Dr Hồ Ngọc Anh Vũ of Mỹ Đức Hospital in HCM City. Photo courtesy of the hospital Dr Hồ Ngọc Anh Vũ of Mỹ Đức Hospital in HCM City won the Best Oral Presentation Award for his outstanding research at the 9th Congress of the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction (ASPIRE 2019) organised by the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction and the Hong Kong Society for Reproductive Medicine held from May 2-5 in Hong Kong. Gia Lộc spoke with Vũ about his research and the status of reproductive medicine in Việt Nam. Inner Sanctum: Can you tell us about your research? Our study compared the effectiveness and safety of in vitro maturation (IVM) of oocytes versus in vitro fertilization (IVF) in women with a high antral follicle count (AFC). My colleagues at the hospital and I conducted the research. This was the largest … [Read more...] about Couples benefit from new fertility treatment
Multiple pregnancies risks
Boy or girl? Hong Kong at center of banned China gender test
The business thrives on a well-organised underground network that serves the huge demand for illicit sex-selective abortion in mainland China –- driven by limits on family size and an entrenched cultural preference for sons. Chinese authorities vowed to crack down on the trade in 2015. But dozens of blood smuggling agents are openly advertising services on the Twitter-like platform Weibo and on websites, despite China's proven ability to scrub digital content. Gender testing -- except on medical grounds -- is outlawed in China, where sex-selective abortions have helped create a surplus of about 31.6 million men, with some 115 boys born for every 100 girls last year. A long-standing one-child policy was eased to permit two children in 2016 but gender testing continues, with many parents of daughters trying for a son the second time around. Gender testing is legal in Hong Kong, with some clinics apparently turning a blind eye to the origins of the smuggled samples. Three agents … [Read more...] about Boy or girl? Hong Kong at center of banned China gender test
Từ Dũ Hospital, experts discuss ways to prevent pre-term births
HCM CITY — Pre-term births are the leading cause of global under-5 child mortality, as well as short- and long-term morbidities such as sepsis, retinopathy of prematurity, and neurodevelopment impairment, Dr Jane Hirst of Oxford University said at a conference held in HCM City yesterday (May 16). Hirst and her colleagues, including doctors at Từ Dũ Hospital in HCM City, carried out a study on pre-term births from October 2016 to October 2018 to update biomarkers for premature births. Prematurity is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in Việt Nam, Hirst said at the 19th Vietnam-France-Asia-Pacific Conference on Obstetrics and Gynecology, which ends today. “Prevention is a priority, but predicting which women will deliver pre-term remains challenging,” she added. An effective biomarker would focus ante-natal care on those at greatest risk of pre-term birth and facilitate development of novel interventions, Hirst said. However, pre-term … [Read more...] about Từ Dũ Hospital, experts discuss ways to prevent pre-term births
Human papillomaviruses (HPV) and men
Viet Nam News By Dr. Mathieu Nalpas* The human papilloma virus can infect many parts of the body. Some types of HPV are sexually transmitted and can cause warts or other consequences such as cancer (cervical, penile and anal). HPV infections are common. Even if the link between HPV and cancer exists, but it is important to remember that if you have an HPV infection, it is unlikely that you will develop cancer. What are the signs and symptoms of HPV in men? Most men who have anogenital HPV do not have symptoms and most infections will go away without treatment within a couple of years. However, in some people HPV infections can persist for many years. Some people with a HPV infection may develop anogenital warts. HPV infection is also associated with the development of cancers in men including penile and anal. The precancerous and cancerous changes that may result from HPV infection usually do not present with any noticeable symptoms, and therefore regular health check-ups are … [Read more...] about Human papillomaviruses (HPV) and men
Calls to end South Korea abortion ban reach top court
A decades-old abortion ban that activists say endangers women - even if it is only sporadically enforced - will be challenged in South Korea's supreme court this week. Along with Ireland, which holds a referendum on reforming strict abortion laws on Friday, South Korea is one of the few industrialised nations where the procedure is illegal except for instances of rape, incest and when the mother's health is at risk. Women who terminate a pregnancy face a fine and a year in jail, while doctors who carry out terminations can get up to two years behind bars. In reality, the 1953 law rarely results in prosecutions. But there are growing calls for change as activists argue criminalisation leaves women vulnerable to unsafe procedures and the changing whims of politicians as well as blackmail from their partners. "It's anachronistic," Kim Dong-sik, a researcher at the state-run Korean Women's Development Institute, told AFP. "We are still stuck in 1953." Calls to repeal the law have gained … [Read more...] about Calls to end South Korea abortion ban reach top court