One donor egg and ‘a dollop of love’: ART and de-queering genealogies in Facebook advertising

We consider what genealogical links, kinship and sociality are promised through the marketing of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs). Using a mixed method of formal analysis of Facebook's algorithmic architectures and textual analysis of twenty-eight adverts for egg donation drawn from the Facebook Ad Library, we analyse the ways in which the figure of the ‘fertile woman’ is constituted both within the text and at the level of Facebook's targeted advertising systems. We critically examine the ways in which ART clinics address those women whose eggs they wish to harvest and exchange, in combination with the ways in which Facebook's architecture identifies, and sorts those women deemed of ‘relevance’ to the commercial ART industry. We find that women variously appear in these adverts as empowered consumers, generous girlfriends, potential mothers and essentialised bodies who provide free-floating eggs. The genealogical and fertility possibility offered through ART is represented with banal ambiguity wherein potentially disruptive forms of biogenetic relatedness and arrangements of kinship are derisked by an overarching narrative of simplicity and sameness which excludes men, messy genealogies and explicitly queer forms of kinship. This rationalisation is supported by the simplicity and certainty of the Facebook targeted advertising algorithm which produces a coherent audience and interpellates users as fertile subjects whose choices are both biologically determined and only available through clinical intervention.

Year-Long Phenotypical Study of Calves Derived From Different Assisted-Reproduction Technologies

Assisted reproductive technologies play a major role in the cattle industry. An increase in the use of in vitro-derived embryos is currently being seen around the globe. But the efficiency and quality of the in vitro-derived embryos are substandard when compared to the in vivo production. Different protocols have been designed to overcome this issue, one of those being the use of reproductive fluids as supplementation to embryo culture media. In this study, in vitro-derived calves produced with reproductive fluids added to their embryo production protocol were followed for the first year of life pairwise with their in vivo control, produced by artificial insemination (AI), and their in vitro control, produced with standard supplementation in embryo production. The objective was to assess if any differences could be found in terms of growth and development as well as hematological and biochemical analytes between the different systems. All the analysed variables (physical, hematological, and biochemical) were within physiological range and very similar between calves throughout the entire experiment. However, differences were more evident between calves derived from standard in vitro production and AI. We concluded that the use of reproductive fluids as a supplementation to the embryo culture media results in calves with closer growth and development patterns to those born by AI than the use of bovine serum albumin as supplementation.

The impact of bariatric surgery on assisted reproductive technology outcomes: a systematic review protocol

Background Individuals with obesity are at higher risk of experiencing complications during their pregnancy and may also experience infertility, requiring assisted reproductive technologies (ART) to conceive. The current body of literature demonstrates that bariatric surgery decreases an individual’s risk of developing a variety of obesity-related obstetrical conditions during and after pregnancy. However, the effects of bariatric surgery on ART outcomes are not well understood. Therefore, the paucity in the literature warrants a need to determine these effects. Methods We will search electronic databases, including MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), as well as the gray literature and the reference lists of included articles. We will screen all studies published between January 1978 and the present day that explore the impact of bariatric surgery on ART outcomes for women and men. We will include observational studies. Two independent reviewers will assess the studies for inclusion and extract data for each article. The main outcome that will be analyzed is live birth rate. Secondary outcomes such as time to conception, number of rounds of ART, type of bariatric surgery, and length of time between bariatric surgery and initiation of ART will also be recorded. Risk of bias will be conducted using the National Institutes of Health Study Quality Assessment Tools. A random effects model will be used to account for statistical analysis and results will be pooled with forest plots. In the event of statistical and reporting heterogeneity, we will provide a qualitative synthesis and narrative review of the results. Discussion This review will provide information on the outcomes of ART following bariatric surgery and may help healthcare professionals make informed decisions about the length of time between bariatric surgery and initiation of ART. The study findings may be of interest to various stakeholders including patients, bariatric surgeons, obstetricians, and gynecologists, and those who specialize in obesity medicine and reproductive endocrinology and infertility. We plan to disseminate our findings through presentations, publications, and social media releases to individuals who are navigating infertility and are interested in undergoing or have undergone bariatric surgery, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and researchers. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42021252561

The effect of preparatory therapy with myo-inositol on the outcome of infertility treatment by ART in men with low reproductive function

