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Male Social Dominance and ejaculate quality

According to research published in Behavioral Ecology, February 2021, quality of the ‘creame’ and social dominance is linked.

Research shows that higher social status not only increase a male’s access to potential mates but also production of high quality ejaculation.

The research shows, social status influence ejaculate traits, regardless whether female are present.

Dominant male produce faster swimming and viable sperm.

Higher social status is expected to result in fitness benefits as it secures access to potential mates. In promiscuous species, male reproductive success is also determined by an individual’s ability to compete for fertilization after mating by producing high-quality ejaculates. However, the complex relationship between a male’s investment in social status and ejaculates remains unclear. Here, we examine how male social status influences ejaculate quality under a range of social contexts in the pygmy halfbeak Dermogenys collettei, a small, group-living, internally fertilizing freshwater fish. We show that male social status influences ejaculate traits, both in the presence and absence of females. Dominant males produced faster swimming and more viable sperm, two key determinants of ejaculate quality, but only under conditions with frequent male–male behavioral interactions. When male–male interactions were experimentally reduced through the addition of a refuge, differences in ejaculate traits of dominant and subordinate males disappeared. Furthermore, dominant males were in a better condition, growing faster, and possessing larger livers, highlighting a possible condition dependence of competitive traits. Contrary to expectations, female presence or absence did not affect sperm swimming speed or testes mass. Together, these results suggest a positive relationship between social status and ejaculate quality in halfbeaks and highlight that the strength of behavioral interactions between males is a key driver of social-status-dependent differences in ejaculate traits.

For more information, find research paper from

https://academic.oup.com/beheco/article/32/1/168/6008100?login=true

Male-male behavioral interactions drive social-dominance-mediated differences in ejaculate traits.

Charel ReulandBrett M CulbertErika Fernlund IsakssonAriel F KahrlAlessandro DevigiliJohn L FitzpatrickBehavioral Ecology, Volume 32, Issue 1, January/February 2021, Pages 168–177, https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/araa118

Implantation & Early Pregnancy symtoms? How early can you take a pregnancy test?

So you have done your IVF, and you are now in the most difficult part, the two week wait before you are supposed to be tested.

So why the two week wait? Must you wait for two weeks?

That depends if you are doing a frozen embryo transfer or a fresh embryo transfer.

If you did a fresh transfer, you probably have taken something called the trigger shots. That means you may still have lingering HCG in your blood. When you do a blood test, you are actually testing for the HCG in your blood. So if you have HCG from the trigger shot, that may mean your test is a false positive and may caused you a lot of heartache.

If you did a frozen transfer, you probably did not take something called the “trigger shots”. That means if there should be no HCG lingering in your blood UNLESS you are pregnant. So for frozen transfer, the date you can test is actually earlier.

So what is HCG and why pregnancy test for HCG?

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a hormone for the maternal recognition of pregnancy produced by trophoblast cells that are surrounding a growing embryo (syncytiotrophoblast initially), which eventually forms the placenta after implantation.

Once implantation starts, the blastocyst starts producing HCG. So if you have a 3 days implant, needs another 2 days to become a blastocyst before it can implant.

So Day 5 frozen implant and then 10 days later, you get implantation and you get HCG in your blood. So you don’t need to wait 14 days, but that’s the safest.

However if it is a fresh 5 day transfer is a different because of the trigger shots.

Implantation symtoms women have observed inlcuding

  1. Sudden increase sense of smell
  2. Increase tenderness of breast
  3. Increase body temperature and then dip
  4. Implantation spotting
  5. Little Cramps
  6. nauseous

If you have any of these symtoms, you may be pregnant.

We recommending using First Response Urine Test kit because it has been most sensitive

Comparing the cost of IVF around the world briefly

March 2021 (last updated)

Whenever the word IVF come about, cost is always something people start to ask or fear.

So here’s a quick run down of the cost of IVF in some cities

EUROPE:

Ukraine – USD2,000 – USD3,700

Ukraine Clinic: https://isida-ivf.com/

Tel: +38 (044) 455 88 14

Pro: Popular IVF center for surrogacy and egg donation

Close to the European Union, Provides language coordinator

Con: Ukraine is not part of EU, and your ivf process, and embyro is not under strict EU laws.

North America:

New York (Albany) – $4,000 USD – $6000

CNY Fertility with local monitoring at your preferred clinic

Pro: your IVF and say remaining embryos is govern by US Laws. English speaking.

