Announcements

Friday 5 May, 5.00 - 7.00pm at UWA, register LEFROY SEMINAR: Livestock systems as sentinels for mammalian infertility Tickets, Fri 05/05/2023 at 5:00 pm | Eventbrite

UWA Lefroy Fellow Dr Kelsey Pool will explore how her livestock production research could offer a large-scale model for human infertility.

For the past three years, the Covid-19 pandemic has dominated the media. Far less talked about however, is another pandemic spanning decades – an insidious global increase in mammalian infertility. Endocrine disrupting chemicals, climate change, in-utero stressors – our modern environment challenges our reproductive potential before we are even born.

Curiously, these manifestations of infertility are paralleled in livestock systems, providing an opportunity to both improve livestock production and model reproduction at a population level.

Through the E.H.B Lefroy Research Fellowship at The University of Western Australia, Dr Kelsey Pool has established a core research program devoted to improving sheep production that expanded to a livestock reproduction business and large-scale model for human infertility. Hear about how diet can change the way sperm function, how in-utero events can alter the physiology – and even behaviour – of future generations, and how we can use markers of fertility as a bioassay for biological de-fleecing.

Seeking donor-conceived people to participate in research exploring experiences, views and support needs - DCstudy.org

Ms Giselle Newton, PhD candidate, Centre for Social Research in Health, UNSW Sydney.

Do you know someone who was born through donor conception, including with surrogacy?

Limited research has explored the services and support that donor-conceived people may need. Researchers at UNSW are conducting research about donor-conceived people’s experiences, views and support needs in a digital era. This research seeks to gain a better understanding of donor-conceived people’s needs in order to influence policy and practice.

The research team are recruiting donor-conceived people over 16 years old who are Australian residents/citizens to participate. There are two parts to this study people can potentially participate in:

-An online survey about your experiences, views and support needs

-A one-on-one, conversational-style interview about Facebook groups for donor-conceived people

The study is being supervised by Associate Professor Christy Newman, Dr Michele Zappavigna and Dr Kerryn Drysdale and has ethics approval from UNSW Human Research Ethics Committee, ACON NSW and Thorne Harbour Health VIC. An advisory panel of donor-conceived people is guiding the study.

For more information visit the study website https://www.dcstudy.org

or contact Ms Giselle Newton at g.newton@unsw.edu.au

The following sites provide information regarding COVID-19:

Fertility Society of Australia » COVID-19 Information

Department of Health, Western Australia

Australian Government Department of Health

Royal Australian and New Zealand Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

All licenced fertility clinics in Western Australia have information regarding COVID-19 posted on their websites. Clinics website details are located here