AN IVF treatment centre in Nottingham has developed a technique to detect abnormalities in implanted embryos.
CARE Fertility, on Nottingham Business Park, says it can dramatically increase the chances of a healthy baby developing.
The centre uses time lapse imaging to take thousands of snapshots of a developing embryo that can help doctors pick those most likely to implant successfully.
Standard methods of selecting embryos are based mainly on what they look like through a microscope.
But CARE says that using time-lapse images they have found that developmental delays in the embryo are good indicators of likely chromosomal abnormalities that could result in a failed pregnancy.
"As the first clinic to introduce time lapse imaging into the UK, we already knew that the ability to view detailed images of embryo development helped us with embryo selection and, therefore, improved our patients' outcome," said Alison Campbell, embryology director at CARE Fertility.
"Using morphokinetic algorithms to predict success we have now demonstrated a 56% uplift in our live birth rates, equivalent to a 78% live birth rate."
Using this method, more than 100 babies have been delivered.
Professor Simon Fishel, managing director of CARE Fertility Group, said: "In the 35 years I have been in this field this is probably the most exciting and significant development that can be of value to all patients seeking IVF."
