygote is a "person" from the moment of fertilization and that all forms of abortion are illegal. In addition, some birth control and IVF practices will be outlawed. As unfathomably dimwitted as it sounds, a recent poll shows a deadlock among the electorate — 45% of Mississippians say they support Personhood with 44% opposing and 11% undecided (Mississippi: The Science State). We kind of like this whole idea of making it illegal to mess with things by virtue of the fact that we have amended the constitution to declare them "persons." What else, besides featureless clusters of cells, deserves the same protection as grown ass humans? More »
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There has long been speculation that women who undergo in vitro fertilization are at greater risk for ovarian cancer. It's been hard, however, to confirm this link because infertile women have a higher rate of ovarian cancer to start with. So it's difficult to sort out whether it's the underlying infertility or the IVF procedure (which requires stimulating ovaries with hormones) that's causing the cancer. More »
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Only four doctors in Mississippi perform in vitro fertilization, and since the state's so-called "Personhood Amendment" was added to the November ballot, they've all been receiving panicked calls from patients about the possibility that the state constitution might soon make many IVF practices illegal. More »
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We're used to hearing about female stars who have twins after undergoing IVF, but it seems that this phenomenon is destined to become something D-listers snark about on I Love The '10s. According to a new study, reproductive technology has improved to the point that transferring only one embryo during in vitro fertilization won't lower a woman's chances of giving birth, but it will reduce her risk of having to go through with a risky pregnancy or make a tough call about reduction. More »
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It may not come as a surprise that women who are underweight have trouble conceiving, since they sometimes struggle with irregular periods. What's more surprising is that even IVF, which doctors thought would compensate for these problems, is still less effective in underweight women than in those at a healthy weight, or those who are obese. More »
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A Canadian radio station sponsoring a "Win a baby!" contest has chosen the five lucky couples who will each receive $35,000 worth of IVF treatments, but not before telling them that only one couple would win. Hooray? More »
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Mississippi loves its fetuses, y'all. Mississippi loves them so much that this fall, the state is allowing its voters to decide whether to add a so-called "Personhood Amendment" to its state constitution. More »
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In one of the many special cases complicating the abortion debate, a number of parents are choosing to abort one fetus when they discover they're carrying twins. This has created an ethical quagmire for parents and doctors alike. More »
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Washington, D.C. has by far the highest per-capita rate of in vitro fertilization, followed by other parts of the Northeast. This and other fascinating facts come from an infographic compiled by Fertility Nation, drawing on CDC and census data. (Click to enlarge). More »
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Years after kicking heroin, a Time reporter finds herself injecting again-this time, in an attempt to get pregnant. Her IV-to-IVF twist of fate triggers a rush of reflections on the meaning of addiction, parenthood, and recovery. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5791353&view=rss&microfeed=true Researchers found IVF patients who use donor eggs and their own uterus usually have smaller babies than surrogates who carry an infertile woman's embryo, leading doctors to conclude uterine environment may be more important than egg quality for healthy babies. More »
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A British doctor is allegedly circumventing the UK's laws against sex-selective fertility treatments by referring patients to a clinic in Cyprus. So is he doing anything wrong? More »
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Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban announced yesterday the birth of their biological daughter — through gestational carrier. Incidentally, surrogacy is illegal in their native Australia, and New South Wales has already banned the practice for Australians overseas too. More »
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An Australian couple is fighting for the right to sex-selective IVF. They want a girl, having lost their only daughter — and have already aborted twin male fetuses conceived through IVF. More »
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At 41, Melanie Thernstrom wanted children, but every IVF cycle failed. She turned to surrogacy, but she wanted two kids, and worried about the risks of twins. So she found two women, already mothers, to carry a third woman's eggs. More »
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Scientists have managed to take females out of the reproduction equation by getting two male mice to reproduce together, opening up the possibility for future human male/male reproduction (with a female surrogate to carry). No one tell Christine O'Donnell. More »
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A healthy boy has been born from an embryo frozen in 1990. Another couple had donated their leftover embryos after the woman gave birth, so the boy has a 20-year-old sibling out there who was conceived at the same time. More »
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85-year-old University of Cambridge professor Robert Edwards has won the Nobel Prize for inventing in-vitro fertilization. Edwards started developing the technique, which has led to the birth of approximately 4 million people, in the 1950s. More »
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A think tank is criticizing British IVF clinics for providing clients with porn — apparently because it leads to "adultery of the mind." More »
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On this site, we joke about the Unsolicited Uterus Updates in the tabloids and on gossip sites, but the truth is that prying about the status of a woman's womb — famous or not — is really inappropriate. More »
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Couples in Dorset are benefiting from an unexpected baby boom and some say it's caused by a figure known as "The Rude Man." Maternity magic! Not that we couldn't use a little. More »
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• A recent survey of 2,000 Brits found that women are generally perceived to be at their "most attractive" at the ripe old age of 31. Researchers also found that confidence was more importance than looks in defining beauty.

