International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Europe is currently leading the way in terms of assisted reproduction technologies and has been the home of the majority of all initiated cycles, a study has found.

Women who undergo ovary transplants to preserve their fertility could also live longer, new research has revealed.

Researchers in the study, which took place in Tokyo, transplanted ovaries from young mice into ageing ones.

They found the transplant not only made the rodents fertile, but it also prolonged their life and energised their behaviour.

Scientists from the Netherlands are developing a quick blood test which could detect whether an unborn child has Down's syndrome.

The pioneering, inexpensive test could save the lives of hundreds of unborn babies each year, as it would remove the risk of miscarriage that is currently associated with the testing procedure.

A new egg screening technique is able to predict genetic problems and could help boost the success rate of IVF, according to fertility experts.

Mothers who drink alcohol while pregnant may have a damaging effect on their sons' fertility, according to new research.

A new study has found a link between the use of psychotropic medication during pregnancy and an increased risk of the baby suffering some form of birth defect.

Between 1998 and 2007, the use of psychotropic medicines was linked with 429 adverse drug reactions in children under 17 in Denmark, researchers from the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Pharmaceutical Studies found.

Women over the age of 40 may get free in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment on the NHS in a bid to reduce "age discrimination".

In the future, health trusts may have to scrap the age limitations for IVF to avoid being sued under laws in place to protect against age discrimination.

Researchers have developed a simple blood test which will accurately predict when women will experience the menopause.

On average, the difference between the predicted age and the actual age of when the women who took part in the study reached menopause was only one-third of a year.

The maximum margin of error was between three and four years.

Under new proposals, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has said all pregnant women will have to take breath tests to prove that they are no longer smoking.

Midwives will be encouraged to tell mothers-to-be to undergo a carbon monoxide test at their first antenatal appointment.

The female body has an in-built system which rejects sperm that it does not think will create a pregnancy, researchers have found.

Within the female reproductive system there is something that assesses to see whether the male's sperm is likely to fertilise the eggs, resulting in a pregnancy, reports ABC News.