Research objective: to study the effect of myo-inositol (MI), folic acid (FA) and cyanocobalamin in mono- and complex therapy on the classical fertility rates and the level of DNA fragmentation in sperm in men with low reproductive function, and on the results of the in vitro fertilization (IVF) programs performed in these patients.Materials and methods. A retrospective study of 133 patients aged 32 to 40 years was carried out for the period 2020–2021. All patients were divided into three groups: group 1 – 44 men who took MI, FA and cyanocobalamin daily as monotherapy for 3 months; group 2 – 42 patients who followed a diet to improve spermatogenesis for 3 months; group 3 – 47 men, for whom complex therapy was applied for 3 months: MI, FA, cyanocobalamin and diet.Results. The increase of sperm concentration in ejaculate, improvement of progressively motility of spermatozoa, and increase of the percent of spermatozoa with normal morphology in men with failures of reproductive function after the complex preparatory therapy are defined. The preparatory therapy for men with MI in preparation for IVF helps to improve the quality of embryos and increase the pregnancy rates in couples with male infertility due to the assisted reproductive technologies. The positive effect of preparatory complex therapy in patients with poor spermatogenesis on the blastocyst formation rates in IVF programs is shown.Conclusions. The positive effect of MI on the normal functioning of the reproductive system in men has been proven. The increase pregnancy rates in the IVF program after preparatory treatment of men with MI can be explained by its positive effect on reducing the level of DNA fragmentation of sperm.

Pregnancy loss after overcoming the sterility with methods of auxiliary reproductive technologies

Miscarriage is a serious problem of pregnancies resulting from overcoming infertility using assisted reproductive technologies (ART). The overall frequency of losses due to miscarriages of various periods and non-developing pregnancies reaches 30-35%. In order to optimize the outcomes of pregnancies resulting from ART, we have developed a special program that includes activities that are carried out at various stages, including at the stage of preparation for ART. In accordance with this program, all women in the period of preparation for the procedure undergo a full clinical and laboratory examination, including the consultation of a therapist, and, if indicated, other specialists (endocrinologist, ophthalmologist, etc.) in order to identify and correct concomitant diseases that can have an unfavorable influence on the course of pregnancy and childbirth.

Assisted Reproductive Technologies as Veritable Tools for Improving Production Efficiencies of N’dama and Muturu Cattle Breeds in Nigeria-A Review

Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) that have come to stay and are still being improved upon in developed countries are still in their infancy stage in developing countries like Nigeria. Nigeria’s cattle population is estimated to be around 18.4 million. The number is far insufficient to meet the country’s demand for meat, milk, and other cow products, let alone contribute to GDP. N’dama and Muturu are both Nigerian breeds that are resistant to trypanosomosis. They are humpless longhorn and humpless shorthorn types of beef cattle. The dairy and beef cow industries’ inadequate adoption of ART is partly to blame for Nigeria’s low cattle output. Sex determination, multiple-ovulation and embryo transfer (MOET), oestrus synchronization, artificial insemination (AI), in vitro fertilization (IVF), cloning, and genetic engineering are all examples of assisted reproductive technologies. It has been reported in humans, rodents and domestic animals, abnormal fetuses, newborns and adult offspring arise from ART. Improper matching of breeding animals mostly leads to overfat calves. This review centers on the applications and potentials of ART in the production of trypanotolerant N’dama and Muturu cattle breeds. Some unorthodox medicines which have proven effective in human reproduction can circumvent the shortfalls in the adoption of ART.

Rerception of assisted reproductive technologies by Russian student youth

Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) are an innovative area of medicine having the potential to positively influence population fertility. However, this potential is limited, among other factors, by values and ethical barriers to their use in prospective patients. Decisions on whether to use them or not, in the case of reproductive health disorders, may be associated not only with the high cost of such intervention and/or complicated geographical accessibility, but also with ideas about their insufficient "naturalness" or moral burden associated with certain methods, such as surrogacy. In the conditions of low fertility and increase of the average age of mother at birth of her first child in Russia, the question of the reproductive values of young people in this area is becoming more and more urgent. The article is based on a questionnaire study of students of both sexes in Moscow and Novosibirsk on the issues related to ideas about the ethics of certain ART methods and the willingness to use them in case of reproductive health disorders. As a result of the study, it was found that students, on average, have rater a positive attitude to the use of all fairly widespread and well-known methods, although with regard to surrogacy, as the method, the ethics of which is most widely covered in media discussions, there is polarization of views. However, still, there are more of those who have positive attitude to this method than those who adhere to a negative point of view. Thus, the main barriers to the use of reproductive technologies by young Russians continue to be economic and geographic circumstances, the impact of which is currently diminished due to the government's policy of providing free access to IVF programs to all who need them for medical reasons.