A man who fought his battle of cancer in his childhood received the first known transplant of sperm-producing stem cells. This was done in a study that aimed at restoring the fertility of cancer's youngest survivor.

As per the reports, the young boy was 11, named Jaiwen Hsu, when he had a leg injury, which later turned out ot be bone cancers. The doctors thought that chemotherapy would save him, but it could also make him infertile. His parents, upon studying realized that researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center were freezing testicular cells of young boys with cancer in hopes of preserving their future infertility. This is when he also signed up for this.

The Case Today

Hsu today is 26 and is the first to return as an adult and test if reimplanting those cells could work. "The science behind it is so incredibly new that right now it’s kind of a waiting game,” said Hsu, of Vienna, Virginia. “It’s kind of eagerly crossing our fingers and hoping for the best.”

While to think about fertility when a child is suffering from cancer is the last thing that may come in a parent's mind. However, the number shows that among the 85% of children with cancer who survive in adulthood, among 1 in 3 of them are left infertile from chemotherapy or radiation.

Young adults with cancer can also bank their sperms, eggs and sometimes embryos ahead of their treatment. However, children diagnosed before puberty do not have the option to preserve it as they have not been of the age to produce mature sperms or eggs.

The Relation Of Sperms And Stem Cells

Boys are born with stem cells inside thin, tube-like structures in the testes. These cells remain dormant until puberty, when a surge in testosterone triggers sperm production. With support from the National Institutes of Health, reproductive scientist Kyle Orwig at Pitt is researching ways to preserve and potentially use these testicular cells to restore fertility.

The process involves removing a small sample of testicular tissue, which contains millions of cells, including crucial sperm-producing stem cells. Since 2011, Orwig’s team has been freezing these samples from approximately 1,000 prepubertal boys.

It’s unclear whether each sample contains enough stem cells to be viable. However, in 2019, Orwig successfully used preserved testicular tissue from a young male monkey in an experimental IVF procedure, resulting in the birth of a healthy baby monkey.

By 2023, Orwig was prepared to reimplant preserved testicular cells in now-adult cancer survivors. Around the same time, Hsu—curious about his participation in the study years ago but not yet planning for a family—reached out.

“We’re not expecting a miracle,” Orwig cautioned. In November 2023, his team transplanted Hsu’s thawed cells, using ultrasound guidance to ensure precise placement.

In a paper released online this week, Orwig reported that the procedure was safe and straightforward. However, his findings have yet to be reviewed by other scientists, and it’s too early to determine whether the transplant was successful. Standard tests may not provide answers, as animal studies suggest that assisted reproduction techniques are needed to detect and retrieve small amounts of sperm.

Still, Orwig hopes this research encourages more families to consider fertility preservation as a future option.

In January, Belgian researchers announced a similar experiment, implanting pieces of testicular tissue rather than individual cells in a childhood cancer survivor.

“These developments are significant,” said Ellen Goossens of Vrije Universiteit Brussel. While animal studies have been promising, she noted, only human trials will confirm if the approach truly works.

Similar research is also underway for female childhood cancer survivors, focusing on immature ovarian tissue, according to Dr. Mahmoud Salama, director of the Oncofertility Consortium at Michigan State University.

For Hsu, even if the experimental transplant isn’t successful, he sees it as a step toward advancing the science. He’s grateful his parents made a decision years ago that gave him the option to choose for himself today.

Ever thought those weekend binges, skipped workouts, or stress-fueled all-nighters in your 20s wouldn't matter later? Think again. The truth is, those early habits don’t just fade—they follow you. And by your 30s, they often come knocking in the form of low energy, poor sleep, creeping weight, or even anxiety. But here’s the good news: small, healthy choices now can completely rewrite that story. Ready to see how your everyday habits are shaping your future health? Let’s dive in.

It turns out the consequences of your twenties don't just haunt your social media feed—they may be silently impacting your long-term health well before you reach middle age. A groundbreaking study published in the Annals of Medicine has revealed that bad habits such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and physical inactivity begin taking a measurable toll on mental and physical health by the age of 36.

