Word: fallopian
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Couched in a halo of nutrient cells, an egg smaller than the dot on an i drifts slowly down a Fallopian tube, one of a pair of narrow passages that lead from a woman's ovaries to her womb. Like a beacon guiding ships at night, the egg sends forth a calling signal. A convoy of sperm -- the remnants of an armada that was once a couple of hundred million strong -- sails into view, their long tails thrashing vigorously. Lured by the chemical signal, several hundred of the most energetic swimmers close in on the egg, their narrow tips unleashing...
...fertility decreases with age. Each month, starting at puberty, hundreds of eggs begin the maturation process. One of them, growing in a fluid-filled sac called the follicle, quickly establishes itself as the first among equals. In a normal cycle, only that single egg will be released to the Fallopian tubes for possible fertilization. About 1,000 more will wither away and disappear. So although a woman may have 400,000 eggs to start with, the number she can effectively use is closer...
There are treatments for each of these conditions. Blocked Fallopian tubes can be freed or cleared of obstructions by a variety of operations, ranging from laser-beam surgery to inflating a tiny balloon within the clogged passage. Men with extremely low sperm counts can be helped toward fatherhood by artificial insemination, which puts what sperm they have directly into the cervix, or by microinjection, which puts a single sperm right into the egg. And for couples with sperm-allergy problems, a procedure known as sperm washing strips the sperm of some of the chemical antigens that trigger the allergic reaction...
...early successes of in-vitro ("test tube") fertilization have laid the groundwork for a revolution in reproductive technology. Hardly a week goes by without news of a breakthrough to help nature take its course. Last week produced two such announcements: one offers new hope to women with blocked Fallopian tubes; the other promises to extend women's fertility beyond their prime childbearing years -- even past menopause...
...other report issued last week focuses attention on the Fallopian tubes, the narrow passages that carry eggs from the ovaries to the uterus. Women whose tubes are clogged with scar tissue or other obstructions cannot conceive by natural means because their eggs have no way of getting to the womb. In the past, such women had to undergo surgery to have their tubes cleared. Now the problem can be overcome in a doctor's office, according to an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association. With a tiny balloon similar to those used to clear blocked arteries, scientists...