EXCLUSIVE Once-glamorous sports legend breaks cover with a VERY pointed message... just weeks after looking unrecognizable in a wheelchair
She is a former tennis star who reached a career-high single ranking of world No 8 and was once voted the world's sexiest woman.
But earlier this year Anna Kournikova sparked major concern over her health after she was spotted in a wheelchair wearing a protective boot.
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The Independent
27 minutes ago
- The Independent
One child in every school class born as a result of IVF
The equivalent of almost one child in every classroom in the UK is now born as a result IVF fertility treatment, new figures suggest. Almost 21,000 babies were born from IVF in 2023, compared to 8,700 in 2000, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) said. The authors of the fertility regulator's latest report wrote: 'IVF births are making up a higher proportion of all UK births over time, increasing from 1.3% in 2000 to 3.1% in 2023. 'This means around one in 32 UK births in 2023 were via IVF – roughly one child in every classroom – compared to one in 43 in 2013.' The HFEA said that its latest figures show the 'changing landscape' of fertility care in the UK. Overall, 52,400 patients had ,ore than 77,500 in vitro fertilisation (IVF) cycles at UK fertility clinics in 2023. Some 11% of births to women aged 40-44 were a result of IVF, increasing from 4% in 2000 and accounting for 0.5% of all births, HFEA said. The data also reveal a rise in the proportion of women freezing their eggs – a rise from 4,700 in 2022 to 6,900 in 2023 – but the HFEA said that the number of patients using their stored frozen eggs in treatment remains 'low'. Meanwhile the HFEA also said that in 2023, around 820 babies were born following donor insemination (DI) treatment. The figures also show a reduction in the number of IVF treatments funded by the NHS. The proportion of NHS-funded IVF cycles declined from 35% in 2019 to 27% in 2023 in the UK, decreasing most in England, the HFEA said. More than half (54%) of IVF cycles in Scotland were funded by the NHS in 2023, compared to 49% in Northern Ireland; 33% in Wales; and 24% in England. The HFEA also raised concerns about racial disparities in IVF. It said that in recent years, Asian and black patients have had lower birth rates compared to white patients and those from a mixed ethnic background. Julia Chain, chairwoman of the HFEA, said: 'IVF is helping more people have babies including patients of different ages and family types. 'One in 32 of all UK births are from IVF and 11% of all UK births are to women aged 40-44 who had IVF. 'We are also seeing more single patients and female same-sex couples having IVF. 'These findings highlight the changing landscape of the UK fertility sector and how it could develop in the years to come. 'However, we are very concerned to see that black and Asian patients continue to have lower IVF birth rates compared to other patient groups, and our recent survey found that Asian and Black patients are less likely to report being satisfied with their fertility treatment.' Data from the Office for National Statistics show that the fertility rate in England and Wales in 2023 was 1.44 children per woman – the lowest level on record. Commenting on the HFEA data, a spokesperson from the fertility charity Fertility Network UK said: 'This important report from the HFEA reflects how essential fertility treatment has become for growing families in the UK and underlines not just the scientific advances in fertility care, but also the profound social impact of helping people realise their dreams of parenthood. 'Delays in accessing treatment — whether due to long GP referral times or inconsistent NHS funding — can have a devastating emotional and biological impact. We call for fair and timely access to fertility services for all, wherever they live and whatever their background.'
BBC News
40 minutes ago
- BBC News
Synthetic Human Genome Project gets go ahead
Work has begun on a controversial project to create the building blocks of human life from scratch, in what is believed to be a world research has been taboo until now because of concerns it could lead to designer babies or unforeseen changes for future now the World's largest medical charity, the Wellcome Trust, has given an initial £10m to start the project and says it has the potential to do more good than harm by accelerating treatments for many incurable Julian Sale, of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, who is part of the project, told BBC News the research was the next giant leap in biology."The sky is the limit. We are looking at therapies that will improve people's lives as they age, that will lead to healthier aging with less disease as they get older."We are looking to use this approach to generate disease-resistant cells we can use to repopulate damaged organs, for example in the liver and the heart, even the immune system," he critics fear the research opens the way for unscrupulous researchers seeking to create enhanced or modified Pat Thomas, director of the campaign group Beyond GM, said: "We like to think that all scientists are there to do good, but the science can be repurposed to do harm and for warfare".Details of the project were given to BBC News on the 25th anniversary of the completion of the Human Genome Project, which mapped the molecules in human DNA and was also largely funded by Wellcome. Every cell in our body contains a molecule called DNA which carries the genetic information it needs. DNA is built from just four much smaller blocks referred to as A, G, C and T, which are repeated over and over again in various combinations. Amazingly it contains all the genetic information that physically makes us who we Human Genome Project enabled scientists to read all human genes like a bar code. The new work that is getting under way, called the Synthetic Human Genome Project, potentially takes this a giant leap forward – it will allow researchers not just to read a molecule of DNA, but to create parts of it – maybe one day all of it - molecule by molecule from scratch. The scientists' first aim is to develop ways of building ever larger blocks of human DNA, up to the point when they have