This research, led by Finnish scientists and conducted over the course of more than 30 years, offers one of the most comprehensive glimpses yet into how unhealthy lifestyle choices in early adulthood accelerate aging and disease risks, and perhaps more crucially, when exactly those effects begin to show.

Why 36 Is a Wake-Up Call for Health?

While much of previous research has focused on health deterioration starting in midlife, the new longitudinal study flips the script by starting earlier. Scientists from Finland followed over 300 individuals born in 1959 in the city of Jyväskylä from childhood into their early 60s. Health assessments were conducted at ages 27, 36, 42, 50, and 61, offering an unparalleled timeline of how unhealthy behaviors impact wellbeing over decades.

The researchers found that even by age 36—what many consider still "young adulthood"—participants who consistently smoked, drank heavily, and exercised infrequently already showed notable declines in both mental and physical health. This suggests that the damage doesn’t start in your 40s or 50s. It begins much earlier, and once set in motion, it compounds.

Measurable Impact of Risky Habits

The three behaviors monitored—smoking, heavy alcohol use (defined as over 875 units/year for women and 1,250 for men), and exercising less than once a week—were assessed alongside health outcomes like depressive symptoms, psychological well-being, self-rated health, and a metabolic risk score that measured blood pressure, waist size, cholesterol, blood sugar, and other markers.

Dr. Tiia Kekäläinen, lead author of the study and a health scientist at Laurea University in Finland, emphasized the urgency of early intervention. “Our findings highlight the importance of tackling risky health behaviours as early as possible to prevent damage from building up over the years,” she explained.

Unhealthy Habits Are Interconnected

One of the most compelling insights from the study is the recognition that the relationship between poor habits and poor health is likely two-way. A person under chronic stress may turn to drinking or smoking to cope, leading to more health issues, which in turn worsen stress and mental health—a vicious cycle.

This echoes similar findings from large-scale studies, such as the ongoing Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, conducted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. These studies emphasize the interconnected nature of diet, physical activity, and mental wellbeing across decades of life.

Not Just Physical, Mental Health Pays the Price Too

Interestingly, the study separated out which habits affected which aspects of health the most. Smoking was most closely tied to poor mental health outcomes, while lack of exercise impacted physical health most significantly. Heavy drinking, perhaps unsurprisingly, was associated with declines in both mental and physical wellbeing.

This finding is particularly relevant in a post-pandemic world where mental health concerns are on the rise among younger adults, and alcohol use among Americans has increased significantly, especially among women and young professionals.

Are Millennials and Gen Z At High Risk?

Though the data primarily pertains to individuals born in the late 1950s and early 1960s, researchers caution that its findings are still broadly applicable. However, younger generations may face different lifestyle risks—such as increased screen time, vaping, and dietary imbalances—that weren't as prevalent in earlier cohorts. Therefore, the health impact timeline could shift, but the underlying message remains: the earlier you adopt healthier behaviors, the better.

High-profile figures like Adele, Rupert Grint, and A$AP Rocky—all around the age of 36—have publicly grappled with smoking and drinking. Adele, who quit smoking at 23, cited concerns about her vocal cords. Rupert Grint revealed he gave up smoking when his daughter was born in 2020. These personal transformations reflect a growing awareness among public figures of the need to shift lifestyle habits before long-term damage becomes irreversible.

How to Build A Healthy Lifestyle?

Perhaps the most hopeful message from the study is that change is possible. Dr. Kekäläinen reiterates: “It is never too late to change to healthier habits. Adopting healthier habits in midlife also has benefits for older age.”

So, what are the takeaways for someone nearing or in their 30s?

• Begin exercising regularly—even once a week has a measurable benefit
• Reduce or quit smoking as soon as possible
• Practice moderation in alcohol consumption
• Seek mental health support when experiencing stress or depressive symptoms
• Maintain regular health check-ups to monitor metabolic indicators

Your 30s aren't just about career milestones or starting a family—they're a crucial checkpoint for your health journey. The choices you make today will echo through your 40s, 50s, and beyond.

