Latest news with #CongressoftheAsiaPacificInitiativeonReproduction
Korea Herald
04-05-2025
- Health
- Korea Herald
A future of reproductive medicine where humanity and trust sit in harmony with spectacular advances in artificial intelligence
SINGAPORE, May 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Artificial intelligence, or AI, is transforming our lives in dynamic and challenging ways, including the ability to create life. In assisted reproduction, AI and automation tools have taken fertility specialists to new frontiers in precision, efficiency and personalisation with the technology beaming with promise for patients striving for parenthood. However, a world leader in reproductive medicine has warned of the dangers of "racing ahead of the rules" as AI algorithms and codes create new dimensions in fertility health care. Speaking at the 2025 Congress of the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction (ASPIRE) in Singapore today, Professor Ying Cheong said human connection, trust, transparency and ethical responsibility must remain "at the heart of what we do" as fertility clinics increasingly embrace the technological wonders of AI. She is Professor of Reproductive Medicine at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom where her research interests include uterine health with interdisciplinary collaboration in electronics and computer science in the development of clinical tools. "AI-driven tools offer promise through validation for example in optimising ovarian stimulation by predicting patient responses, reducing ovarian hyperstimulation risk, and improving oocyte yield," Professor Cheong explained. "Machine learning models assist in embryo selection with the aim of improving implantation rates and pregnancy success. "Beyond the laboratory, AI and automation are streamlining fertility clinic workflows. Robotics-assisted micromanipulation, AI-enhanced incubators, and non-invasive preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) are advancing embryo assessment. "Meanwhile, wearable biosensors and intrauterine devices are emerging as potential AI-integrated tools for real-time uterine monitoring." Yet, Professor Cheong said artificial intelligence in assisted reproduction posed a range of questions relating to: "AI tools require clinical validation across diverse populations, and ethical concerns around bias and decision-making must be addressed," she said. "The technology should complement, not replace clinical expertise ensuring a human-in-the-loop approach. With careful validation and ethical oversight, AI can improve accessibility, affordability and success rates in fertility treatment." Professor Cheong also highlighted the importance of building a social data ecosystem that allows data to be shared responsibly, securely and with full public transparency. "Trustworthy AI starts with trustworthy data," she explained. "That means models like a Social Data Foundation where patients, providers and researchers collaborate equally,' she said. "We need to be mindful of making access to advanced technology in reproductive medicine accessible for all, for example through open access AI platforms and public private partnerships. "AI is here now, and we need to adapt fast. While it will transform our tools, it must not transform our purpose. "In a world racing to build smarter machines, our greatest achievement will be remembering how to be better humans." Around 2,000 experts in fertility health, including scientists, clinicians, nurses and counsellors, are attending the ASPIRE Congress at the Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre in Singapore. For more information, go to
Korea Herald
02-05-2025
- Health
- Korea Herald
How latest genetic data on fertility may be an indicator of chronic disease onset and longevity
SINGAPORE, May 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Latest population studies have cast new light on genetic influences on women's reproductive lifespans and possible markers for the onset of chronic diseases. Evidence is growing that conditions such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and neurodegenerative disorders are associated with reduced ovarian reserve, which refers to the number of healthy eggs remaining in a woman's ovaries as she ages. In contrast, extended ovarian function appears to correlate with general good health and the possibility that greater reproductive success is an indicator of longevity. The complex genetic interplay between the onset of menstruation and menopause came into sharp focus today at the 2025 Congress of the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction (ASPIRE) in Singapore. In a keynote address to the Congress, Professor Joop Laven, a world expert in reproductive endocrinology and infertility, suggested reproductive lifespan was associated with "survival". He is the Professor of Reproductive Medicine at Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam in The Netherlands, Past President of the Dutch Society of Reproductive Medicine, and a lead figure in Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS). The GWAS project has identified about 290 genetic determinants of reproductive ageing in a huge cohort of about 500,000 women of European ancestry. In the project, Professor Laven has explored the genetic basis of hormonal conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), along with premature ovarian insufficiency, menarche and menopause. At the ASPIRE Congress, Professor Laven said women with PCOS tended to have the most effective genetic variants for DNA repair providing a "genetic advantage" of fertility beyond the fourth decade of life, when most women have exhausted their natural supply of eggs. "Studies show PCOS women have better DNA repair and therefore produce better embryos at a later age compared to controls, and they have an extended reproductive life span," he explained. "Women with PCOS have issues getting pregnant earlier in life. This may reduce the total number of children they have so they do not have a negative trade-off that a high number of children might have. "Together with their longer lifespan this may represent an evolutionary advantage. Moreover, by having children later in life might reduce the incidence of PCOS in their offspring." Professor Laven said studies indicated that over time, the gradual accumulation of DNA damage results in the exhaustion of cell renewal capacity and dysfunction in affected organs, ultimately accelerating cell death, commonly referred to as ageing. "A similar erosion of the genome occurs within the ovaries," he said. "The extent of DNA maintenance and repair also seems to have a determining effect on susceptibility to conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease." Professor Laven said sub-fertility should be monitored as it serves as a sensitive marker for susceptibility to these conditions highlighting the importance of patient follow up among those presenting for assisted reproduction. "This seems to be in contrast to what most assisted reproductive technology clinics do," he added. "In general, clinics only report live birth rates as success. "So, in many cases we are not following up our patients who may be susceptible to non-communicable diseases when we have the opportunity to develop preventive health strategies for them." The ASPIRE Congress at the Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre in Singapore has brought together over 2,000 scientists, clinicians, nurses and counsellors for a program that will help shape the future of fertility health care in the region and around the world.
