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Protein Weeds Out Damaged Eggs

Catherine McDiarmid-Watt | Sunday, April 28, 2013 | 0 comments

Fertility, by  andidigress/ christian lopez, on Flickr
A protein released by the female body to destroy unfertilized eggs with genetic damage, may help researchers in the quest to treat infertility.

The study, conducted by researchers at the Harvard Medical School, found that a protein, called p63, was responsible for weeding out genetically damaged eggs before they could become fertilized.

This marks the first discovery of a mechanism that controls which eggs are allowed to be fertilized.

In the study, chemotherapy was given to two groups of female mice; one group had p63 removed from their bodies and the other group remained intact. The mice with no p63 had surviving eggs after the course of chemo, while the mice with p63 had none.

Despite the surviving eggs being damaged, the mice were still able to become pregnant. Researchers hope that the discovery can help them to figure out why some women seem to have more eggs than others and give women who have to undergo genetically damaging medical treatment more hope for retaining fertility.

Source: The West Australian

Photo credit: Fertility,
by andidigress/ christian lopez, on Flickr
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TODAY'S BOOK SUGGESTION:
Image: Baby Next Time, by Nicole Klieff. Publisher: AuthorHouse UK DS (August 19, 2008)-Baby Next Time
by Nicole Klieff

-- Based on a true-life account of a woman's discovery of infertility at the age of 35.

This is a compelling roller-coaster insight to the world of IVF exposing treatments and emotions over a nine year span.

Written with humor on such a dark and taboo subject of pregnancy loss and infertility this honest account is directed to the many across the world in a similar predicament.

The book is written in the hope that people will pursue to seek out the reasons for the most common complaint of "unexplained infertility".

Image: Buy Now on Amazon.comPaperback: 140 pages
Click to order/for more info: Baby Next Time







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Catherine

About Catherine: I am mom to three grown sons, two grandchildren and two rescue dogs. After years of raising my boys as a single mom, I remarried a wonderful man who had never had a child of his own. Unexpectedly, I found myself pregnant at 49!
Sadly we lost that precious baby at 8 weeks, and decided to try again. Five more losses, turned down for donor egg, foster care and adoption due to my age and losses - we have accepted that there will be no more babies in our house.

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