Almost-Sperm and a Uterus First

Two great advancements in the field of male and female fertility were announced this past week:

Tail-less sperm but sperm nonetheless

Scientists in China have induced sperm-like cells to develop from mice stem cells. A major roadblock to engineering gamete cells in the past was the need for the distinct gamete-producing environment of the gonads. In the study, scientists reproduced this environment on a petri dish. While the sperm cells did not fully mature, they did successfully fertilize eggs and those eggs lead to fertile offspring.

The consensus? Truly an innovative, significant study but we still have a long way to go before we can reproduce this in human cells with confidence.

First uterus transplant in U.S.

Last Thursday, a uterus transplant was performed for the first time in the U.S.! The procedure, which has been performed in Sweden, is meant to allow a woman born without a uterus or whose uterus was removed to become pregnant through IVF. The Cleveland Hospital will complete the experimental procedure ten times before discussing whether to offer it more broadly.

In light of this advancement, we must keep in mind there are many factors at play that determine IVF success. The journey to pregnancy could still be challenging. However, this procedure could offer hope to couples for whom other options such as adoption or surrogacy aren’t within reach.

This post is on news.recombine.com written by Stephany Foster, science writer at Recombine.