L1&2: Human Family Size & Biology and Ethics of Assisted Reproduction

Question 1

What are the hormones essential for milk production? what is their function?

Answer 1

• oxytocin - induces ‘let down’ (milk released from ducts in mammary glands)
• prolactin - induces milk production

Question 2

What is lactational amenorrhea?

Answer 2

• Lactational amenorrhea, also called postpartum infertility, is the temporary postnatal infertility that occurs when a woman is amenorrheic and fully breastfeeding

Question 3

How is HPG axis disrupted during lactation? Why?

Answer 3

• suckling disrupts pulsatile GnRH release -> decreased LH -> no more eggs, keep competition away

Question 4

What are the factors causing increase in family size?

Answer 4

• massive reduction of contraceptive effect of lactational amenorrhoea, when humans stopped living as hunter gatherers
• exacerbated if not breastfeeding at all (wet nurses for rich, and then bottle feeding for many)
• lowering of age of puberty

Question 5

Why is there an increase in twin rate?

Answer 5

• women’s age
• rise in ART (assister reproductive technologies)

Question 6

What is ICSI (IntraCytoplasmic Sperm Injection)?

Answer 6

Directly injecting sperm into ooplasm

Question 7

What is ROSI (Round Spermatid Injection)?

Answer 7

Here, collecting sperm that have completed meiotic division, but not even started maturation process