A regular diet of even modest amounts of food containing soy has been linked to infertility, particularly in obese men, a new British study suggests. Plant oestrogens in foods such as tofu, soy mince or milk may interfere with hormonal signals increasing estrogen activity, lowering the sperm count in men.

The study, carried out by Harvard School of Public Health, looked at the diets of 99 men who had fertility-related problems. When the sperm concentration of men eating the most soy was compared with those eating the least, there was a significant difference

Diabetes and obesity can affect male fertility in a negative way, new research has found. The findings, presented Wednesday at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology conference here, could mean that men need to keep tabs on their weight when planning a family.

Researchers from the University of Aberdeen found that men of average weight have healthier sperm in higher volumes than those outside the normal range. The research follows reports made by doctors earlier this week that male fertility begins to decline when men reach their mid-30s

Babies conceived through in-vitro fertilization (IVF) or test tubes might be just as healthy as those conceived naturally, a new study says. Researchers from the University of Groningen, The Netherlands, said that contrary to popular belief, the IVF treatment does not increase the risk of developmental problems during early infancy.

Lead researcher Dr. Karin Middelburg said the study assessed spontaneous movements, known as general movements, in 125 infants conceived following IVF at three months of age and compared then with a control group of 90 babies born naturally to sub-fertile couples. Sub-fertile couples are those who were referred to the fertility clinic for fertility evaluation or treatment

A new study shows that a man's fertility starts to fall in his mid 30s and it could also be considered a factor in determining the reason for failed conception in couples who are trying to conceive.

Researchers from Paris studied more than 12,000 couples undergoing fertility treatments and the results revealed that pregnancy rates drop and miscarriages increase when the father is older than 40. The findings are being presented Monday at the 24th annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Barcelona, Spain

Brazil's Supreme Court ruled Thursday that scientists can conduct research using embryonic stem cells. Turning down a petition filed against it, the country's highest court upheld a 2005 law allowing embryonic stem cell research for finding cures of new diseases.

Embryonic stem cell research is used for curing Parkinson's disease and diabetes but many ethical groups were against its approval, saying it violates the right to life.While six of the court's 11 justices upheld the law, the remaining five judges argued that research should only be carried out "with restrictions