Con: Weather in NY, Emergencies can become expensive without insurance

Other Parts of North America:

Mexico Matamoros (15 mins from Brownsville, Border Town of Texas) – $2900 + Meds $1,000-$2000.

Pro: 50% off if you have do it a second time. Fast, Cycle Day 2 – Day 12 for embryo implantation

Con: relax laws, and governed by mexican laws

South America

Argentina: $ (updated soon)

Middle East

Turkey (Istanbul) : $3,500 – $4,000

Medicana International Istanbul

https://www.medicana.com.tr/

+90 850 460 6334

Pro: Top Level European standard, technology used in this region, beautiful city

Con: Political unrest previously, no surrogacy and LGBT access

Asia

Singapore Public Hospital: $10,000 – $15,000

Pro: Singapore food scene and shopping

Con: No PGT testing, history of sperm mix up between IVF couple

Malaysia (Johor): USD3,800 – USD$5,300

Pro: High quality medical care, experience due to volume

Allow higher age limit

Australia

Australian and PR enjoys medicare pays $1.3 – $2 for egg retrieval and implantation.

Without medicare, the procedure is about $11,000

Humans penis are getting smaller

We all have heard how human beings, we are damaging earth, adding more than 2000 chemicals every year. We get a bit of environment fatigue and helplessness hearing how ice caps are melting, more places are getting extreme weather and we need to reduce plastic.

Animals such as elephants are losing their habitats, polar bear swimming in water as ice berg melts. But hang on, we never talk about one thing – their reproductive health and all these environment whack we humans put on ourselves and the environment.

Well, researchers from Denmark, specially Aarhus university is showing data that links high levels of pollution and reproductive health.

The researchers, tested for a high toxic industrial compound call PCB and link to reproductive health of male polar bears. PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, are highly toxic industrial compounds. These chemicals can build up in the fatty tissues of fish and other animals, and in high concentrations pose serious health risks to people who frequently eat contaminated fish.

If you haven’t read, PCB disrupts your body’s endocrine system, which disrupts your entire body of hormones and sexual health. It is very easy to understand and complicated to explain.

Many of the penis of animals contains a special bone, a real bone, called Baculum. Hedgehogs, cats, dogs, sea lions and even bats have it.

Researchers found endocrine-disrupting chemicals like PCB affects how the Baculum develops. For instance, there is a high likehihood between PCB and bone density of the Baculum bones. Any size reduction in the penis of these species can be less mating, less fertile encounters and weaker penis bone leads to fractures (Yes! Broken penis)

The researchers led by Dr. Christian Sonne, went all the way to do 279 X-rays of Polar bear’s penis bone (the Bacula). The bones were tested for calcium density, and other known endocrine disrupting chemicals.

According to Dr. Christian Soone, more chemicals, less penis bone, more fragile penis. It doesn’t help that these chemicals naturally get more concentrated in arctic environment.

The pollution also meant skinnier bears as bear rely more on their fat storage at the end of winters as climate change forces upon us irregular weather patterns.

Mother Bears are producing milk with higher levels of pollutants in their milk and passing it to their cubs.

It’s this combination of factors that poses the most pressing threat to the bears. “Bears are drawing down further into their fat stores for energy late in the fasting periods,” Dr. Andrew Derocher, scientific advisor to Polar Bears International and a University of Edmonton professor of biology, told me. As thinner bears draw down their fat stores due to above-average fasting, “the remaining pollution is released and circulates at higher levels. This means cubs getting milk from their mothers are getting higher doses of pollution and, for those bears that aren’t lactating, it means they have to deal with higher pollution levels.”

Embryo Tests

A New Last Chance 

There could soon be a baby-boom among women who thought they’d hit an IVF dead end.

Monica Halem calls it the “fertility train.” Every woman who embarks on a cycle of in vitro fertilization is familiar with the ride: the multiple cycles of hormonal stimulation, the pain of the injections, the discomfort and the bloating; then the delicate harvest of eggs to be fertilized outside the body, and the anxious wait for genetic testing on the embryos to make sure they have the right number of chromosomes before they are transferred back; and then, if all of the embryo tests come back abnormal, or the embryos don’t implant, or the pregnancy ends prematurely in miscarriage, the process starts all over again.

