IVF test could cut out risk of multiple birth
(sz) A groundbreaking IVF test that could improve the chances of pregnancy while almost eliminating the risk of twins or triplets is to be offered to couples in Britain for the first time.
A new genetics clinic plans to recruit between 50 and 100 women for the first trial of the procedure, which aims to identify the best embryo produced by young IVF patients with a good prognosis.
The goal of the pre-implantation genetic screening (PGS) test is to enhance success rates when only a single embryo is transplanted into the womb, to prevent multiple pregnancies that are by far the greatest hazard of infertility treatment. A different form of PGS is already licensed for detecting chromosomal abnormalities that cause embryos to fail, but only for older patients or those with a history of miscarriage or IVF failure.
It is also controversial because there is little evidence that it helps these women to conceive. The Times revealed this month that the British Fertility Society has recommended that its members stop using it.
A more advanced version of PGS, however, is now being pioneered in Britain by Dagan Wells, of the Reprogenetics UK clinic and the University of Oxford. He is seeking permission from the fertility regulator to test it on women aged under 35 who have a good prognosis. If the trial is successful, it could persuade many more infertile couples to opt for single embryos, in line with the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority’s strategy to cut IVF twin and triplet births from one in four to one in ten. more…
From: »The Times«