In mid-2023, the tech mogul and self-proclaimed biohacker, the anti-age crusader Bryan Johnson began a new chapter in his longevity journey. He is already known his extreme anti-aging regimen - Project Blueprint. He has turned his attention to something unconventional. However, it is a telling health metric: nighttime erections.

He has now started a daily dose of 2.5mg of tadalafil (Cialis). He has set out to track and enhance what he calls a crucial "vital sign". His goal is not performance, but optimization. He tells his followers on X, the results were "titanic".

By early 2024, Johnson had added focused shockwave therapy and Botox injections to the mix. Within three months, he says, his nighttime erections improved by 34%. It has clocked in at quite an impressive three hours, with biological equivalent of an 18-year-old.

It Is Not Just About Sex

While the idea of three-hour erections may sound like a punchline, Johnson is pretty serious about it. "Nighttime erections," he explains, "are a strong biomarker of cardiovascular, psychological, and sexual health." These spontaneous erections during sleep can reflect a man’s overall physical and vascular health.

What is interesting to see is that he also maintains that Cialis itself is unlikely to be the sole driver of his sexual function improvements. While the drug is FDA-approved to treat erectile dysfunction, Johnson says it mainly supports long-term health. His claims are that it helps with improved heart function, cognitive health, and reduced urinary symptoms in men.

The Therapy Protocol

In order to push his results further, Johnson also turned to shockwave therapy. This is a treatment that involves acoustic pulses delivered via a wand to the penis.

The shocks cause micro-injuries that stimulate blood flow and tissue repair - not unlike how muscles grow after a workout. However, it is not a spa day. Johnson rated that the pain is 7 on a scale of 10. When it is "at the tip", the pain goes up to 9 on a scale of 10.

Alongside the shockwaves, Johnson began Botox injections, which might sound bizarre but are backed by emerging science. Botox, typically used to reduce facial wrinkles, is thought to relax the smooth muscle in blood vessel walls, allowing more blood flow and potentially firmer erections.

ALSO READ: The Longevity Diet: Bryan Johnson Eats 3 Meals In 6 Hours—With Extra Virgin Olive Oil

What Are The Results Like?

After three months on this combined protocol, Johnson says his nighttime erections rose from 2 hours and 15 minutes to 3 hours. Despite the gains, he reportedly sleeps alone, keeps an 8:30 p.m. bedtime, and schedules sex, if at all.

His larger aim? To maintain all his organs — brain, liver, teeth, even his rectum — at peak teenage condition through strict diet, 111 daily supplements, and intensive routines.

While Johnson’s methods are extreme, he hopes they help reduce stigma. “Men, if you’re not performing how you’d like, there are many paths to improvement,” he said. “There’s no shame in this — in fact, it will make you more of a man to address it head-on.”

If you're trying to conceive or even think you might be pregnant, the wait and anticipation for a pregnancy test can be nerve-wracking—hope, worry, excitement, or fear all in one little plastic stick but before you rip open that foil package, there's something important you may be forgetting: the expiration date.

Yes, pregnancy kits do have expiry dates. And taking one which has passed that date may cause false results. This article touches on why checking that date on the kit first is important before you test, how pregnancy kits work, and what dangers such expired kits possess. Supported by expert opinion and scientific knowledge, this guide endeavors to equip you with the knowledge you require for making informed reproductive health choices.

Home pregnancy tests detect the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) hormone in your urine, which your body begins making shortly after the fertilized egg implants in your uterus. The test sticks use special antibodies with chemicals that have been treated to respond to hCG and report a positive finding—usually lines, plus symbols, or messages on a display.

With time, though, the delicate components break down. After the test has reached or exceeded its expiration date, the chemical reagents can no longer act dependably. That is, the test might not register hCG when it's actually there, providing you with a false negative result, or—much less often—report a false positive based on poor chemical reactions.

What Happens When a Pregnancy Test Expires?

The date of expiration on a pregnancy test is not merely a courtesy. Companies test their products extensively to find out how long the ingredients will be stable and consistent under normal storage conditions. A pregnancy test will usually be effective for one to three years from the date of manufacture.

Once that time has passed, the antibodies that are employed to identify hCG start to weaken. This weakening is subtle but significant—making the test incapable of giving accurate results. The older the test, the greater the likelihood that you'll leave with a result that doesn't accurately represent your pregnancy status.

