When Sociologist Rene Almeling decided to look into the operations of U.S. sperm banks and egg agencies, she thought she knew what she would find. She figured that any discrepancies in compensation rates for the building blocks of assisted reproduction could be explained by either market forces or the biological differences between female egg donors, who must undergo hormone therapy and outpatient surgery, and their male counterparts, who, as one recruitment ad put it, "get paid to do what you already do."

Female reproductive function is influenced by childhood environment, according to a new study. This suggests there is a critical window of time from about 0-8 years of age that determines the rate at which girls physically mature and how high their reproductive hormone levels reach as adults.

Scientists launched a project to develop stem cell lines that genetically match human patients. These lines would allow medical scientists to better study conditions ranging from diabetes to Parkinson's disease, and they would provide the basis for potential patient-specific stem cell treatments.

It is highly unlikely that older women generate new eggs, report researchers at the University of South Florida in collaboration with a center in China.

A new research study has explored why women have abortions in the second trimester, when they are between 13 and 24 weeks into a pregnancy. Their reasons cover a wide spectrum.