Couples trying for a baby have new hope based on a technique Australian scientists have developed to identify the healthiest embryos and increasing the odds of IVF conception, reports the Daily Mail.
In vitro fertilization (IVF) occurs when egg cells are fertilized by the sperm outside the body. The cells sit in an embryo solution with glucose that closely matches the mother’s uterus.
Researchers from the University of Melbourne could predict the healthiness of the embryo by measuring how much glucose was take up in the cell four or five days after fertilization.
“There is clear cut evidence that the greater the glucose intake the healthier the embryo,” said Professor Gardner. Glucose is a major source for cell division and is essential to cell replication that makes the embryo develop.
Currently, only 29 per cent of women under 35 have a baby after IVF, and this percentage drops with age.
This discovery may bring new hope and better chances to those couples requiring fertility treatments.