Human Reproduction Beyond Earth: Scientific Urgency
Commercial spaceflight growth widens access to space via suborbital trips and longer private missions.
Radiation and microgravity are major reproductive hazards.
Animal studies show disrupted menstrual cycles, damaged eggs, abnormal embryo division, and sperm DNA damage.
Authors urge industry standards, collaboration, and international frameworks for reproductive risks.
No accepted rules for reproductive risks among professional and private astronauts.
In vitro fertilization in space is no longer speculative; technology is mature and portable.
Intimacy challenges include the elastic harness.
NASA supports egg or ovarian tissue freezing.
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