Medgadget » Reproductive Medicine

Ultrasound Treatment Shows Potential as Male Contraceptive Therapy

Stanley Darma — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:06:36 +0000

Researchers from the University of North Carolina, School of Medicine have successfully tested ultrasound treatment to reduce sperm counts in rats to levels that would cause infertility in men. They used commercially available therapeutic ultrasound equipment, with which they tested the effects of different frequencies, temperatures and duration of ultrasound treatment on the sperm count. The results are published in the journal Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology.

The first report of the effect of ultrasound on germ cells and fertility was produced back in the seventies, by Mostafa Fahim and colleagues at the University of Missouri at Columbia. The aim of the current study was to determine the effect of currently available ultrasound equipment and if this technology could be used as the basis for a male contraceptive in the future. Their findings show an optimal result with two consecutive ultrasound treatments at 3 MHz, 2.2 Watt per square centimeter, for a duration 15 minutes, at a temperature of 37 degrees Celsius when the sperm count in the rat model dropped to a level that would cause infertility in men.

DuoFertility Ovulation Monitor Receives FDA Approval

Gavin Corley — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:25:52 +0000

Cambridge Temperature Concepts Ltd. received 510(k) approval for their DuoFertility ovulation Monitor. The DuoFertility monitor has been featured previously on Medgadget and comprises a wearable sensor and reader unit for measuring ovulation patterns. The sensor is worn under the armpit and measures subtle changes in basal body temperature which is indicative of ovulation. The reader wirelessly receives the sensor data and predicts when you are most likely to become pregnant up to six days in advance. A number of additional parameters can also be entered into the reader unit to improve the prediction quality. The recorded data can be visualized by connecting the reader unit to a PC, as shown in the video below.

The DuoFertility has been commercially available in Europe since 2009 and was the subject of a research paper published last year which demonstrated its efficacy in some couples eligible for IVF.

510(k) Clearance Announced for Low-Pressure Hysterosalpingogram Device

Brian Klein — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 20:12:51 +0000

Women’s healthcare specialist Femasys Inc. has received 510(k) clearance for its FemChec device, which can be used for tubal occlusion confirmation tests in patients who have had tubal procedures for female sterilization.

The contrast media syringe is designed to prevent over-pressurization while filling the uterine cavity and cornu with a fluoroscopic contrast medium for hysterosalpingogram (HSG) procedures. Using patent-pending technology, the device limits the maximum applied intrauterine pressure to 200 mmHg, potentially reducing procedural complications and helping to prevent improperly performed tests.

Fertility Lab-on-a-Chip: Assess Your Semen Quality at Home

Stanley Darma — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:32:06 +0000

A chip to accurately count sperm and measure their motility has been developed by Loes Segerink, researcher at the Universiteit Twente in The Netherlands. And by inserting this chip into a compact device, an accurate at-home test kit for men to assess fertility might become possible soon.

Here how it works, according to the press release:

Cook Medical’s New Otrieva Aspiration Needle Reduces Pain Associated With Ovum Collection

Smit Shah — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 19:03:26 +0000

Cook Medical has announced the launch of its new Otrieva Tapered Ovum Aspiration Needle for ovum collection in women pursuing in vitro fertilization. The company claims its new needle’s reduced diameter will result in reduced pain and bleeding during the procedure compared to existing solutions, while still providing precise collection.

The Otrieva also makes use of Cook’s EchoTip technology to further enhance safety by improving the needle’s ultrasound visibility.

Reversible Vasectomy Kills Sperm, Prevents Backups

Gene Ostrovsky — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 12:35:57 +0000

Wired is reporting on an interesting reversible vasectomy technique being developed in India. Unlike traditional vasectomy, fluids are allowed to flow through the vas deferens, but an injected polymer made of styrene maleic anhydride and dimethyl sulfoxide interacts with passing sperm to effectively destroy the swimmers.
From Wired:

Erection-Inducing Condoms May Soon Be Available in Europe

Gene Ostrovsky — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 08:48:26 +0000

The Wall Street Journal is reporting on a new condom, developed by Futura Medical (Surrey, UK), that is internally coated with a vasodilator. A good number of men “deflate” when applying condoms, leading them to stop using protection altogether. The new condom is currently called CSD500, but we imagine that Durex, the manufacturing and distributing partner, will have a spicier nom de guerre when it goes on sale. According to our earlier report, the trademarked brand name for the vasodilator is Zanifil™, a gel with an active ingredient glyceryl trinitrate [nitroglycerin]. The WSJ is reporting that European approval is expected imminently and EU consumers may see the new condom on store shelves by the end of the year.
From The Wall Street Journal:

Medgadget Checks Out DuoFertility Armpit Monitor

Gene Ostrovsky — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 04:00:00 +0000

At the Future Health Mission 2011 in San Francisco last week, we were offered a chance to check out some of the latest and most promising medtech startups from the United Kingdom, who came for a tour of Silicon Valley.
Here’s one technology that impressed us a lot. DuoFertility is an ovulation pattern temperature monitor from Cambridge Temperature Concepts Ltd. The DuoFertility technology was profiled by us back in 2008 when it was in prototype stage. Now it is a fully developed device that has an auxiliary temperature monitoring patch and a receptacle that downloads temperature data from the patch and sends it to a service center. The idea is to use the temperature variations of a woman to extrapolate the best day(s) for her to conceive. According to the company’s CEO and founder Dr Shamus Husheer, the device is already selling quite well in emergent markets such as Middle East and Asia, and is on its way to wider use in Europe. And, of course, the company is hoping to obtain US FDA approval sometime in the near future. Here’s Dr Husheer answering our questions about the technology and the future of the company:

iU22 xMATRIX Ultrasound System from Philips

Gene Ostrovsky — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 00:00:01 +0000

Please meet iU22 xMATRIX, a new spiffed up ultrasound system from Philips designed to deliver “improved textural pattern recognition, superb discrimination of micro-structures near, mid and far, and outstanding image resolution.” So, what’s inside the device, you might ask? To start with, the system is designed to work in tandem with the company’s newest X6-1 PureWave xMATRIX transducer. X6-1 features 9,212 active elements, which is 35 times more elements than today’s conventional transducers, according to Philips. Then there is more, thanks to a new generation of electronics and software:

The iU22 xMATRIX makes it easy to add 3D imaging to any exam by removing the barriers to volume imaging. And a host of workflow enhancers facilitate faster exams, enabling image optimization with just the touch of a button.
Read More

Artificial Ovary Spawns New Era in Fertility Research and Treatment

Aaron Rulseh — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 09:02:54 +0000

Researchers at Brown University have developed the first ‘artificial ovary’ – a completely functional unit capable of in vitro oocyte maturation. The development of an artificial human ovary will allow investigators to study the complex interactions of the three functional ovarian follicle cell types under a variety of conditions in the laboratory, and could have a great impact on the future of fertility treatments. The group suggests that their work may benefit reproductive-age women who would like to conceive after undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatment for cancer. Such regimens may be lifesaving, but are often toxic to ovarian folliculogenesis.
To accomplish this feat, the group applied methodology previously developed by coauthor Jeffrey Morgan in creating “3D Petri dishes” – micro-molded agarose gels that provide the scaffolding needed for successful self-assembly of the 3D microtissues. This application of 3D tissue engineering allows the ovarian cell types to assemble and function as they do in vivo.