More »
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Today this morning featured Bhateri Devi, a 66-year-old woman from Hisar, India who just became a first-time mom. Cue the judgment! More »
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• A Planned Parenthood in Nebraska has filed a lawsuit against the state to stop a law that would require mental health screening for women seeking abortions. If they are unsuccessful, the law will go into effect next month. •  More »
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According to the Daily Mail "dozens" of women have had abortions after getting pregnant via in-vitro fertilization, something former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe claims is akin to treating babies like "designer goods." More »
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• Kids at the Oakwood Elementary School in Norfolk, Virginia received some strange instructional materials. Over the past few months, a pro-life staff member handed out dozens of 4 inch-long fetus dolls with an informational card attached to students. More »
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•  An 81-year-old grandfather from Switzerland has been put under house arrest by his family after a fall from a plum tree allegedly turned him into a sex addict. But maybe his family is just mad about something else. More »
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• The 16-year-old who brought rape charges against Lawrence Taylor says she didn't recognize the NFL player at the time of the assault, but because she's a "huge Giant fan," she isn't sure she wants him to go to jail. More »
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A new procedure that combines DNA from one man and two women may help produce embryos free of genetic disease. Some people are concerned about the technique, however — maybe because it resembles the scariest X-Files episode ever. [Sun] More »
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A California woman who underwent fertility treatments has given birth to octuplets, but a new test may make the implantation of multiple embryos unnecessary, as doctors can now check the viability of eggs before fertilization. More »
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Though it sounds like a plot from a bad sci-fi film, a fertility clinic in London plans to raffle off a human egg Wednesday in order to promote international egg donation between the clinic and its partner in Virginia. [DailyMail] More »
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• In preparation for Valentine's Day, "hundreds" of British dudes have purchased pairs of penis-boosting underwear, which function kind of like a Wonderbra for the crotch. Whatever happened to just sending flowers? •  More »
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• Saudi policemen have begun a crackdown on Valentine's Day items, including red roses, heart-shaped products or gifts wrapped in red. Celebration of the Hallmark holiday is banned in Saudi Arabia, as is celebration of some other Western holidays. •  More »
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British scientists have performed successful womb transplants in two rabbits, using a new technique they say they can apply to humans within two years. More »
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In this week's New York Times, Stephanie Saul takes a fascinating look at the world of in-vitro fertilization, exploring the safety of IVF treatments and the willingness of families to undergo the risks in order to conceive a child. More »
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• This poor duckling was going to be put down following an accident that left him with a fractured leg, but his owner enlisted the help of a local cobbler and ended up with an adorable corrective sandal. • More »
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After the death of the "world's oldest mom," NPR's The Takeaway asks Times blogger Lisa Belkin and 56-year-old mom Karen Day "how old is too old" to have a child. More »
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In a repeal of Bush-era limitations, federal funding can now be used on any existing embryonic stem cell line, as long as the initial embryo was created for IVF and freely given by a well-informed donor. [Washington Post] More »
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Slate's William Saleten is all over the IVF-regulation beat. Today, he follows up on the Georgia bill that was an ill-disguised effort to confer personhood on cell clusters. It was amended, but still has issues. More »
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