It's already common knowledge that for a couple to produce a baby, they need both the egg and the sperm cell-these two should unite. But what if either or both cannot produce these cells?
A new research now suggests that it's possible create babies through skin cells.
Over the years, we've learned the different ways on how to get pregnant, including in vitro fertilization. It's a process wherein the egg and the sperm cell are fertilized in a lab dish. If the fertilization is successful, then the embryo is then implanted into the carrier, which can be the female partner or a surrogate.
However, not all couples can produce enough of these sex cells to reproduce a baby. Thus, IVF will only prove to be such a futile attempt to adding more to the family.
A revolutionary breakthrough, nevertheless, hopes to change all that by growing these sex cells using the cells of your skin.
A group of researchers have discovered how to convert your regular skin cells to become primordial germ cells. These are the same cells that are found in the reproductive organs and are responsible for creating mature eggs and sperm. These mature cells are the ones that have a very high likelihood of producing a baby.
The research is still in its early stages, which means couples may have to wait for quite some time before this becomes a complete reality. In fact, they think that the entire study may take about 5 to 7 years and a few more before couples can take advantage of it. However, this also implies that we're already inching closer to having another more reliable and effective method of getting pregnant through IVF. This is also incredibly significant since before it's effective only among mice. This is the first time that the same technique is used for humans.
Also, the research can provide scientists a clearer idea about cancer and aging development.