Fertility breakthrough triples couples' chances of having a baby
By Laura Donnelly, Vancouver Sun
May 18, 2013

"Women undergoing in vitro fertilization are three times more likely to have a baby through a new technique that scientists are claiming as the biggest fertility breakthrough in 35 years.

The advance means that couples undergoing treatment could have a 78 per cent chance of success, compared with average "live birth" IVF rates of around 25 per cent in Britain, they say.

The technique uses "time-lapse imaging" to take thousands of photographs of developing embryos and pinpoint those least likely to carry chromosomal abnormalities.

Only those most likely to result in a healthy pregnancy are then implanted.

The scientists behind the study claimed it as "the most exciting and significant development for all patients seeking IVF" in at least 35 years.

The technique, which is being used in four clinics in England, could dramatically improve the success rates for about 48,000 women who undergo fertility treatment in Britain each year. It may also offer hope to older women who have ruled out IVF because most eggs are likely to carry abnormalities after the age of 40.

"In the 35 years I have been in this field, this is probably the most exciting and significant development that can be of value to all patients seeking IVF," said Simon Fishel, managing director of the Care Fertility group.

Independent experts said the results were "really impressive" and that the technique appeared to be "one of the biggest steps forward" for decades, but called for further trials to replicate the results. In most IVF labs, a developing embryo is checked up to six times over five days before being transferred to a womb.

The new technique monitors the speed of development and pinpoints when embryos reach critical stages. Those that are too slow to reach those stages, which indicates abnormalities, are discarded.

The time-lapse imaging allows more than 5,000 snapshots to be taken.

The technique, which costs almost $1,170 US on top of IVF costs of up to $5,450, is used in British clinics in Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield and Northampton.

More than half of embryos contain chromosomal abnormalities, which are the leading cause of failed fertility treatment and miscarriage. They can result in a miscarriage or the birth of a child with a chromosomal disorder such as Down syndrome.

Dr. Allan Pacey, the chairman of the British Fertility Society, said: "This paper is interesting because we really do need to make advances in selecting the best embryos created during IVF."

The study appears in the journal Reproductive BioMedicine Online."
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