“It’s a lot of highs, right?” Halem says. “You’re getting excited, you’re ready. And then when it doesn’t work, which is more times than not, it’s a very low low. Such a depressing low. I mean, there’s-been-times-I-couldn’t-get-out-of-bed low.”

Read more about what happened to the embryos and results here:

https://www.thecut.com/2017/09/ivf-abnormal-embryos-new-last-chance.html

Pricing and questions to ask

So you are going for your first phone consultation, what should you ask?

How much do you charge for anesthetist pain management for egg retrival?

How much are the charges for freezing the embryos?

Yearly fees for storage of embyros

How much do you charge for sperm analysis?

How much do you charge for sperm freeze?

Is there fee reduction after first failed program, for example some clinic offers 50% off second cycle?

How much is frozen transfer?

Does it include meds? How much are the meds?

Other questions:

Do you provide translator or coordinator, how much is that?

Do you provide transport to and from hotel?

Is there any option to transfer the embryo, what are the fees and paperwork involved?

How many years will embryo be stored?

In what currency will the payment be charged, are there any credit card surcharge and exchange rate fee?

Your egg may not agree with your mating partner

Your egg might prefer some men’s sperm over others.

Microscopic mate choice

“Follicular fluid from one female was better at attracting sperm from one male, while follicular fluid from another female was better at attracting sperm from a different male,” said Professor Fitzpatrick.

“This shows that interactions between human eggs and sperm depend on the specific identity of the women and men involved.” 

The egg might have its own preference in type of sperm and it is exercised by follicular fluid. The egg might attract more sperm from a certain male and not always the partner. So is the egg the decision maker in fertilization or the sperm? We have always thought that the sperm swims towards the egg and therefore is the one choosing the egg. The egg basically is a passive participant, waiting for the sperm. However recent research shows there may more than meet the eye.

Perhaps it makes sense since the egg has to risk it all, get one sperm, implant and become a human, whereas the sperm are in millions, anyone of them wins, the male wins. To find out more about mating and reproductive behaviors and opportunities, read up more on Professor John Fitzpatrick’s research on reproductive behaviors, opportunities and trade offs (https://www.su.se/english/profiles/jfrit-1.253654).

“The idea that eggs are choosing sperm is really novel in human fertility,” said Professor Daniel Brison, the Scientific Director of the Department of Reproductive Medicine at Saint Marys’ Hospital, which is part of MFT, and the senior author of this study. 

The University of Manchester Honorary Professor added: “Research on the way eggs and sperm interact will advance fertility treatments and may eventually help us understand some of the currently ‘unexplained’ causes of infertility in couples.”

“I’d like to thank every person who took part in this study and contributed to these findings, which may benefit couples struggling with infertility in future.”

The article Chemical signals from eggs facilitate cryptic female choice in humans is published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2020.0805

Research was supported by the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, the University of Manchester, the National Institutes of Health Research, a Knut and Alice Wallenberg Academy Fellowship, and a Wenner Gren Fellowship.

Source: https://www.su.se/english/research/human-eggs-prefer-some-men-s-sperm-over-others-research-shows-1.503532#:~:text=students%20and%20staff-,Human%20eggs%20prefer%20some%20men’s%20sperm%20over%20others%2C%20research%20shows,signals%20to%20%E2%80%9Cchoose%E2%80%9D%20sperm.

The Female Egg releases chemical and chooses her sperm

How does sperm response to follicle fluid?

“Mate choice can continue after mating via chemical communication between the female reproductive system and sperm. While there is a growing appreciation that females can bias sperm use and paternity by exerting cryptic female choice for preferred males, we know surprisingly little about the mechanisms underlying these post-mating choices. In particular, whether chemical signals released from eggs (chemoattractants) allow females to exert cryptic femqale choice to favour sperm from specific males remains an open question, particularly in species (including humans) where adults exercise pre-mating mate choice. Here, we adapt a classic dichotomous mate choice assay to the microscopic scale to assess gamete-mediated mate choice in humans.

We examined how sperm respond to follicular fluid, a source of human sperm chemoattractants, from either their partner or a non-partner female when experiencing …”

Source:

Chemical signals from eggs facilitate cryptic female choice in humans

JL Fitzpatrick, C Willis, A Devigili, A Young, M Carroll… – Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 2020

What is C56 and how does it affect implantation?

Natural killer (NK) cells have been the focus of interest of immunologists for almost two decades. It basically is part of your white blood cell system. Natural Killer Cells can either help your pregnancy or go against your pregnancy. It can go both ways. Having Natural Killer Cells does not mean it is bad.

