European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 26, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                T he a l y m3? 8sciw k or italian gynaecologist Severino Antinori explains his views on Fertility treatment for older women having a baby is 62 a bit too late by Frances d Emilio the associated press hat s it like having a baby at 62? for Severino Antinori the gynaecologist who made such a birth in Rome last week possible it s a Quot great act of  for the Vatican s official newspaper a Osse Vatore Romano the event apparently making Rosanna Della Corte the oldest woman to give birth is an impermissible Quot Challenge to cod  for now the Mother in t saying publicly what she thinks a Antinori said she signed exclusive contracts to Tell her Story. But a swedish obstetrician Kurt Swolkin who said he held Della Corte s hand throughout the caesarean Section delivery said Quot you could see it in her eyes Quot now Happy she was. Quot she immediately said the name Riccardo Quot of the Newborn Swolkin told reporters last week. Riccardo was the name of Della Corte s first son who died three years ago at age 17. If recent recommendations by an italian bioethics committee become Law it would be impossible for women older than 51 and past menopause to r become mothers As Delta Corte did. Antinori gave her hormones to enable her to carry out the pregnancy which was the result of a donor egg and sperm from her husband. But for now Italy has no Laws regulating in Vitro fertilization. Quot in Italy veterinarians have Laws regarding the fertilization of animals Quot said or. Elio Guzzanti who is helping to formulate government guidelines on in Vitro fertilization. When it comes to human reproduction in Italy Quot whoever can do whatever wherever he wants Quot he said. After another of Antinori s patients a a 59-year-old British woman a gave birth to twins last december France passed a Law forbidding doctors from helping women to get pregnant after menopause. The prevailing French View was that children should have a reasonable Chance of reaching adulthood before their mothers die of old age. Guzzanti said his committee won t recommend who should become mothers. Rather it will establish criteria for the health ministry so Italy can certify doctors and others who work in the Field of infertility. Parliament May use or ignore the committee s recommendations in enacting legislation. Gynaecologist Antinori says he uses strict criteria to decide which older woman should become pregnant including medical tests to  woman s health and the longevity of her ancestors. When pressed if he has an age limit Antinori said Quot about 60 or 62.&Quot the doctor says he has rejected hundreds of woman most for physical problems some for psychological reasons. And he said pregnancies like Della Corte s should Only be allowed Quot in the rarest of  new Hope for infertile males by Cox news service if All goes Well Martha and Curt Renshaw of Alpharetta ca., will not Only be proud new parents in August but will also be one of the first couples in the United states to Benefit from a new Type of in Vitro fertilization. The new technique uses tiny amounts of sperm taken directly from the testes making biological fatherhood possible for men who previously weren t candidates. The first pregnancies using the new technique developed in Belgium were reported last year. Now two . Laboratories Are using the technique reproductive biology associates of. Atlanta and St Luke s Hospital in St. Louis in collaboration with the dutch free speaking University in Belgium. Quot this is the most exciting Advent in the treatment of infertility since the development of if Quot said or. Hilton Kort president of Bra. Quot there Are Many men who could t be treated previously who now have a Chance of achieving . For men with congenital or physical damage to the tubes in which sperm develop sperm is available Only from the testicle itself and Only in very Small numbers. Using a technology called intr cytoplasmic sperm injection a single sperm can be rescued from testicular tissue and injected directly into the egg. For Curt Renshaw the problem was a Vasectomy he had in 1984. When the second attempt to reverse the Vasectomy failed the Renshawe were told by some doctors to consider using a sperm Bank or adoption. But or. Sherman Silber of the St. Louis group who performed the second Vasectomy reversal told the Renshawe about the possibility of using testicular sperm. The Renshawe flew to Belgium to undergo the $20,000 procedure along with 11 other patients. Ten Days later a Home test indicated Martha was pregnant. Five other couples also conceived. Closer Loo Only Best can make sperm Bank deposits by Mary Jordan the Washington Post in a first floor office next to John amp Nicks Gas station in Cambridge mass., Karen Fox is looking for a few Good sperm. Harvard sperm. Mit sperm. Smart Little swimmers from the Ivy league. A Quot if our customers wanted High school dropouts that s what we would get a said Ronda Wilkin spokeswoman for California cry Bank which operates the sperm Bank that Fox manages in Cambridge. Quot no one has proved that Harvard Mit Princeton or Yale sperm produces smarter children but people like the  Wilkin said single women or married couples searching for a sperm donor base their decisions on an Anonymous resume and profile and some find Assurance in men who have a College degree. At cry Bank a vial of sperm which is stored in liquid nitrogen until needed costs $.135 to $165, and there so no extra charge for the Ivy league a she said. Specialists in the reproductive Fields say the number of single women who want babies and couples with infertility problems is growing and More Are turning to the 100-plus . Sperm Banks. Many of these people Are deciding that the 1990s Conception of Choice is academically Correct sperm. Sperm Banks like cry Bank say they Are responding to the demand and aggressively recruit on College campuses where they rank among the largest advertisers at Campus newspapers such As the Harvard Crimson. Nobody knows How Many men have donated sperm each Bank a Supply is kept secret or How Many babies Are born thanks to donor sperm. But about 65,000 babies were born through artificial insemination in 1987, the most recent year for which reliable figures Are available said Joyce Ziti spokeswoman for the american Fertility society which issues ethical guidelines in the Field. Of those births 35,000 were from pregnancies using the husbands sperm and 30,000 were from donor sperm. Since then experts in the Field say they believe the number has risen. Fertility specialists say it is not new that the Anonymous donors who Are being recruited for sperm Banks Are not average Joes. The first recorded use of Frozen sperm for artificial insemination was in 1953, according to Zeitz who said in those Early years it was not uncommon for Fertility experts to use the sperm of medical students or other doctors. The Field has expanded dramatically and some sperm Banks have less rigorous academic qualifications for donors. But cry Bank will not accept sperm from men who Are not attending or did not graduate from a four year College. Even then the Bank says it refuses 95 percent of men who apply to be donors. Rejection can come for Low sperm count not enough millions per Millili Trelow motility does not swim Well or because some sperm is too difficult to freeze. Heart disease is a disqualified. And men Over 34 or under 5-feet-9 can forget it because Young and tall Are requirements too. A we done to get requests for Short men a Wilkin said. Tuesday july 26, 1994 the stars and stripes 15