At the Down to a Science Fertility event, an audience member asked a question on spotting fertile women just from their appearance. People laughed at the question & incredulous response from the speakers. Alas, that question proved prophetic. A recent study just released in Evolution and Human Behavior indicated you can spot fertile women, though the message conveyed “subtle behavioral signals”. The study collected data from 5300 lap dances over a 60 day period. Dancers in the highest fertility stage, estrous, raked in $70/hr vs $35/hr with those menstruating.

Takeaway:
Be careful what time of month you go to the club. And you CANT ask a stupid question at a science cafe.

More Info:
Science Article on the study

From Anna Nicole Smith and J. Howard Marshall to Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren, older men and younger women have been getting together for years. According to a new paper in Biology Letters this week, the age difference gives the couples a reproductive boost.

The authors of the paper, themselves married, looked at a massive database of Swedish couples. In the couples where the age difference was about 5 years, they produced about 5% more children than same age couples. In addition, they analyzed divorces. Divorced men on average chose a younger woman. The paper claims a “fitness basis” in people’s choice of partner, lending to a natural selection effect over time.

Takeaway
Not much here, there isn’t enough data to make a connection over a long period of time. But hey, if you’re dating a younger woman or an older man…more power to you. Call me an evolutionary loser since my girlfriend is older.

More Info
Swedish Paper

PGS, preimplantation genetic screening, is a widely adopted test in US fertility clinics to establish any genetic defects in embryos. Only healthy embryos that pass the screening are then implanted using IVF techniques. A recent study in Science, indicates a lower pregnancy rate for women who use PGS vs those who just pursue IVF only. The final score….24% birth rate for IVF combined with PGS, 35% for IVF only.

The study has its share of critics. Many claim the researchers were not well versed in PGS techniques, leading to implantation of many “bad” embryos. Regardless, the study does show there maybe a problem with this technique, a technique which was adopted very quickly.

Video, Pics, and Presentations from the Fertility Science Cafe are now up on the website.

The fertility cafe was a great event, I encourage anyone that has general fertility questions to watch the video and download the presentations.

Videos are also up on my YouTube channel in smaller 10 min segments.

Almost no insurance coverage exists for fertility treatments, even if your plan covers obstetrics. However, a new bill in front of Congress aims to change that. Rep. Anthony Weiner introduced legislation a couple years ago regarding infertility coverage. The bill is now being resubmitted to Congress.

A few highlights of the bill include:

* The bill acknowledges in its opening lines that infertility affects approximately 10% of the reproductive-aged population; that the majority of insurance plans do not provide coverage for infertility treatment; and that “a fundamental part of the human experience is fulfilling the desire to reproduce.”
* The bill defines infertility as “a disease or condition that results in the abnormal function of the reproductive system,” and encompasses not only those of us who can’t conceive within a year, but those who can’t carry a pregnancy to term.
* The bill calls for coverage of up to four IVF retrievals, or, “if a live birth follows a completed oocyte retrieval, then at least 2 more completed oocyte retrievals shall be covered, with a lifetime cap of six retrievals.”
* The bill’s definition of ART includes IVF, GIFT, ZIFT, embryo cryopreservation, egg or embryo donation, and surrogate birth.

RESOLVE has created an online form letter that can be sent to your congressman to support the bill.