How Researchers Are Working to Make IVF More Effective

Each year, tens of thousands of people in the U.S. try to conceive using in vitro fertilization (IVF), a process through which eggs are fertilized in a lab, then transferred to the patient’s uterus. Even though IVF has become relatively common, it’s not a sure bet: About 70% of people younger than 35 who were first-time IVF patients in 2019 and used their own eggs had a baby within two years, according to a fertility industry report. Success rates decline as patients get older. Given the physical, financial, and emotional tolls of failed cycles, researchers around the world are working to make IVF more effective. “In medicine, nobody can guarantee success,” says Dr. Zev Williams, director of the Columbia University Fertility Center. “The question is, how close can we get?” [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Baby steps toward better tests Some of those efforts focus on how to improve screening tests meant to help patients optimize their chances of having a healthy baby through IVF. One of the most common tests is called preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidies (PGT-A). After eggs are fertilized to create embryos, clinicians take biopsies to look for aneuploidies, or chromosomal abnormalities that may increase the risk of IVF failure, miscarriage, or genetic disorders at birth. Proponents of PGT-A argue that it increases the odds of success by identifying embryos most likely to result in a healthy pregnancy. But these tests ...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Frontiers of Medicine 2022 healthscienceclimate Innovation sponsorshipblock Source Type: news