- The method takes thousands of pictures of the embryo to select the best eggs
- Research has found that it has increased the chances of a live birth by 25%
- Study compared 24,000 cases of IVF babies born with and without the method
A new IVF method that takes thousands of pictures of embryos to select the best eggs has increased the likelihood of a baby being born by 25 per cent.
The developing embryos are photographed while in incubators every 10 to 20 minutes and then sent to a computer to rank the eggs using algorithms.
Research including 24,000 documented treatments led by leading fertility expert Professor Simon Fishel compared IVF babies born with and without the new technique.
Parents Paul and Paula Chapman were the first to use the new approach which successfully led to the birth of their daughter Jaycie, three.
A new IVF treatment photographs developing embryos in incubators every 10 to 20 minutes and then sent to a computer to rank the eggs using algorithms
The couple, from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, had been unable to conceive for two years and went to the Nottingham-based Care Fertility group to seek help.
Mr Chapman said: ‘We could watch Jaycie’s development from the very start of her life’, the Express reports
The study found that embryos chosen for use by the time-lapse imaging process were 25 per cent more likely to have a successful birth.
This is compared to women who used donor eggs or their own eggs for IVF treatment without the new system.
It showed embryos selected for implant using the time-lapse imaging system were 25 per cent more likely to have a successful birth for women who had donor eggs and also for those using their own eggs for treatment.
Professor Fishel said: ‘This is wonderful and the research demonstrates how this new technology will revolutionise the way we do IVF.
The new IVF treatment that takes time-lapse images of embryos in order to pick the best eggs has increased chances of a successful pregancy by 25
‘This is the most exciting advance since I began work in this field 40 years ago.’
During the study researchers found that the speed, how the embryos divide and when can be deciding factors to a successful pregnancy.
Professor Fishel added: ‘Previously we would have to take embryos out of their temperature controlled incubator and take a snapshot of it every 24 hours, potentially exposing them to damage.
The successful study led by Professor Fishel was published in the journal Reproductive BioMedicine Online and will be highlighted at a conference in Italy in May.