London: Meet Oliver, the first baby in the
world born using a new egg-screening technique that could
double the odds of an implanted embryo taking hold in the
womb, unveiled by British experts today.
Baby Oliver was born in Britain to a 41-year-old woman
after 13 failed attempts at in vitro fertilisation (IVF).
The new technique, called array comparative genomic
hybridisation (CGH), makes it possible to ensure eggs have a
normal number of chromosomes, boosting the likelihood of a
successful pregnancy.
"Chromosomal abnormality plays a major part in the
failure to establish a pregnancy," said Simon Fishel, managing
director of the CARE Fertility Group, which oversaw the
procedure.
"Full chromosome analysis may double the chance of
success in couples who have a poor chance of conceiving or a
history of failed treatments and miscarriage," he said.
The technique has the potential to dramatically reduce
the incidence of miscarriages and multiple pregnancies in IVF
patients, he said.
It could also help screen against birth defects.
The most common cause of failure in IVF -- in which a
woman`s eggs are fertilised outside the body and then placed
in the womb -- is an abnormal number of chromosomes in the
egg, studies have shown.
The new screening technique is faster that conventional
CGH, which means that the embryo does not have to be frozen.
The results come back in 24-to-48 hours rather than five days
or a week.
Bureau Report