X-factor screening doubles IVF success rate

London, November 10: In a remarkable fertility breakthrough, researchers at the Oxford University claim to have developed a new technique which helps pick out the healthiest embryos for use in an IVF, thus doubling the treatment's success rate.

Unlike the most existing techniques that check the general abnormalities in embryos, the new CGH (Comparative Genomic Hybridisation) test thoroughly screens the embryos for any genetic defects.

While the full complement of normal chromosomes count to a total of 23 pairs - 46 in all, one from each partner, any unbalanced chromosomal change leads to genetic birth defects in infants.

The clinical trial of the study embarked at Colorado Centre for Reproductive Medicine, near Denver, enrolled 23 women aged between 30 and 42. Each woman identified with ‘hard-to-treat-infertility’ had on an average suffered 1.9 failed IVF attempts prior to entering the study’s trail.

Using the new technique capable of detecting loss, gain and amplification of the number of chromosomes, the researchers fertilized eggs from the women and allowed embryos to mature for five days until they reached the blastocyst stage. The healthiest embryos were then implanted in the woman’s womb.

Of the 23 study volunteers, 20 successfully conceived. Later, while 2 suffered miscarriage, the remaining completed their first trimester, period most common for miscarriages, the researchers marked.

"The pregnancy rates we've got so far are absolutely phenomenal" study’s lead researcher, Dr Dagan Wells at Oxford University and Reprogenetics UK averred.

Costing around £2,000, in addition to the cost of IVF treatment, the novel technique is likely to hit United States market within the next few months.

An assisted form of conception, IVF (In vitro fertilization) is a process in which the eggs are fertilized with the sperms outside the woman's womb. Once fertilized in a fluid medium outside, the egg is then implanted in the woman’s uterusdefine. Annually around 32,000 people undergo fertility treatment in UK.

The results of the study will be presented today at the American Society of Reproductive Medicine's annual conference in San Francisco.