Men's diets, in particular the amount and type of different fats they eat, could be associated with their semen quality according to the results of a study. The study of 99 men in the USA found an association between a high total fat intake and lower total sperm count and concentration.

Women who have eggs that cannot mature will not become pregnant, and they cannot be helped by in vitro fertilization (IVF). Now researchers have identified a molecule called Cdk1 that has an important function for mammalian egg maturation. In the future this could lead to an increased rate of successful IVF.

Treatment with vitamin D reduced the size of uterine fibroids in laboratory rats predisposed to developing the benign tumors, reported researchers.

A novel system for processing embryos during IVF treatment has been shown to significantly improve the chances of pregnancy -- by more than a quarter.

Scientists have discovered a new way of measuring the potential success rate of an embryo before it is transferred back into the womb during in vitro fertilization (IVF). According to the findings, the fluid within a woman's ovaries that surrounds the egg or oocyte holds metabolic information that can improve predictions on which embryo is more likely to lead to pregnancy.

For the first time, researchers have isolated egg-producing stem cells from the ovaries of reproductive age women and shown these cells can produce what appear to be normal egg cells or oocytes.

Researchers have discovered how the "guardian of the genome'' oversees quality control in the production of sperm -- and perhaps in many other cells as well.

Researchers have, for the first time, described the genetic basis of endometriosis, a condition affecting millions of women that is marked by chronic pelvic pain and infertility. The researchers' discovery of a new gene mutation provides hope for new screening methods.

A certain omega-3 fatty acid is necessary to construct the arch that turns a round, immature sperm cell into a pointy-headed super swimmer with an extra long tail, according to new research. The study shows that docosahexaenoic acid is essential in fusing the building blocks of the acrosome together. The acrosome is critical in fertilization because it houses, organizes, and concentrates a variety of enzymes that sperm use to penetrate an egg.

Environmental exposure to organochlorine chemicals, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and p,p'-DDE (the main metabolite of the insecticide DDT) can affect male reproduction, according to new research.