Just as important as the expiration date is how the test is stored. According to healthcare professionals, the performance of a pregnancy test can deteriorate even before its listed expiry if it’s stored improperly.

Avoid exposing the test to heat, moisture, or direct sunlight. A bathroom medicine cabinet, while convenient, is often not ideal due to the humidity from showers and temperature fluctuations. Instead, keep pregnancy tests in a cool, dry place, and avoid unwrapping individual tests until you’re ready to use them. Unsealing the protective foil can introduce air and moisture that degrade the chemicals faster.

How to Identify an Expired Test?

Always inspect the outer package and test wrapper individually for a printed expiration date. If it is absent or smudged, better not take a risk. Also, beware of buying tests from third-party retailers or online stores where expired stock may go unnoticed.

It's also good to know that even tests just purchased can be old inventory. If you've had a test kit in your bathroom drawer for more than one year, verify the printed date before you use it.

Can You Trust an Expired Test?

Technically, it's possible for an outdated pregnancy test to return a correct result—but it's not reliable. The odds of false negatives grow more sharply with time, which can cause confusion, worry, and delay in obtaining critical prenatal care.

Under FDA recommendations, most erroneous results from past-due tests are likely to be false negatives. This may lead one to continue habits or drugs that are not best practiced in early pregnancy—or lose the opportunity to start early prenatal supplements or tests.

The effect of depending on an out-of-date pregnancy test isn't only medical—it's psychological as well. Inaccurate results can induce undue distress, confusion, or early rejoicing. Even worse, they may stall time-critical health choices like verifying the pregnancy through a physician, making blood work appointments, or starting lifestyle modifications to facilitate a healthy pregnancy.

In medical situations where time is of the essence—like watching over high-risk pregnancies or starting specific treatments—true, timely information is paramount.

Best Practices for Taking a Home Pregnancy Test

To ensure most accurate results, follow these steps:

• Inspect the expiration date before taking any test, even if the package appears new.
• Take first-morning urine when hCG is most concentrated in the urine.
• Wait until the first day of your missed period to take the test; testing earlier riskily produces a false negative.
• Take directions exactly, including timing when to read the results.
• Dispose of unused tests properly, in a dry, cool environment and in their original sealed package.

How Expired Pregnancy Tests Impact Health and Results?

Taking an expired pregnancy test can result in incorrect results, which might lead to undue confusion or undue delay in taking the appropriate next step. Here's what you should know regarding the effectiveness of an expired pregnancy test:

Increased Chance of False Negatives

One of the most significant problems with using an outdated pregnancy test is the increased likelihood of getting a false negative result. This is where the test will show that you're not pregnant when you actually are. This is due to the chemical compounds, especially the antibodies employed to identify hCG, breaking down over time, thus it becomes hard for the test to give a true result.

Degraded Antibodies

Pregnancy tests detect human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone that is formed during pregnancy. After a while, the antibodies in the test, which cause a response when hCG is present, become weakened. So even if you are pregnant, the test may fail to measure the hormone at a level that is high enough.

Health Risks

As per the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), expired pregnancy tests tend to give false negatives rather than false positives. A false positive may also occur but is less so with expired tests.

Exposure to External Factors

The reliability of a pregnancy test is also affected by the way it's stored. Incorrect storage, for example exposure to sunlight, humidity, or heat, causes the components to degrade faster and results in more opportunities for getting incorrect results prior to reaching expiration.

Waste of Time and Money

Using an expired test not only reduces the likelihood of getting an accurate result but also wastes your time and money. It's best to check the expiration date before using the test and, if expired, purchase a new one for peace of mind and more reliable results.

Emotional Stress

The effect of depending on an out-of-date pregnancy test isn't only medical—it's psychological as well. Inaccurate results can induce undue distress, confusion, or early rejoicing.

Though home pregnancy tests are an efficient and convenient means of early pregnancy detection, their accuracy relies on a number of major factors, foremost among them their expiration date. Testing with one that has expired may cause emotional distress and delay medical attention at a time when it's needed most.