Korea Herald
02-05-2025
- Health
- Korea Herald
Fertility experts urge the creation of registries to safeguard donor conception practices
SINGAPORE, May 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Gamete donation has accelerated around the world in the past decade driven in part by the emergence of commercial sperm and egg banks and a growing recognition of the validity of this form of family building among single women in some countries. However, lack of regulation on donor conception in many countries is exposing those seeking to build families in this way to potential medical, legal and psychosocial ramifications. Associate Professor Sonja Goedeke, a New Zealand-based clinical psychologist specialising in psychosocial and ethical implications of infertility, has called on policy makers to help those seeking donor conception to make safer choices for themselves, their donors and their potential offspring and families. Speaking at the 2025 Congress of the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction (ASPIRE) in Singapore, Associate Professor Goedeke said legislation, policies and practices regarding donor conception vary significantly across jurisdictions and anonymous donation remains possible in some countries, including across the Asia Pacific. "Anonymity can prevent donor conceived people from accessing vital health information and deny them knowledge of their genetic origins," she said. "It may also increase the risk of half-siblings unknowingly forming relationships with each other. "Internationally, many donor conceived people have emphasised their desire for and right to access information about the donor." Associate Professor Goedeke said limited local access to egg, sperm and embryo donors may be one of the key drivers in so-called cross-border reproduction. "However, this may present significant risks including unspecified donor limits leading to potentially large numbers of siblings," she explained. "Unified legislation is required to set up central donor registries for each country and enforce limits around the number of donor-conceived people born from one donor to reduce the risk of consanguineous relationships and the psychological impact of discovering an unlimited number of potential siblings. "Proper record keeping would allow central donor registries to share information with each other and ensure those seeking and providing donor conception can operate in a more regulated, safer environment." Associate Professor Goedeke is from the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at the Auckland University of Technology, and she is the Co-Chair of the ASPIRE Special Interest Group on Psychology and Counselling. She said unregulated donor conception raised potential legal issues surrounding parentage, access rights to offspring and responsibilities for financial child support. "Significant advances in science that have allowed families to be created using donated gametes have also advanced the growing availability of direct-to-consumer DNA testing," Associate Professor Goedeke explained. "This, coupled with a growing recognition of the rights and needs of donor-conceived people has driven a shift toward greater openness. "DNA testing has become commonplace among people who suspect they were donor conceived and so true donor anonymity is no longer guaranteed. DNA samples may allow the tracing of anonymous donors and donor conceived people and access to medical and genetic data. "Donor conceived people have the right to develop and conserve mutually agreeable relationships with biological, social and gestational families regardless of when or where they were born. "But DNA testing for biological links can also have its downsides. In an unsupported environment, it can be challenging to negotiate outreach to individuals who may be previously unknown genetic relatives. Individuals to whom they outreach may not be anticipating contact, or genetic siblings may not be aware of their own donor conception, so responses may become psychologically confronting. "Donor conception is a growing trend that is becoming more complex, so guidance is needed to help the recipients/parents, donors and donor conceived people to navigate the rapidly changing landscape in assisted reproduction. Donor conception is not just a treatment to help individuals conceive. It is a form of family building with long-term implications for all involved." Associate Professor Goedeke said donor registries, donor limits, support for parents to disclose and access to properly recorded information were required to ensure ethical donor conception. This includes an understanding of complex cultural and religious contexts. "Policy makers and health care professionals have a duty to ensure that adequate support provisions are in place to promote the health and well-being of all parties affected by donor conception," she said. "Qualified counsellors in clinical settings can provide psychosocial and decision-making support, education and advocacy and, if sought, help manage linking between donors, parents, children and siblings." More than 2,000 experts in fertility health are attending the ASPIRE Congress at the Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre in Singapore. For more information, go to
