New IVF technology at Gateshead hospital will help parents desperate for children

Posted: Published on March 24th, 2015

This post was added by Dr P. Richardson

Pioneering new technology at a Tyneside hospital is set to dramatically improve chances of successful IVF treatment for North East parents desperate for a child.

The Fertility Unit at Gatesheads Queen Elizabeth Hospital will become the first in the region to use the new system which monitors embryo development every 15 minutes without the need to remove them from their incubator.

It means embryologists are now able to identify healthier embryos that have the best chance of implantation and reduce the risk of miscarriage.

The new system uses highly specialised Embryoscope incubators incorporating time lapse imaging, meaning the embryos do not have to be removed from their safe and stable environment for inspection.

Traditional methods of assessing development during IVF involve removing the embryos from the incubator to examine them under the microscope. This exposes them to changes in environmental conditions such as temperature and light which can be stressful and impair development.

Ian Aird, consultant gynaecologist and clinical lead for fertility services at the QE, said: We are delighted to be the first unit in the North East to be able to offer the benefits of time lapse embryology to all our patients undergoing IVF.

When eggs fertilise and grow as embryos, theres a lot going on behind the scenes that, if you just had a single static observation per day, you would miss.

The use of time lapse imaging means that embryos do not need to be removed from the incubator for daily monitoring, maintaining a more stable temperature and environment.

The Embryoscope gives us the opportunity to do continuous imaging and closely monitor an embryos development. This means that we can select healthier embryos, increasing our pregnancy rates even further and help more couples who are having fertility problems to have the family they yearn for.

Cameron Bainbridge with mum Lisa Bainbridge

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New IVF technology at Gateshead hospital will help parents desperate for children

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