IVF Embryos To Start Life In Womb
Embryos Are To Mature In The Womb Rather Than In A Lab
New Research in Nottingham, England, offers hope of a more natural start to life for IVF Embryos.
In Vitro Development
Researchers at Care Fertility - one of the world's top fertility clinics - in Nottingham, UK, are developing a new technique that allows a newly fertilized embryo to grow in its mother's womb rather than be artificially incubated in a laboratory. This would ensure more natural conditions for the embryo and a greater chance of a viable pregnancy.
In standard IVF, any embryos created are incubated in a petri dish for three days prior to being implanted into the womb. For this reason, some embryos may perish. The new technique, known as In Vitro Development (IVD), uses a special container to house the embryo which is placed directly into the womb immediately after conception instead of three days later. The container has lots of tiny holes in it to allow nutrients from the womb to pass through, but these holes are too small for the embryo to escape from them. This mimics natural conception and gives the embryo the optimal environment in which to grow and a headstart from its laboratory counterparts.
There was an initial project in Belgium to test the new device and this has resulted in two live births. Now Care Fertility are piloting the world's first clinical trial of IVD and are recruiting 40 women to take part. Twenty of these women will receive standard IVF and the other twenty will have IVD. Scientists hope to learn more about what are optimal conditions for the embryo in terms of environment, hormones and nutrients in order to improve success rates for infertile couples.
Treatment will cost up to £3,500 but those enrolling in the trial will get reductions off their fees and free genetic testing.
Who Can Enroll?
Suitable candidates for the study include:
- Women under 37 years of age with no previous children
- Those with one or two failed cycles of IVF (but no more than two)
- Those whose infertility is not caused by hormonal problems
- Those whose infertility is not caused by a misshaped womb
- Those whose body mass index does not exceed 29
- Men are allowed to participate in the study, but not if they have a low sperm count
For more details about the trial or about Care Fertility, please go to www.carefertilityweb.co.uk, write to:
John Webster House
6 Lawrence Drive
Nottingham Business Park
Nottingham, NG8 6PZ
Tel: +44 (0)115 852 8100
(8:30am — 5:30pm weekdays)
(8:30am — 1:30pm weekends)
Fax: +44 (0)115 852 8196
The clinic welcomes clients from abroad and can provide you with lists of places to stay in the local area while you have treatment with them. You can also download this list via their website. If you have queries about egg donation, please email eggdonation.nottingham@carefertility.com
