Scientists increase the chances of IVF success with time-lapse photography
Scientists have developed a method to use time-lapse photos to see which embryos are most viable under IVF treatment. The images are analyzed with a computer which then classifies them based on probability of success.
After fertilization of an egg, in the IVF technique, the developed embryos are ‘grown’ for some time in an incubator, after which they are implanted in the future mother. Before the embryos, at that stage no more than a clump of cells, are implanted, they are examined for abnormalities, such as the symmetry and the number of cells. However, it is known that by no means all implanted embryos actually lead to a pregnancy.
The new technique for determining the success rate for pregnancy in IVF has been tested by scientists from the University of Pennsylvania in collaboration with five fertility centers. It works with a system that takes a picture every five minutes of the Petri dish in which the embryo is developing. A computer then analyzes the images, whereby a pattern can be drawn up of the development over time. The computer then indicates whether the chance of success in implanting the embryo is high or low.
It is known about embryonic development how the different stages follow each other in time. By taking time-lapse photos and analyzing them, it is possible to find out to what extent the embryo follows the normal development pattern. According to the scientists, this offers a stronger indication of the chance of pregnancy success than conventional ways of detecting abnormalities.
The scientists analyzed IVF treatments carried out at the fertility centers. This was a blinded study where the results of the time-lapse analysis had not been released at the time of implant. After the results of the pregnancies via the IVF treatments were known, the scientists saw that implanting embryos with a high chance of success on the computer led to a 54 percent chance of a successful pregnancy. In embryos whose computer indicated a low chance of success, the number of successful pregnancies was only 34 percent.
According to the researchers, the new method not only increases the chance of a successful pregnancy via IVF, but the technique can also ensure that fewer embryos need to be implanted. Because it is known that not all embryos successfully implant in the uterus, several embryos are implanted per treatment. However, this can also lead to twins or triplets. That chance can therefore be reduced with the time-lapse system.