Tuesday 11 November 2008
Hopes are raised for infertile couples in the UK
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Infertility is estimated to affect one in six couples in the UK, and the expensive treatment is restricted on the NHS. However, hopes can now be raised as the Oxford Fertility Unit has announced new breakthroughs in fertility treatments that will vastly improve the chances of successful pregnancy for many women.
At an annual fertility conference in San Francisco this week, Oxford Fertility Unit revealed:
- A new embryo screening method that could double IVF success rates to 70%
- A leap in fertility rates to 48% for IVM, a safer, cheaper and simpler alternative to IVF
These, plus other announcements made at the conference put the issue of fertility in the headlines, and will provide women in the UK with a new set of options and expectations when it comes to fertility treatments.
About the new embryo screening method:
The new technique involves scientists analysing all of the chromosomes in the embryo when previously they could only look at half of them. This means they can improve the quality of the implanted embryo. Tests in America involving 17 women, average age 37 with a history of failed IVF attempts, showed the success rate more than doubled.
About IVM:
IVM is a safer and cheaper alternative to IVF. It does not require the fertility drugs that cost up to £1,500 and can also cause serious side effects, in rare cases fatal, in the third of women seeking fertility treatment who suffer from polycystic ovaries. IVM is now achieving excellent rates of success. The first 40 cases in the UK achieved a pregnancy rate of 35%, and 48% for women < 35 years of age. Ten babies have been born as a result of the treatment, including one set of twins who have just celebrated their first birthday.
Oxford Fertility Unit has applied to the UK’s government run Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to be one of the first in the UK to offer the new embryo screening method. It is also the only unit in the UK allowed to offer IVM.
Enda McVeigh, Medical Director of Oxford Fertility Unit comments, "Through our ongoing commitment to research and development we are striving to achieve the best possible results. Oxford Fertility Unit is involved in many worldwide research programmes to help women achieve a healthy birth with least risk to mother and child."
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