In this respect, CD56 (also known as neural cell adhesion molecule) is a very good example. CD56 is the archetypal phenotypic marker of natural killer cells but can actually be expressed by many more immune cells, including alpha beta T cells, gamma delta T cells, dendritic cells, and monocytes.

The neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM), also known as CD56is a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily engaged in both so-called homophilic and heterophilic interactions.

The increasing knowledge of NK cell biology acquired throughout this period has led to a paradigm shift – for a long time NK cells were considered merely as relatively primitive killers but they are now seen not only as bona fide actors in innate immunity but also as important cells that shape and influence adaptive immune responses and are more and more being endorsed with an immunoregulatory role.

However, NK cells are not a homogeneous cell population and several subtypes exist in both human and mouse.

In this review, we will focus on the CD56bright NK cell population because important and interesting discoveries regarding this subset have been made in recent years. We will mostly review the literature but also present some data obtained in our laboratory. Mouse NK cells are excluded from the discussion because they do not express CD56. However, on the basis of the differential expression of the surface markers CD11b and CD27, three mouse NK cell subpopulations with different functional properties have been described.4 Recently, it has been suggested that mouse NK cells expressing the chemokine receptor CXCR3 might represent the murine equivalent to human CD56bright cells.5

For more information: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2673358/

What triggers Natural Killer Cells C56?

NK cells are activated in response to interferons or macrophage-derived cytokines. They serve to contain viral infections while the adaptive immune response generates antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells that can clear the infection.

Why do some people have higher Natural Killer Cells CD56 than others?

Inflammation. Healthy individuals have natural killer cells that in fact “sees well” and can protect the embryo from harmful viruses. And the other natural killer cells protect the body. The problem arises when these cells lose sight and are unable to identify clearly, what is an invader, and what is embryo, and these cells start to attack everything foreign blindly, including the embryo.

Overreactive Natural Killer Cells, that are literally blind, and attack EVERYTHING, is the concern. We are not concerned about Natural Killer Cells doing its job, that is to protect the embryo from infections and prevent the mother from viruses.

What are the types of Natural Killer Cells and what do they do?

In Your Uterus – Uterine Natural Killer Cells protect the embryo against serious infections.

In Your Blood – Protect your body against viral infections and cancer cells.

Natural Killer cells is an important factor in successful pregnancy.

Your embryo is different

What is Immune Tolerance during pregnancy?

That’s when your immune cells learn about the new “foreign body” and protects it against virus and help with the implantation. Your body developed “Immune Tolerance” to the new embryo and therefore during pregnancy, you will have high NK Cells and is normal.

What is problematic is when these uterine Natural Killer cells, start attacking the embryo instead of protect it. This is especially prominent in women with a different blood type to her baby, or women with compromised immune system. For example, Asthma is a kind of immune deficiency or overreaction, where the immune system cannot see properly, and start overreacting.

There are no research to suggest that having more probiotics (BB12, and LGG) strains will help improve immune system and enable these cells to “see better”, still many women take HIGH QUALITY probiotics and have successful pregnancies.

Will my Natural Killer Cells Increase during pregnancy? Where are these cells normally Found?

The Endometrium where the inner epithelial layer is, is normally where you will find the “Uterine Natural killer cells”

Thee cells flourish when there is a high progesterone level.

Pregnancy is accompanied by high progesterone levels, therefore this is normal.

But it is important your Natural Killer Cells, can see properly and detect the right invaders and not shoot blindly anything that is foreign. Natural Killer Cells need to see well in order to kill SELECTIVELY.

Conclusion:

Having higher Natural Killer Cells does not mean it is bad. What seems to be more important is whether or not, Natural Killer Cells can identify and protect the embryo than to mistake the embryo as an invader. A malfunction of natural killer cells means literally, it lost sight and unable to determine what is a well balanced attack, and what is a foreign body.

Videos that talks about Natural Killer Cells and pregnancy

Immune Rejection of Embryo within the endometrium

JK and Charlie’s experience on Natural Killer Cells and pregnancy

#miscarriage #naturalkillercells #NK56

What is Octogam Infusion?

This medication is used to strengthen the body’s natural defense system (immune system) to lower the risk of infection in persons with a weakened immune system.

