Chromosome analysis increases IVF success

A new method of looking for chromosomal abnormalities in embryos can increase the chance of successful IVF implantation, a recent study in the journal Fertilisation In Vitro has shown....[Read More]

Progress Educational Trust conference: Making the grade

The third session of the Progress Educational Trust's annual conference 'The Best Possible Start in Life: The Robust and Responsive Embryo' boasted a redoubtable roll-call of eminent clinicians and researchers as speakers. This being the case, I couldn't help wondering if the decision to limit such luminaries to ten minutes apiece was a wise one...[Read More]

Common cancer gene may change chromosome numbers

Two US studies published this week have shed light on how a gene mutation can change the number of chromosomes present in the cells of more than 90 percent of cancers...[Read More]

Ovarian stimulation linked to egg abnormalities in older mothers

European researchers have linked ovarian stimulation in women aged over 35 to increased chromosomal abnormalities. Genetic screening shows that the production of oocytes is disrupted during fertility treatment involving ovarian stimulation...[Read More]

New genetic test may help to improve IVF success

Multiple genetic tests have been performed on a single embryo for almost the first time, according to US researchers. The researchers from John Hopkins School of Medicine say their technique for making copies of an embryo's DNA can improve IVF success rates...[Read More]

Embryo genetic test could improve IVF success

An embyro screening test could significantly increase IVF success rates, US researchers have found...[Read More]

Folate levels may affect sperm quality

US scientists have found a possible link between low dietary folate levels and abnormal sperm in men. The findings, from the University of California, Berkley, and the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory, provide further evidence that healthy diets aid fertility. Folate is a soluble B vitamin found naturally...[Read More]

PGS: It ain't what you do it's the way that you do it...and that's what gets results

Embryo selection following cleavage stage embryo biopsy and chromosome analysis to identify aneuploid embryos (those which have an abnormal number of chromosomes) in every couple having IVF/ICSI or all women of advanced maternal age is rightly considered by most clinics to be too invasive and potentially damaging for routine...[Read More]

New method for identifying healthy sperm

Researchers in South Korea have developed a new method for choosing the best sperm to use during ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) treatment - a variation of IVF in which a single sperm is injected directly into an egg. The team, based at the Chung-Ang University in Gyeonggi-Do...[Read More]

Embryo screening linked to lower IVF success rates

A technique used to select IVF embryos most likely to implant and develop could actually reduce success rates, according to a study by Dutch researchers. Preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) involves removing a single cell from an IVF embryo and testing it for the presence of chromosome...[Read More]

FISHing for trouble?

Make a habit of two things - to help, or at least to do no harm' (Attr Hippokrates of Kos). The principle of preimplantation testing for sporadic chromosome aneuploidy (preimplantation genetic screening, PGS) to improve the reproductive efficiency of assisted conception for couples at increased risk is a sound one. It...[Read More]

PGS: select or reject? - it's not just about improving pregnancy rates

Ten years since the first reports of preimplantation genetic diagnosis for abnormal chromosome number, or aneuploidy, (now commonly known as PGS - preimplantation genetic screening), we are experiencing a prejudicial mistrust of a clinical approach that is generally accepted to be scientifically and clinically sound. Opponents of PGS frequently criticise its...[Read More]

Increase in US couples using PGD for social sex-selection

A survey conducted for the Centre for Genetics and Public Policy, at the Johns Hopkins University, Washington DC, has revealed that an increasing number of couples in the US are choosing the sex of their baby for non-medical reasons through preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) offered by IVF...[Read More]

Vasectomies linked to genetic sperm damage

BioNews reporting from ESHRE conference, Prague (sponsored by Planer cryoTechnology). By Dr Jess Buxton: Vasectomies can cause chromosomal abnormalities in sperm, say a team based at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. The researchers, who presented their findings at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology...[Read More]

New egg test may increase IVF success rate

BioNews reporting from ESHRE conference, Prague (sponsored by Planer cryoTechnology). By Dr Kirsty Horsey: Italian scientists have presented research at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) in Prague, Czech Republic, showing that eggs can be screened - before they are fertilised - for chromosomal abnormalities...[Read More]

Half of all IVF embryos could have genetic errors

Around half of all the eggs produced by both older and younger women could have genetic errors, three new US studies suggest. The findings, reported at the annual meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) in Montreal, Canada, have lead to calls from some fertility experts to screen...[Read More]

Single embryo transfer: one size fits all?

The UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) recently announced that it is to review its rules on how many embryos can be implanted during IVF treatments. Transferring fewer embryos to all patients inevitably results in fewer multiple pregnancies, and we fully support measures making IVF safer. However, we recommend...[Read More]

Call to screen all IVF embryos for abnormalities

Testing embryos for chromosomal abnormalities before they are returned to the womb can dramatically improve the 'take home baby rate' for some patients, according to a US fertility doctor. Speaking at the Sixth International Symposium on Preimplantation Genetics, held in London last week, Yury Verlinsky of the Reproductive Genetics Institute...[Read More]

First baby born after chromosome screening

An embryo screening technique that was licensed by the UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) in September 2002 has resulted in its first live birth in the UK. The procedure, aneuploidy screening, enables embryos to be tested for a range of chromosomal abnormalities and helps fertility doctors decide which...[Read More]

First aneuploidy screening success

An embryo screening technique that was licensed by the UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) last September has resulted in its first pregnancy in the UK. Two UK clinics were initially given licences to perform aneuploidy screening: CARE in the Park, Nottingham and the Assisted Reproduction and Gynaecology Centre...[Read More]