Cut down on your mobile
Heavy mobile phone use tied to poorer sperm
February 7, 2008 - 7:10AM
Spending hours on a mobile phone each day may affect the quality of a man’s sperm, preliminary US research suggests.
In a study of 361 men seen at their infertility clinic, researchers at the Cleveland Clinic found an association between the patients’ mobile phone use and their sperm quality.
On average, the more hours the men spent on their mobile phones each day, the lower their sperm count and the greater their percentage of abnormal sperm.
The findings, published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, add to questions about the potential health effects of mobile phones and other wireless devices.
Some studies, for example, have linked long-term mobile phone use to a higher risk of brain tumours, though many other studies have found no such connection.
The concern is that, over time, the electromagnetic energy emitted from mobile phones could theoretically harm body tissue – by damaging DNA, for example.
However, the new findings do not prove that mobile phones somehow damage sperm, according to the researchers.
“Our results show a strong association of cell phone use with decreased semen quality. However, they do not prove a cause-and- effect relationship,” lead researcher Dr Ashok Agarwal said.
He and his colleagues based their findings on semen samples from 361 men who came to their infertility clinic over one year.
All of the men were questioned about their mobile phone habits.
In general, the researchers found, sperm count and sperm quality tended to decline as daily mobile phone hours increased.
Men who said they used their phones for more than four hours each day had the lowest average sperm count and the fewest normal, viable sperm.
“We infer from our results that heavy cell phone use … is associated with a lower semen quality,” Agarwal said.
But whether mobile phones somehow directly affect men’s fertility is not clear.
Agarwal said he and his colleagues have two studies underway aiming to shed light on the issue.
In one, they are exposing semen samples to electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones to see what, if any, effects occur.
The second is a follow-up to the current study that is assessing a larger group of men.
Agarwal said this study is more rigorously designed and will account for certain other factors like lifestyle habits and occupational exposures that might affect sperm quality.
SOURCE: Fertility and Sterility, January 2008.
REUTERS
Heavy mobile phone use tied to poorer sperm - World - BrisbaneTimes
Young girls required to engage in sex in Texas sect temple
AP, SAN ANGELO, TEXAS
Friday, Apr 11, 2008, Page 7
Young teenage girls at a polygamist compound in west Texas were required to have sex in a soaring temple after they were married in sect-recognized unions, newly unsealed court documents showed.
The temple “contains an area where there is a bed where males over the age of 17 engage in sexual activity with female children under the age of 17,” an affidavit released on Wednesday said, quoting a confidential informant who left the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Agents found a bed in the temple with disturbed linens and what appeared to be a female hair, the affidavit signed by Texas Ranger Leslie Brooks Long said. The Rangers are the state’s investigative law enforcement arm.
The temple also contained multiple locked safes, vaults and desk drawers that authorities sought access to as they searched for records showing alleged marriages of underage girls as young as 12 or 13 to older men and births among the teens. The affidavit unsealed on Wednesday mentions a 16-year-old girl who has four children.
Texas law prohibits polygamy and the marriage of girls under 16.
Also on Wednesday, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers completed a weeklong search of the 700-hectare grounds, spokeswoman Tela Mange said.
Lawyers for the sect had wanted to cut off the wide-ranging search as it dragged on but agreed in court on Wednesday to the appointment of a special master who will vet what is expected to be hundreds of boxes of records, computers and even family Bibles for records that should not become evidence for legal or religious reasons.
Gerry Goldstein, a San Antonio lawyer flanked by nine other attorneys the church hired, said the search of the temple was analogous to a law enforcement search of the Vatican or other holy places.
The church lawyers described in documents three men being dragged from the temple as law enforcement officials sought entry for the search.
Taipei Times - archives
Disclosure law may spark flight of sperm donors
Natasha Wallace Health Reporter
December 3, 2007
PEOPLE who donate sperm or human eggs, who are already in short supply, may be forced to disclose the names of their spouses and children under new legislation tightening rules governing assisted reproduction.
