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14/08/2025

🐎 Horses produce just one foal after an eleven-month pregnancy, making reproductive efficiency critical. Concerns about inbreeding (which can increase harmful genetic variants) led researchers to examine whether it impacts foaling rates in Australian Thoroughbred mares.

📊 Aussie researchers examined 27,262 breeding records of Thoroughbred mares and found that inbreeding had no measurable effect on foaling rate. However, breeding values for both traits have declined in recent generations, suggesting that horses with lower reproductive potential have not yet been bred out of the population.

💡 While current inbreeding levels appear too low to impact reproduction, higher inbreeding in smaller or artificially bred populations could have more serious consequences. Ongoing monitoring of reproductive traits, alongside genomic scans could help identify fertility-linked genetic variation and provide insight into the selective forces shaping foaling rates.

🔗 Read more via the link in our bio!

08/08/2025

🧬 Azoos***mia, a severe form of male infertility, affects up to 5% of couples seeking fertility treatment

🧪 To create a chance at a biological child, men undergo testicular biopsies, with embryologists manually searching tissue under a microscope for viable s***m. This process is time-consuming, physically draining, and easy to miss s***m hidden among blood cells and tissue.

💻 In a new Aussie pilot study, researchers trialled an AI-powered image detection tool to assist embryologists in locating s***m faster and more accurately.

📉 Results showed a 75% reduction in time to find each s***m and significantly shorter dish search times.

🔍This AI tool doesn’t replace the skill or judgement of an embryologist - but it has the potential to amplify their work, reduce fatigue, and improve patient outcomes especially for those with few s***m.

⚠️ This is still early-stage research, and further studies are needed to improve the model’s accuracy but it marks a meaningful step toward integrating supportive AI into the IVF lab.

🔗 Read more via the link in our bio!

***mia ***mSearch ***m

01/08/2025

🐏 In sheep, frozen-thawed s***m used for artificial insemination often leads to lower pregnancy rates. This is likely because the ewe’s immune system attacks the s***m as it travels through the cervix.

🧫 A new Aussie study looked at whether seminal plasma (the fluid that comes with s***m) can protect frozen s***m from being targeted by immune cells called neutrophils.

🔬 Researchers found that adding seminal plasma to frozen s***m reduced the number of immune cells that attached to the s***m. But when the plasma was heated, this protective effect was lost - showing that the key component is heat-sensitive.

💡 These findings offer new insight into the role of seminal plasma in modulating the immune response within the ewe reproductive tract and could help improve the passage and success of frozen-thawed s***m during insemination.

🔗 Read more via the link in our bio!

***mbinding

23/07/2025

🧬 Australian reproductive scientists are proudly featured at the Society for the Study of Reproduction 2025 Annual Meeting, a major international conference held this year in Washington, D.C.

🌏 With this year’s theme “Uniting Scientific Disciplines for Breakthroughs in Reproduction”- Aussie researchers are contributing to key global discussions in fertility, genetics and conservation.

💡 From research on thylacine de-extinction and biobanking to advances in genome engineering and assisted reproduction, Aussie researchers’ contributions to global reproductive health and research deserve recognition. 🇦🇺 👏

18/07/2025

🧪 Assisted reproductive technologies, like IVF, rely on s***m preparation methods that can unintentionally damage s***m, reducing motility and causing DNA fragmentation and oxidation, all of which can impact fertilisation and pregnancy outcomes.

🔬 A new Aussie study tested BGP-15, a novel therapeutic, to see if it could protect s***m quality during semen preparation prior to insemination.

📈 Researchers found that incubating s***m with BGP-15 boosted s***m motility by 15% and reduced oxidative DNA damage by up to 57% across common clinical methods like swim-up, density gradient centrifugation, and s***m wash.

💡 These findings demonstrate that BGP-15 helps preserve s***m functionality by reducing oxidative stress during clinical handling, which is especially relevant in cases of male infertility or suboptimal s***m quality.

⚠️ While the study used discarded excess semen from IVF clinics, the results lay the groundwork for future clinical trials across more diverse patient groups.

🔗 Read more via the link in our bio!

***mquality ***mmotility

09/07/2025

🐸 Chytridiomycosis - a deadly fungal disease - has devastated amphibian populations worldwide, wiping out species and shrinking habitats. Australia’s alpine tree frog (Litoria verreauxii alpina) has been hit hard, with declines across 80% of its range.

🔬 A new Aussie study reveals an unexpected response to this crisis: infected male frogs are increasing their reproductive effort. Researchers found that infected males showed brighter vocal sac coloration, better s***m quality, and fathered more egg masses than uninfected males.

📈 These findings suggest that some frogs may counteract high mortality by ramping up reproduction, potentially boosting population resilience in the face of disease.

💡 The research highlights the importance of protecting breeding habitats and considering reproductive strategies in conservation efforts - offering a promising approach to help amphibians persist alongside devastating diseases.

🔗 Read the study via the link in our bio!

