OVARIAN TRANSPLANT MAY END MENOPAUSE
The Daily Telegraph (p1) has a story that women will be able to give birth in old age following an ovary transplant breakthrough, meaning they can postpone the menopause until well after their 50s.
According to the article, a technique to remove parts of an ovary, store them for decades and transplant them, could effectively put menopause "on ice". Only physical ability to carry a baby would prevent women from becoming mothers, meaning they would no longer have to think about the "biological clock".
The treatment may also have health benefits, such as avoiding increased risk of osteoporosis and heart disease linked to menopause. They admitted, however, it may raise risk of breast or womb cancer. Tests have shown the science is "robust", reports the Telegraph, and already a transplant from one 38 year-old to her identical twin has lasted seven years without failing.
OVER-THE-COUNTER HIV TEST KIT APPROVED IN THE US
The Guardian (p16) runs a prominent story about the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval of an over-the-counter HIV test kit.
The FDA approved OraSure's home test, which the company says will now be available at 30,000 retail outlets in the U.S. in October, reports the Guardian, noting that a fifth of the 1.2 million Americans with HIV do not know they have it while a quarter of the 86,000 with the virus in Britain are also unaware.
However the Guardian reports that Britain will not get the test without a change in the law. Home testing was made illegal in the early days of the AIDS epidemic to prevent employers from testing their workforce, the Guardian reports and the House of Lords (upper house) select committee on AIDS has called for the law to be changed, along with the National AIDS Trust.
Deborah Jack, the charity's chief executive is quoted as saying: "It will be far better for the government to legalise and ensure the quality of such kits and that proper information, advice and support are available alongside their use, than for people to access unlicensed testing kits via the internet."