A health policy and family law expert, Jenni Millbank, criticised the NSW legislation, saying if the provision was adopted it would be a “huge incursion” on the privacy of spouses and children of donors.
A professor of law at the University of Technology, Sydney, Professor Millbank said it had the potential to allow donor offspring to track down their biological parents through that person’s ex-partner long after they had separated. “There’s a lot of devil in the detail. The regulations are going to have a profound impact on these privacy issues,” she said.
While she was not opposed to a register of donor names - which the law stipulates must be kept for 50 years - she felt the net had been cast too wide. “It’s absolutely unclear who’s going to keep that information and how much information will be included,” she said. She said the requirement, if adopted, would further decrease sperm donations. The numbers fell sharply after January last year when donors had to agree to be identified so offspring could contact them once they turned 18.
A spokesman for the NSW Health Minister, Reba Meagher, said the health department would begin drafting regulations under the new legislation next year. “This question of whether donors will be required to provide details of their spouse an children is a matter that will be the subject of consultation, the outcomes of which will inform the Government’s decision,” he said.
It is unclear who will give consent for the donor’s spouse and children to be included and whether any subsequent children would also have to be registered. A clause of the Assisted Reproductive Technology Act, which was passed in the upper house last Wednesday, says a donor “must not obtain a gamete [cell] from a gamete provider, unless the … provider has obtained such information about the gamete provider, the gamete provider’s spouse (if any) and any offspring of the gamete provider”.
Professor Millbank said she was also “mystified” as to why NSW legislation limited the use of donated gametes and embryos to five families for each donor, half the amount stipulated under the national Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee’s code of practice. “NSW has really just plucked a few things out of the air and gone on a frolic of their own,” she said.
“It’s kind of crazy. There’s nothing to indicate where they came up with this figure and why they decided to depart from the national standard, which is also an international one now the UK has also adopted a 10-family limit and the European Union has recommended it,” she said. “If they wanted to ban the use of donor gamete, they should have said so.”
Disclosure law may spark flight of sperm donors - National - Home
Remote control birth control
Louise Hall | February 10, 2008
VASECTOMIES could be a thing of the past thanks to Australian scientists who are developing a remote-controlled contraceptive implant for men. The device stops and starts the flow of sperm with the push of a button, similar to locking a car with a key fob.
Researchers at the University of Adelaide say the valve would remain shut most of the time to act as a contraceptive barrier. A man would use the remote control to open the valve and allow the sperm to pass through when he and his partner wanted to conceive.
The implant, still in laboratory testing, would provide a much-needed alternative to vasectomy, a surgical procedure not easily reversed if a man changes his mind. Australia has one of the highest vasectomy rates in the developed world.
A Marie Stopes International (MSI) survey of 1000 men in 2005 found 29 per cent of men aged 40 to 49 and 34 per cent of men aged 50 to 59 had had the procedure. MSI acting chief executive Jill Michelson said women tended to bear the burden of preventing unwanted pregnancies and men needed to take more responsibility. “Any new form of contraception is always a good thing,” she said.
The implant being devised by the team of biomedical engineers is made from a specially coated silicone-based material to reduce the risk of infection or rejection by the body. No larger than a grain of rice, it would be inserted into the vas deferens - the duct which carries sperm from each testicle to the penis - using a hypodermic needle. A transmitter outside the body would send a coded radio frequency pulse to an ID tag inside the body, causing the valve to open and close in response to a unique code.
Project founder Professor Derek Abbott said the valve didn’t need a battery as the energy comes from the radio signal. But he said after a while the valve may clog with protein and remain shut, rendering the man permanently infertile.
Remote control birth control - National - Home - brisbanetimes.com.au
Sperm, egg donors allowed to trace children
Carol Nader | December 18, 2007
SPERM and egg donors
will still be permitted to initiate contact with children they helped conceive, after the State Government rejected the recommendation of a report it commissioned that the law be overthrown.
In
Victoria
, anyone who donated sperm or eggs that were used in the conception of children born from July 1988 onwards can apply to the Infertility Treatment Authority for information about the child.
