Archives for April 2013

By GINA KOLATA NY Times Published: April 10, 2013 Robert G. Edwards, who opened a new era in medicine when he joined a colleague in developing in vitro fertilization, enabling millions of infertile couples to bring children into the world and women to have babies even in menopause, died on Wednesday at his home near Cambridge, England. Dr. Edwards, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for his breakthrough, was 87. Robert G. Edwards with the world’s … [Read more...]

By AP / Lindsey Tanner April 09, 2013 The biggest thing in operating rooms these days is a million-dollar, multi-armed robot named da Vinci, used in nearly 400,000 surgeries nationwide last year – triple the number just four years earlier. But now the high-tech helper is under scrutiny over reports of problems, including several deaths that may be linked with it and the high cost of using the robotic system. There also have been a few … [Read more...]

April 5 , 2013 by: ASRM Office of Public Affairs Published in ASRM Press Release Statement attributable to Linda C. Giudice, MD, PhD, President, American Society for Reproductive Medicine Washington, DC --  "We are pleased with Judge Korman's decision ordering FDA to lift its restrictions on access to emergency contraceptives.  Restricting over-the-counter access by age has historically been a political decision. We agree with the court that … [Read more...]

By Monte Morin and Geoffrey Mohan, Los Angeles Times April 5, 2013 President Obama once fretted about the prospect that girls as young as 10 or 11 could walk into a drugstore and buy emergency contraception pills as easily as "bubble gum or batteries." With his blessing, the Department of Health and Human Services set aside the advice of medical experts and blocked efforts to allow girls younger than 17 to get the so-called morning-after pill … [Read more...]