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Hormesis
Published in T. D. Luckey, Radiation Hormesis, 2020
The scope of this review includes major physiologic parameters for characterization of the effects of radiation upon mammals. They are: growth and development, reproduction, immune competence, cancer, lifespan, and deficiency syndrome. Growth rates are considered to be more than total growth. Data on development is focused on neurologic facilities. Pioneering results with memory are most intriguing. Reproduction data include several physiologic parameters: fertility and sterility in both sexes, implantation and embryo attachment, and viability of fetuses and neonates. Reproduction also involves fecundity as measured by the total number of progeny following several generations. Immune competence includes an array of complex functions which include the defense against infection and cancer mortality; both cellular and humoral factors are involved. The decreased rates of morbidity and mortality provide increased average lifespan for a given population; this is a prime consideration when benefits are evaluated. Each of these parameters will be shown to be improved by hormetic exposure to ionizing radiation. These biopositive effects for major physiologic functions raise the question of essentiality. Is ionizing radiation essential for life?
The decriminalisation of abortion in Colombia as cautionary tale. Social movements, numbers and socio-technical struggles in the promotion of health as a right
Published in Emily E. Vasquez, Amaya Perez-Brume, Richard G. Parker, Social Inequities and Contemporary Struggles for Collective Health in Latin America, 2020
These numbers and the relations that they assume are the result of calculating fecundity rates, maternal mortality and actual number of births in specific populations. The court adopts this reasoning, as it is noted in the decision C 355 of 2006. Therefore, in the poorest towns of the country converge high fecundity rates, high unemployment, unmet basic needs, precarious access to education and a poor performance in other healthcare indicators such as child and maternal mortality. This reflects inequalities and gaps in the social development of these communities. (C 355 of 2006, p. 1020)Despite accepting the importance of this argument, at the time of the debate the court complained about the lack of epidemiological studies about abortion in the country. The Lancet, three years after the ruling, notes still the lack of reliable figures about legal and unsafe abortion in the country (The Lancet, 23 February 2009).
‘A Precipice in Time’ – Reproductive Biotechnology
Published in Rosa Maria Quatraro, Pietro Grussu, Handbook of Perinatal Clinical Psychology, 2020
But it is not only quantity; sperm quality is declining too. In addition to exposure to non-ionising radiation (from cell phones, coloured TV or laptops), pathogens such as pesticides and industrial oestrogen are blamed. Specifically, a group of widely used EDCs (endocrine disrupting chemicals) is linked to weakened reproductive systems in both men and women – a clear-cut case of unintended consequences.5 In recent years, reduced fecundity is also ascribed to sexually transmitted diseases or infections (STD or STI), a very common and preventable cause of infertility. But besides pathogens, another psychosocial factor intervenes in our technologically sophisticated societies: generative agency can now be expressed by both women and men across a wider variety of choices outside of reproduction.
Reproductive health in adults with congenital heart disease: a review on fertility, sexual health, assisted reproductive technology and contraception
Published in Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy, 2023
J.A. van der Zande, G. Wander, K.P. Ramlakhan, J.W. Roos-Hesselink, M.R. Johnson
In biology, ‘fertility’ is defined by fecundity or the ability to reproduce [8]. This should not be confused with the fertility rate, which is defined as the average number of children per woman. On the other hand, ‘infertility’ or ‘impaired fertility’ is defined as failure to achieve a pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular and unprotected sexual intercourse [9]. Infertility can be attributed to the male or female, or to be unexplained (Figure 1) and can be caused by several factors, as presented in Figure 2. In the male reproductive system, infertility is most commonly caused by abnormal sperm function and quality or problems with semen ejection [10]. In women, infertility is most commonly caused by abnormalities of ovulation or structural problems in the uterus or fallopian tubes [11]. Infertility can also be caused in both men and women by problems in the endocrine system causing imbalances of reproductive hormones, but also several environmental and lifestyle factors can influence fertility, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and obesity [12]. The proportion of couples affected by infertility is progressively increasing, and it is estimated that currently 15–18% of the couples around the world suffer from infertility [13]. However, these numbers may be underestimated as they only include data from couples actively seeking help for fertility issues.
Female infertility caused by organophosphates: an insight into the latest biochemical and histomorphological findings
Published in Toxin Reviews, 2023
Mohammad Samare-Najaf, Ali Samareh, Bahia Namavar Jahromi, Navid Jamali, Sina Vakili, Majid Mohsenizadeh, Cain C. T. Clark, Ali Abbasi, Nastaran Khajehyar
Fertility is defined as the capability of an individual to procreate, while infertility refers to an inability of a couple to successfully incept a pregnancy following twelve months of unprotected sexual intercourse. A woman’s fecundity is considered the biological ability to reproduce according to the monthly probability of conception. The incidence of infertility continues to rise, and given the failure of genetic factors to suitably explain it, much attention has been given to environmental causes (Bala et al.2021, Giudice 2021). The etiology of female infertility is diverse, and includes multiple factors, such as anatomical mullerian abnormalities and pelvic factors, genetic mutations, chromosome abnormalities, disrupted steroids balance, and ovulatory disorders, all of which could be induced by environmental and pharmaceutical chemicals. Indeed, the occurrence of environmental pollutants, for example organophosphates (OPs), is considered as one of the main causes of reproductive development alterations in both wildlife and humans (Mitra and Maitra 2018, Liu et al.2021).
The association between age-related infertility and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) integrity parameters of granulosa cells and lymphocytes
Published in Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2022
Esra Nur Tola, Pınar Aslan Koşar, Esra Nal Sahin, Okan Sancer
Fecundity decreases with advanced maternal age (AMA) after 30s and age-related infertility in women has increased due to women’s lifestyle changes (Igarashi et al. 2015). AMA also has a remarkable negative effect on in vitro fertilisation (IVF) success with progressive decrease in pregnancy and live birth rates (LBRs) and increase in abortion rate (AR) despite recent developments in IVF techniques and laboratory (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Committee on Gynecologic Practice and Practice Committee 2014; Igarashi et al. 2015). However, low IVF success rates in women with advanced age were neutralised in whom oocytes used were obtained from healthy young donors (Igarashi et al. 2015). Therefore, AMA-related infertility is attributed to a decrease in the quality of oocytes (Miao et al. 2009) rather than a decline in the number of oocytes and changes in endocrine function and endometrial receptivity (Igarashi et al. 2015).