Once the child turns 18, the authority is required to write to them, requesting consent to release identifying information to the donor. But there are concerns that people who are not aware of their genetic origins would face possible trauma upon learning of their history. Studies have shown only about a third of parents tell their children how they were conceived. The first people affected by the law turned 18 last year. The authority launched a public awareness campaign, encouraging parents to tell their children and offering support.
The Victorian Law Reform Commission in its report argued it would be “intrusive and unenforceable” to legally oblige parents to inform their children of their genetic origins. It recommended that only children be allowed to initiate contact, but donors should have a 12-month period to apply for information. It said donors should be encouraged to tell authorities if they became aware of a genetic condition that might have been transmitted and the information would be passed on.
The Government last week announced it would make surrogacy available and ease restrictions on single women and lesbians to access fertility treatment. But it won’t accept the commission’s recommendation about sperm and egg donors’ access to information. A spokesman for Health Minister Daniel Andrews said: “There have been a number of changes over a period of time in this area. To change the laws again would be confusing and destabilising.”
Melbourne IVF clinic medical director John McBain has been trying to persuade the Government to repeal the law and intends to write to Mr Andrews. Dr McBain said by refusing to change the law, the Government was effectively frightening people into telling their children about how they were conceived.
The authority has so far received fewer than 10 applications from donors requesting information about children who have turned 18. Chief executive Louise Johnson said donors making the applications to date had been sensitive.
Sperm, egg donors allowed to trace children - National - BrisbaneTimes
Saturday April 12, 2008
Cops: Rape-murder solved
JELI, KELANTAN: Police believe they have solved the rape and murder of 17-year-old Nurul Anira Che Rosik with the arrest of a 34-year-old relative.
The suspect, a carpenter and a bachelor from Kampung Lubuk Bongo, here was arrested after police found contradictions in his testimony.
The man, who lived 6km from Nurul’s home in Kampung Chegar Bedil, Kuala Balah, was first questioned at the police station here and his statements were later found to be contradictory.
He would be remanded until next Friday, district OCPD DSP Mohamad Hanifa Abdul Malik told a press conference.
The girl was waylaid 500m from her home on Saturday where she was believed to have being raped several times by more than one assailant and then strangled with tree roots inside a rubber plantation area.
Police believed the motive was jealousy and revenge.
Saturday April 12, 2008
50% of Malaysians could be overweight, says minister
By AUDREY EDWARDS, The Star
PETALING JAYA: The perennial dilemma of
overweight and obese Malaysian adults
does not seem to be improving with the Health Ministry expressing fears that more than 50% of Malaysian adults could now be saddled with the problem.
Its minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said while the
National Health and Morbidity Survey in 2006 revealed the combined prevalence of overweight and obese adults was 43.1% - almost double the figure a decade ago
, the current numbers could have already increased over the past two years.
The estimated number of Malaysian adults above the age of 20 is about 13 million.
Liow pinned the disturbing situation down to the lack of proper health knowledge where Malaysians need to be better informed and motivated to stay healthy in terms of diet, physical activity, stress management and disease prevention.
He said Malaysians had also grown accustomed to an affluent lifestyle where they were more comfortable sitting at home and watching television or being in front of the computer instead of enjoying the great outdoors.
“For example, how many people know that losing even a modest 5% to 10% of their weight can result in reduced sickness and death?” he said in his speech Saturday when launching Nutrition Month Malaysia 2008.
Liow, who took a jibe at his own weight problem where he weighed 75kg instead of the desired 70kg, added that Malaysians took “eating right” lightly where they did not know what to eat, when to do so and how much they should consume.
“There is plenty to eat but, unfortunately, many of us are not making wise decisions with regards to what and how much we should eat. Instead of using common sense, we act on impulse,” he added.
“With our busy lifestyles, we would rather eat out than at home, opt for fast food rather than cook at home. And, too often, we spare little thought about the health and nutritional value of what we put into our tummies, if we remember to eat at all.”