synthetically constructed a human chromosome. These contain the genes that govern our development, repair and can then be studied and experimented on to learn more about how genes and DNA regulate our diseases occur when these genes go wrong so the studies could lead to better treatments, according to Prof Matthew Hurles, director of the Wellcome Sanger Insititute which sequenced the largest proportion of the Human Genome."Building DNA from scratch allows us to test out how DNA really works and test out new theories, because currently we can only really do that by tweaking DNA in DNA that already exists in living systems". The project's work will be confined to test tubes and dishes and there will be no attempt to create synthetic life. But the technology will give researchers unprecedented control over human living although the project is hunting for medical benefits, there is nothing to stop unscrupulous scientists misusing the technology. They could, for example, attempt to create biological weapons, enhanced humans or even creatures that have human DNA, according to Prof Bill Earnshaw, a highly respected genetic scientist at Edinburgh University who designed a method for creating artificial human chromosomes."The genie is out of the bottle," he told BBC News. "We could have a set of restrictions now, but if an organisation who has access to appropriate machinery decided to start synthesising anything, I don't think we could stop them"Ms Thomas is concerned about how the technology will be commercialised by healthcare companies developing treatments emerging from the research."If we manage to create synthetic body parts or even synthetic people, then who owns them. And who owns the data from these creations? "Given the potential misuse of the technology, the question for Wellcome is why they chose to fund it. The decision was not made lightly, according to Dr Tom Collins, who gave the funding go-ahead."We asked ourselves what was the cost of inaction," he told BBC News."This technology is going to be developed one day, so by doing it now we are at least trying to do it in as responsible a way as possible and to confront the ethical and moral questions in an upfront way as possible".A dedicated social science programmewill run in tandem with the project's scientific development and will be led by Prof Joy Zhang, a sociologist, at the University of Kent."We want to get the views of experts, social scientists and especially the public about how they relate to the technology and how it can be beneficial to them and importanlty what questions and concerns they have," she said.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Womb lining test offers miscarriage hope to women
UK scientists say they have developed a test which can help identify women with an abnormal womb lining that increases their risk of say their work could pave the way for new treatments for those going through repeated pregnancy loss. In some women with a history of miscarriage, the womb lining doesn't react the way it should - transforming into a supportive place for the embryo to implant, the Warwick University team say the findings could help provide an explanation, in some cases, for the trauma and devastation of recurrent miscarriage. Around one in six of all pregnancies are lost, most before twelve weeks, and each miscarriage increases the risk of another one happening. To date, most research in this area has focused on the quality of the embryo, with much less known about the role of the womb lining. Dr Jo Muter, study author and researcher at Warwick Medical School, said: "Many women are told they've just had 'bad luck', but our findings show that the womb itself may be setting the stage for pregnancy loss, even before conception takes place."The job of the womb lining is to receive the embryo and help it develop during pregnancy, thanks to a reaction which converts cells into a different, supportive state. But when that reaction is messed up and doesn't fully happen, the risk of bleeding and early pregnancy a woman has had one faulty reaction, she is more likely to have another, the researchers say. They've developed a new test which can measure signs of a healthy or defective reaction in the womb lining, which is being piloted to help more than 1,000 patients at Tommy's National Centre for Miscarriage Research at University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire (UHCW). 'A tiny miracle' Charlie Beattie, 37, had countless early miscarriages over the course of four years, to the point where "a positive pregnancy test wasn't exciting any more", she and her husband Sam, from Leamington Spa, felt devastated and resigned to considering other options for having a they found out about at a trial taking place at the miscarriage research had a sample of her womb taken, and the new test showed it was not "hospitable for babies", she taking the drug sitagliptin for three months, she had a pregnancy which finally stuck - and nine-week-old June is the joyful result."She's a tiny miracle. It doesn't feel real," says admits being anxious all the way through her pregnancy until June was safely in her the pregnancy scans were a new experience."We'd never seen anything on a scan before that moved," she says. "When they said 'I can see it, it's in the right place', we both burst into tears." Anyone can refer themselves to the clinic, but it has a long waiting list and funding issues mean patients must contribute to the cost of the test. Dr Jyotsna Vohra, director of research at Tommy's, said care and treatment for those who experience pregnancy or baby loss varied unacceptably across the UK. "There should be no barriers to accessing any test or treatment that has been proven to make a difference. "We hope NHS decision-makers will look carefully at the results of the Coventry pilot project and consider rolling this test out nationwide, so that everyone who might benefit has that opportunity."Dr Muter says the next step is to use the test to assess potential drug treatments. Sitagliptin, usually used to treat diabetes, is the go-to option for womb lining issues but there may be other existing drugs which can be repurposed, she 80% of drugs not tested on pregnant women, it's unclear which ones might be effective.
