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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: conception

conception stories: 15 news summaries

 1 Womb, 
 2 Fetuses, 
 2 Weeks Apart: 
 Here's How 

'Superfetation' is really, really rare, docs are clueless, but babies should be fine

(Newser) - Forget that 19-pound Indonesian baby. The real miracle pregnancy is Arkansas born and bred: Julia Grovenburg, who this month managed to get pregnant not once, but twice. That’s right: two conceptions, one two weeks after the other, to be enjoyed—cherished, endured, served—concomitantly. There are only 10 recorded... More »

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TRAVEL

 Aruba Resort 
 Pays Guests 
 to Make Babies 

Resort's $300 'conception credit' inspired by coral reproduction, naturally

(Newser) - Getting knocked up really pays off, at least at one Westin resort in Aruba, USA Today reports. In honor of coral's spawning season, couples who shell out $399 for a daily package are eligible for a $300 “conception credit” toward their next vacation—if they conceive during their stay.... More »

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pregnancy conception promotion Caribbean Aruba resorts guests hotel industry Westin

(Newser) - Some couples are unable to conceive because the woman's eggs screen his sperm for DNA quality and give it a thumbs down, the Independent reports. Scientists in Britain and the US have spotted this "lock-and-key" mechanism in which eggs "read" sperm's DNA, most of which is... More »

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sperm in vitro fertilization DNA eggs conception fertility treatment

 More Sex Makes 
 Stronger Sperm, 
 Cuts Infertility 

Men's sperm quality improves with daily ejaculation, study finds

(Newser) - Having sex every day improves sperm quality and can improve a couple's chances of conception, an Australian fertility specialist finds. Eight in 10 men with fertility problems showed less damaged DNA and more mobility in their sperm after 7 days, the BBC reports. The study recommended men "keep the... More »

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fertility Australia sperm conception male fertility infertility sperm count ovulation

(Newser) - Babies conceived between April and July—the period when surface-water concentrations of pesticides are at their highest—run an increased risk of having a birth defect, Reuters reports. “Our study didn't prove a cause and effect link,” the lead researcher said, but “the fact that birth defects... More »

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pregnancy conception summer scientific study pesticide birth defect Spring

 Wild Sex Makes Babies 

Better stimulation likely boosts fertility in both sexes

(Newser) - A night of wild passion is more likely to result in endless nights with a squalling newborn than the mechanical, right-time-of-the-month sex many couples fall into when trying for a baby, say experts. “The better the sex, the better the chances of conception,” noted one. Each partner should... More »

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fertility sex baby conception

 Old Dad, Poor Brain 

Children born to older dads fare worse on memory, learning tests, study finds

(Newser) - Children born to older dads tend to do worse on memory, learning and concentration tests than babies of older moms, researchers have found, reports the BBC. Scientists speculate that the poorer performance may be linked to damaging sperm mutations over time that affect babies who are conceived later in life.... More »

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Screening Technique Improves In Vitro Odds

Scientists can now safely analyze eggs' chances of conception

(Newser) - Scientists have discovered a way to greatly increase the chance of success for in vitro fertilizations, Time reports. Under current procedures, fresh eggs yield only a 25% success rate, necessitating multiple—and expensive—attempts. Many eggs hold chromosomal defects that make them incapable of conception, but it has, until now,... More »

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pregnancy sperm in vitro fertilization genetic testing conception genes egg

From Now 'Til New Year's: Baby-Making on the Rise

Increased leisure time and resolutions the cause

(Newser) - The gifts have been opened, but a special package may be arriving 9 months from now. The days between Christmas and the start of the New Year see more sex than usual, reports McClatchy Newspapers, which cite Trojan condom's pre-New Year's sales as proof.  The hanky panky results in... More »

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sex conception birth sexual behavior Christmas New Year's Eve

Bush Rule Shields Docs Who Deny Women Abortions, Pill

New regulation lets health care workers refuse 'immoral' work

(Newser) - Doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health care workers would have the right to refuse to provide abortion services, contraception or even information on preventing or ending pregnancies under a controversial new regulation issued by the Bush administration. The proposed rule would force hospitals, clinics and other health care providers to... More »

 Moms Go Bananas
 to Conceive Boys 

Gender influenced by diet, researchers find

(Newser) - Women who want to conceive boys should eat potassium-rich bananas as part of a high calorie, high protein diet, according to the latest British research into influencing gender at conception. Scientists found that 56% of mothers on a high calorie diet conceived boys, compared with 45% of those on a... More »

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gender diet mothers conception Oxford University childbirth high calorie diet Exeter University gestation Stuart West Fiona Mathews

Teen Pregnancy Down in US, Feds Say

And more women
are keeping babies
out of wedlock

(Newser) - Teen pregnancy is down and more unmarried 20-somethings are getting pregnant in America, Reuters reports. A 2004 federal study also shows that more unmarried women are keeping their babies, except among blacks. Why the drop in teen pregnancies? "There is some evidence that contraceptive use was increasing among teenagers... More »

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abortion contraception condom conception single parenting teen pregnancy single women

'Toxic Sperm' Linked to
Child Ills

Gene material in sperm may be hurt by heavy drinking, smoking: study

(Newser) - Men who smoke or drink heavily may transmit genetic abnormalities through their damaged sperm, leading to child health complications, miscarriages or stillbirth, researchers have found. The effects of environmental toxins on paternal health—long held to be far less important than that of mothers—may play a crucial role in... More »

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fatherhood health alcohol sperm smoking conception childbirth toxin genetic abnormalities

UK Weighs Revolution
in IVF Rules

Bill would require birth certificates to note donor involvement

(Newser) - Legislation pending in Britain proposes sweeping changes to fertility laws, including requiring birth certificates to note whether a baby was conceived through in vitro fertilization and an easing of restrictions on so-called "savior siblings." Parents choose to have such children in part because their blood or bone marrow... More »

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fertility health United Kingdom in vitro fertilization children family conception Britain

Fat and
Fertility
Do Mix

Eating ice cream makes it more likely for some women to get pregnant

(Newser) - Eating ice cream may help expand your waistline in more ways than one: consuming full-fat dairy products may actually boost fertility, according to new Harvard research. In an eight-year study of women suffering from anovulatory infertility—infertility due to lack of ovulation—greater intake of full-fat dairy products directly correlated... More »

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nutrition pregnancy fertility fat dairy conception waistline

15 Stories