Malaysian Association for the Study of Obesity president Prof Dr Mohd Ismail Noor later revealed that about 90% of overweight and obese adults in the country were “very likely” to develop diabetes.
“What is worrying is that younger people who have diabetes and are also overweight. You do not have to wait until you are 40 to have this disease. They are now as young as 25,” he said.
He warned the problem had to be nipped in the bud because the combined access to food 24 hours a day and lack of exercise was a “recipe for disaster”.
“Look at the West. They have promotional health campaigns and yet it is not working there,” he said.
He also said if one parent is overweight or obese, the chances of the child being in a similar situation was 40%.
The chances increased to 80% if both parents are either overweight or obese, he said.
Genetic predisposition
,
he said contributed to between 10% and 15% of those who faced the weighty problem in the country.
Saturday April 12, 2008
Loan shark falls victim to con man
KUALA LUMPUR: Loan sharks are usually the villains in most stories but one fell victim recently.
The loan shark was cheated
of RM2,900 when a man took out a loan from him using a forged MyKad.
The creditor traced the address on the MyKad (I.C) to the apartment of 40-year-old masseuse Liew Sow Wai.
Card shark: Chong and Liew showing a copy of the forged MyKad with Liew’s name and address on it at Wisma MCA.
Liew’s mother had apparently rented out her apartment in Johor Baru in late March to a couple, who claimed to be from Penang.
On April 4, Liew received a call from her property agent informing her that a loan shark was looking for a certain “Mr Liew” at her apartment to demand payment.
“I was puzzled because I did not borrow any money from loan sharks,” she told reporters at Wisma MCA.
Liew immediately rushed to Johor to clarify the matter with the loan shark.
When she met the loan shark, it was his turn to be surprised, as his debtor was a man.
“I showed the Ah Long my MyKad and it was only then that we realised we had been cheated. He showed me a copy of his debtor’s MyKad and it had my name and address on it but the IC number and photo was different,” she said.
Her tenants had gone missing since then and Liew had no means of contacting them as her mother had rented out the apartment in a hurry.
Fortunately, the loan shark promised not to hound Liew as he, too, felt that she was a victim.
After lodging a police report at the Sentul police station, Liew sought help from MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Michael Chong.
“I’ve always been told the MyKad is foolproof but from today’s case we can see how it can be easily tampered with.
“I urge the Home Ministry to look into the matter immediately as forged identity cards can pose a problem to financial institutions such as banks,” said Chong.
Chong also asked the person with IC No. 721211-01-5155 to come forward to shed light on the issue.
Thailand to control teenage ’lady-boy’ boom
April 9, 2008 - 7:00PM
BANGKOK - Thai health authorities are banning “cosmetic castrations” of underage boys, after parents complained about teenagers seeking out the operation as a first step toward a sex change. Thailand last week imposed a total ban on the procedure pending a review by a medical board. Under the new rules, boys under 18 will only be allowed to receive castrations to treat medical conditions, such as cancer.
The Medical Council of Thailand, a professional association that sets standards of practise for doctors, said adult men could still undergo castrations as part of a sex change operation. But men will also now be required to undergo three psychiatric checks by different doctors before being allowed to begin gender reassignment surgery, the council’s president, Somsak Lolekha, told government-run NBT television today.
Somsak warned it could be difficult to enforce the ban, which takes effect immediately, at all the country’s clinics, where castrations can be performed in as little as 20 minutes for a cost as low as 4000 baht ($A140). “Castrations of minors must be halted now,” he said.
Amnaj Kussalanand, Medical Council secretary general, said the organisation would meet tomorrow to consider penalties for doctors who violate the ban. Thailand is famously tolerant of transsexuals, known locally as “kathoey,” or the third gender.
While they have traditionally been allowed roles in festivals and cabarets, they have in recent years sought to make inroads into mainstream society, and surgical sex changes have become more common.
AFP
Thailand to control teenage ’lady-boy’ boom - World - BrisbaneTimes
How it feels to be a sperm donor?