This medication is made from healthy human blood that has a high level of certain defensive substances (antibodies), which help fight infections.

What is Octogam Infusion Made of?

Immune Globulin Intravenous (Human), Octagam 5% liquid, is a solvent/detergent (S/D)-treated, sterile preparation of highly purified immunoglobulin G (IgG) derived from large pools of human plasma. Octagam 5% liquid is a solution for infusion which must be administered intravenously.

All units of human plasma used in the manufacture of Octagam 5% liquid are provided by FDA-approved blood establishments only, and are tested by FDA-licensed serological tests for HBsAg, antibodies to HCV and HIV and Nucleic Acid Test Test (NAT) for HCV and HIV-1 and found to be non-reactive (negative).

The product is manufactured by the cold ethanol fractionation process followed by ultrafiltration and chromatography. The manufacturing process includes treatment with an organic S/D mixture composed of tri-n-butyl phosphate (TNBP) and Triton X-100 (Octoxynol). The Octagam 5% liquid manufacturing process provides a significant viral reduction in in vitro studies (table 7). These reductions are achieved through a combination of process steps including cold ethanol fractionation, S/D treatment and pH 4 treatment.

Primary Humoral Immunodeficiency Diseases (PI)

Octagam is an immune globulin intravenous (human) 5% liquid indicated for treatment of primary humoral immunodeficiency (PI), such as congenital agammaglobulinemia, common variable immunodeficiency, X-linked agammaglobulinemia, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome and severe combined immunodeficiencies.

Estimated Cost

The cost for Octagam intravenous solution 10% is around $370 for a supply of 20 milliliters, depending on the pharmacy you visit.

How to store Octagam?

The product is stable for 18 months at room temperature and 24 months in the refrigerator.

What’s other name for Octagam?

IVIG Intravenous Immunoglobulin

Why is Octogam used for IVF?

Women experiencing implantation failure have a higher frequency of elevated percentage of circulating CD56+ (natural killer) cells (>12%) than fertile women (3-12%). … IVIg enhances pregnancy and live birth rates in women with elevated circulating CD56+ cells who have a history of implantation failure.

Who manufactures Octogam?

Pfizer, https://www.pfizerpro.com/product/octagam-10/itp/dosing-administration

Is there any data I can read up on?

The Center for Human Reproduction, 750 N. Orleans St., Chicago, IL 60610, USA, published a paper on use of Octogam and implantation. Intravenous (IV) immunoglobulin (Ig) has been previously shown to increase pregnancy rates after previously failed in vitro fertilization (IVF) embryo (ET) attempts in women who are efficient embryo producers (fertilize at least 50% of oocytes retrieved and generate at least 3 embryos/cycle). Women experiencing implantation failure have a higher frequency of elevated percentage of circulating CD56+ (natural killer) cells (>12%) than fertile women (3-12%).

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11723539/

Warning Kidney Failure

THROMBOSIS, RENAL DYSFUNCTION AND ACUTE RENAL FAILURE

Thrombosis may occur with immune globulin intravenous (IGIV) products, including Octagam 5% liquid. Risk factors may include: advanced age, prolonged immobilization, hypercoagulable conditions, history of venous or arterial thrombosis, use of estrogens, indwelling central vascular catheters, hyperviscosity, and cardiovascular risk factors. Thrombosis may occur in the absence of known risk factors. (See WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONSPATIENT INFORMATION)

Renal dysfunction, acute renal failure, osmotic nephrosis, and death may occur in predisposed patients who receive IGIV products, including Octagam 5% liquid. Patients predisposed to renal dysfunction include those with a degree of pre-existing renal insufficiency, diabetes mellitus, age greater than 65, volume depletion, sepsis, paraproteinemia, or patients receiving known nephrotoxic drugs. Renal dysfunction and acute renal failure occur more commonly in patients receiving IGIV product containing sucrose. Octagam 5% liquid does not contain sucrose.

For patients at risk of thrombosis, renal dysfunction or acute renal failure, administer Octagam 5% liquid at the minimum dose and infusion rate practicable.

Ensure adequate hydration in patients before administration.

Monitor for signs and symptoms of thrombosis and assess blood viscosity in patients at risk for hyperviscosity.

Allerigic Reaction to Octogam?

OCTAGAM 10% liquid may cause hypersensitivity in patients with a corn allergy. OCTAGAM 10% liquid contains maltose, which is derived from corn.