Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have discovered a gene that could serve as a target for a new, non-hormonal contraceptive. The gene, arrestin domain containing 5 (ARRDC5) is present in several mammalian species and controls the last step in sperm maturation. Deactivating the gene results in lower sperm count and sperm with impaired movement that are incapable of fertilizing an egg—without any apparent ill effects elsewhere in the body.
News
NICHD issues News Releases and Media Advisories to the news media. Spotlight and Research Feature articles explain NICHD research findings and public health issues to the general public. An Item of Interest is a short announcement of relevant information, such as a notable staff change.
Spotlight: Women in Science: Dr. Veronica Gomez-Lobo’s Nontraditional Route to Research
Dr. Veronica Gomez-Lobo, director of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology at NICHD, began
her career as a clinician focused on caring for underserved populations. Taking advantage of interesting opportunities
led her to become involved in medical education, and later, in scientific research.
Selected NICHD Research Advances of 2022
Read about NICHD’s research findings and activities from 2022.
Spotlight: Ovarian tissue freezing offers hope for future fertility
NICHD researchers are evaluating ovarian tissue cryopreservation as a potential option to preserve fertility among young girls with Turner syndrome and other rare conditions that compromise ovarian function. The team also aims to determine the causes of ovarian problems in these girls.
Media Advisory: Asthma, allergy risk may be higher for children conceived with infertility treatment
Children conceived with infertility treatment may have a higher risk for asthma and allergies, suggests a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health.
Science Update: Fertility treatments may increase risk for preterm birth, NIH-funded study suggests
Infertility treatments with ovulation drugs or intrauterine insemination—in which sperm is placed directly into the uterus—are associated with a higher likelihood of preterm birth, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Science Update: NIH-funded researchers develop prototype genetic test to predict women’s risk for fibroids
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have developed a prototype genetic test with the potential to predict the development and eventual severity of uterine fibroids—benign, but sometimes painful and debilitating tumors of the uterus. The test could be used to identify fibroid cases early and to better understand how they develop and how to treat them.
Release: COVID-19 vaccination does not reduce chances of conception, study suggests
COVID-19 vaccination does not affect the chances of conceiving a child, according to a study of more than 2,000 couples that was funded by the National Institutes of Health. Researchers found no differences in the chances of conception if either male or female partner had been vaccinated, compared to unvaccinated couples. However, couples had a slightly lower chance of conception if the male partner had been infected with SARS-CoV-2 within 60 days before a menstrual cycle, suggesting that COVID-19 could temporarily reduce male fertility.
Spotlight: Selected NICHD Research Advances of 2021
Read about NICHD’s research findings and activities from 2021.
Item of Interest: PregSource® Mobile App Allows Access from Anywhere
It just got easier to participate in the PregSource®: Crowdsourcing to Understand Pregnancy research project. The free app allows participants to track their weight, sleep, mood, and other features of their pregnancy in just a few taps.
Item of Interest: Una Grewal Appointed Director of the Division of Population Health Research
Dr. Grewal has been acting director of the division since February 2020.
Item of Interest: NICHD website seeks to foster contraceptive and infertility research
A new website offers reproductive health researchers a way to search for genes, proteins, and other molecules that could provide the basis for studies to develop new contraceptive methods and infertility treatments. The Contraceptive Infertility Target Database (CITDBase) is a free public resource developed by the Contraceptive Development Program in the NICHD’s Division of Population Health Research.
Media Advisory: NIH-funded study discovers gene involved in male infertility
Mutation in a single gene appears to account for a form of male infertility in which men fail to produce sperm, according to an international study funded in part by the National Institutes of Health. Males with the condition, known as non-obstructive azoospermia, fail to produce any sperm, even though they do not have any obstruction in the ducts through which sperm are released.
Science Update: Sleep disturbances do not appear to hinder birth rate in women with common infertility disorder, NIH study suggests
Sleep disturbances, common in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), do not appear to hinder conception and live birth rates for women undergoing treatment for infertility, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. In addition, the researchers found that for women with PCOS, insulin resistance—a risk factor for type 2 diabetes—was associated with lower conception and live birth rates.
Director's Corner: A Mother’s Day Message: Time for Action to Improve Maternal Health
NICHD Director Dr. Diana Bianchi is joined by NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health Director Dr. Janine Clayton in assessing the growing maternal health crisis in the United States and describing NIH’s efforts to address it.
Release: Most differences in DNA binding compounds found at birth in children conceived by IVF not seen in early childhood, NIH study finds
Results bolster previous studies finding no growth, development differences with IVF.
Spotlight: Selected NICHD Research Advances of 2020
Read about NICHD’s research findings and activities from 2020.
Science Update: In vitro fertilization may increase cancer risk among children with birth defects, NIH-funded study suggests
Children with birth defects have a higher risk of cancer than children without birth defects. Now, researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have found that children conceived through in vitro fertilization—who have a higher risk of birth defects than children conceived naturally—also have a commensurately higher risk of cancer than naturally conceived children with birth defects.
Release: NIH study suggests opioid use linked to pregnancy loss, lower chance of conception
Opioid use among women trying to conceive may be associated with a lower chance of pregnancy, suggests a National Institutes of Health study. Moreover, opioid use in early pregnancy may be associated with a greater chance of pregnancy loss.
Spotlight: Boosting women’s health by supporting menstruation research
NICHD has supported gynecologic and reproductive health research for decades. Learn more about its leading role in menstruation research.