December 31, 2007
He has seven daughters and five sons but he is not really a father - yet
.
I FIRST considered donating sperm when I was at university about 1990 and saw a poster looking for
sperm donors
. I spoke to my girlfriend about it but never followed up the idea.
Ten years later I became friends with an infertile couple. They unsuccessfully tried IVF numerous times before finally giving up. This made me realise how heartbreaking infertility can be and it prompted me to consider sperm donation again.
Before I could donate I had 12 months of tests to ensure I had no sexually transmitted diseases, that my DNA didn’t contain any commonly known genetic diseases, that my fertility levels were high enough and to confirm that my sperm was able to survive the freezing-and-thawing
.
I was also interviewed about my family and medical history by doctors and counsellors, and advised on the current laws pertaining to sperm donation, and the possible outcomes and long-term scenarios - such as a donor-conceived offspring wanting to meet me in the future. At the end of all the tests it was found that I was a suitable donor and I made the final decision to go ahead.
From May 2002
I made a donation every three months or so
. The process of making a donation isn’t embarrassing really. I have a scientific background and I watch lots of wildlife documentaries so I feel comfortable with the process. There is still a bit of a stigma attached to donating so I only tell close friends and family.
After the initial donations my sperm was quarantined for six months and I had a second HIV test. When all was clear they released the first round of sperm.
One day I got a call to say there were three confirmed pregnancies using my sperm. Psychologically this was a big shock for me but this quickly gave way to an overwhelmingly happy feeling of having done something good. It would have been better if the news had been broken to me one pregnancy at a time rather than in a batch.
I believe there are 12 offspring - seven girls and five boys - born from my donations to nine families. I am also aware that a 10th family has tried unsuccessfully to conceive.
The limit for the number of recipient families to use a donor’s sperm was 10 when I first donated, so no more families can use my donations. However, the current families may conceive additional offspring
.
I know close to nothing about the recipient families. By default the clinic tells you very little. I only know the ages and occupations of some of the recipients. I’m also told the child’s gender, if it is healthy and a rough idea when it was born.
Family is important to me. I would happily have had children of my own already but unfortunately my partner’s and my busy professional careers have taken priority. I would be happy to have my own children right now but my partner is still not ready.
I don’t have a problem with the donor-conceived children wanting to meet me and my family one day. In fact, I encourage it. I would even be willing to communicate with them or their family, via the clinic, should they have any questions. If my family and the recipient family were like pen friends, then that could make the meeting in 18 years time go more smoothly and possibly be less stressful.
But I am not the donor-conceived offspring’s father. While you could say that I am the
biological father
, I believe there is more to being a father than just donated sperm. The man who nurtures and raises the offspring is their true father. However, if the child is curious about their biological father then I am happy to meet them.
I would be curious about what the donor-conceived offspring looks like and how they turned out.
If I was a new sperm donor, I would have to consider it twice as much as I did six years ago. New legislation introduced in NSW discriminates against donors by stripping them of their privacy. This could result in a donor-conceived offspring (who would then be an adult) stalking the donor or their family.
In the rush to satisfy the donor-conceived offspring’s curiosity about their biological father, the legislation has trampled on the rights of the donor and the donor’s family.
A donor-conceived adult can obtain identifying information about the donor and (indirectly) their family without the knowledge or consent of the donor.
I think this consent should be required, as is the case for the offspring. Or at least the donor should be notified when an adult offspring accesses their identifying information.
If I was to be a new donor now, I would prefer to be a “known” sperm donor, where I meet the recipient family first before allowing them to use my donation. I would freely exchange information about me with the couple in return for regular updates on their child. After all, if this child wants to turn up at my door in 18 years, it would be better to have everything out in the open to start with.
Many recipient parents never tell their donor-conceived offspring of their unique conception. As many as 70% of these children are never told, and live their whole life without knowing.
INTERVIEW BY MICHELLE HAMER
How it feels to be a sperm donor - Life And Style - BrisbaneTimes