03/07/2025

🩸 Endometriosis affects 1 in 7–10 women and is one of the leading causes of chronic pelvic pain and subfertility, yet most go undiagnosed for up to a decade due to the lack of non-invasive diagnostic tools.

🧫 A new Aussie study is the first to explore protein expression in small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) from menstrual fluid of women with endometriosis.

📈Researchers found elevated levels of CD86 - a key immune and inflammatory marker - indicating disrupted cell communication and impaired mesothelial cell function, which may contribute to endo lesion development.

💡 Menstrual fluid is an easily accessible, non-invasive sample, and these results suggest that sEVs could be used to identify early biomarkers of endometriosis, potentially transforming diagnosis and care.

⚠️ While this pilot study had a small sample size, it provides the groundwork for larger studies that can support the creation of a minimally invasive diagnostic tool, something that is urgently needed in the field.

🔗 Read more via the link in our bio!

27/06/2025

👥Human males that have genetic dysfunction in the enzyme that makes testosterone, HSD17B3, have disrupted male sexual development when they are born. Surprisingly though, mice with HSD17B3 deficiency develop normally and are fertile - and continue to make testosterone.

🔍Aussie researchers have found that mice lacking HSD17B3 express other enzymes capable of making testosterone that can compensate for the loss of HSD17B3. While these enzymes can make testosterone in mice, the human equivalent of these enzymes cannot.

🐁This study shows that mice have alternative ways to produce testosterone but that humans are more vulnerable to HSD17B3 deficiency

💡 This study reveals that mammalian testosterone production is more complex than previously thought. The study highlights that mice have a more flexible, enzyme-diverse system, likely an evolutionary safeguard for male sexual development and fertility in this species. In contrast, humans have a more rigid reliance on HSD17B3, making our system more vulnerable to disruption.

📖 This article was selected to be a featured article in the US journal Endocrinology. Read the article via the link in our bio!

18/06/2025

🌡️ As global temperatures rise and artificial light becomes more widespread, researchers are exploring how these stressors interact to shape organisms behaviour.

🔍 A new study by Aussie scientists tested the effects of heat and artificial light at night on sexual signalling and mating behaviours of Pacific field cricket (Teleogryllus oceanicus). Surprisingly, the combo of both didn’t affect reproductive behaviour - but high temperatures alone did. Crickets exposed to heat mated faster, suggesting temperature may accelerate mating decisions.

💡Environmental stressors like heat and artificial light don’t always interact in predictable ways. Studies like this are essential for uncovering the complexity of environmental change and its subtle impacts on Australian wildlife.

🔗 Read more via the link in our bio!

12/06/2025

🧬 S***m are essential for reproduction across humans, livestock and wildlife, but what makes them work at the molecular level?

🔍 Until now, s***m proteomic studies have mostly focused on humans and lab animals, leaving big gaps in our understanding of cross-species s***m biology. A new study tackles this by analysing over 2 TB of proteomic data from 12 vertebrate species, creating the most comprehensive cross-species s***m proteomic dataset to date.

💡 Aussie researchers identified a core set of conserved proteins, shared across species, that are crucial for s***m motility, fertilisation, and energy production.

🔬 This work shows the power of shared data and bioinformatics. A cross-species approach like this provides a strong foundation to improve fertility treatments, enhance assisted reproduction, and support conservation efforts.

🔗 Read more via the link in our bio!

🔗Explore the data via the link in our bio!

***m ***mmotility

05/06/2025

🦘Scientists at the University of Queensland have successfully created the first kangaroo embryo using in vitro fertilisation (IVF) - a major breakthrough in reproductive science.

🧫Scientists injected a single s***m into a mature egg to form the embryo, a method commonly used in human IVF clinics.

🦘 Researchers chose kangaroos as a starting point because their abundant populations allow for safe, repeatable research. They can learn what’s going on during kangaroo reproduction and then use that knowledge to help preserve biodiversity, and secure the future of endangered marsupial species like koalas and Tasmanian devils.

🧬 This embryo marks a critical first step in understanding marsupial reproduction and opens the door to genetic rescue tools that could help save Aussie wildlife.

🔗 Read more via the link in our bio!

29/05/2025

🇦🇺 The de Fegely family have been breeding ewe lambs for nearly 15 years and have participated in a reproduction research project to improve outcomes in their farming practice

💡As part of MLA’s ‘More Lambs from Ewe Lambs’ research project, the de Fegely’s used electronic identification to closely monitor ewe lamb weights at joining and during pregnancy.

📈Their data allowed them to identify key variables, such as ensuring ewe lambs achieve a target weight at joining and that, during pregnancy, small mob sizes and monitoring weight gain during pregnancy is important to improve reproductive outcomes.

🌾This is a strong example of how continuous on-farm research can improve animal welfare and reproductive outcomes. For a self-replacing flock, having efficient breeding systems in place is essential, not only for productivity, but also for the long-term sustainability of the operation.

🔗 Read more via the link in our bio!

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https://www.reproductivehealthaustralia.org.au/, https://bio.site/rephealthozlinks

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