In vitro growth of immature oocytes provides opportunities to increase gametic resources and to understand the mechanisms underlying oocyte development. Many studies on the in vitro growth of oocytes have been reported thus far; however, only a few cases have been reported, which demonstrated that oocytes can support full-term development after in vitro fertilization. Our research group recentl...

In 2004 the term “designer baby” made the transition from sci-fi movies and weblogs into the Oxford English Dictionary, where it is defined as “a baby whose genetic makeup has been artificially selected by genetic engineering combined with in vitro fertilization to ensure the presence or absence of particular genes or characteristics.” This coinage was prompted by recent advances in genetics th...

The decision whether or not to resuscitate extremely low gestational age (GA) infants is recommended to be individualized according to antenatal counseling with parents, neonatologists, and obstetricians. A GA of 22⁰/₇-23⁶/₇ weeks is generally considered as the lower end of the range where infants can be candidates for selective resuscitation. Below this lower end of periviable gestation, resus...

BACKGROUND A number of disputes have arisen in recent years over the status of non-transferred embryos cryopreserved during in vitro fertilisation. One such case is that of Natallie Evans who in April 2007 lost her final attempt to prevent the destruction of embryos created with the sperm of her former partner. Ms Evans had been rendered infertile by cancer treatment, and the embryos represente...

The compromise position that accepts the use and derivation of stem cells from spare in vitro fertilisation embryos but opposes the creation of embryos for these purposes is a very weak ethical position. This paper argues that whatever the basis is on which defenders of this viewpoint accord intrinsic value to the embryo, once they accept the creation and sacrifice of embryos to benefit inferti...

OBJECTIVE To compare the outcomes of embryo development between oval-shaped oocyte as an abnormal morphology oocyte and a normal morphology oocyte in In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). METHODS This study was a comparative analytical study with retrospective approach which lasted from September 2014 until November 2015. For this study, we used secondary data (medical records) from 24 patients submi...

OBJECTIVE To medically and psychologically assess gay men seeking parenthood through assisted reproduction and to provide guidelines for the assessment. DESIGN Qualitative observational study. SETTING Academic medical center. PATIENT(S) Thirty gay males (15 couples) presenting for assisted reproduction using an oocyte donor and a gestational carrier. INTERVENTION(S) Semistructured inter...

This article provides a contribution to the debate about the processes of circulation of knowledge and meanings among experts and laymen regarding the status of human embryos in Portugal. It weighs up the expectations and concerns regarding the reliability, quality, safety and efficacy of medically assisted reproductive technologies. Individual interviews, aimed at exploring the complexities, s...

This study follows 40 older single-mother families created with the aid of sperm donation using either insemination or in vitro fertilization. The study is based on qualitative data obtained from the mothers 3 years after a previous study with these families. The mean age of the mothers at this time was about 47 years and of the children 7 years. The findings provide insights into the mothers' ...