London - Women desperate to become mothers are being offered a more natural form of IVF for the first time.
By allowing fertilisation to take place inside the woman’s body – instead of in a test tube – it is hoped the new method will lead to healthier babies.
The technique could also boost success rates of fertility treatment – potentially cutting the emotional and financial cost of the procedure. It involves using a device called the AneVivo, which allows an embryo to start life with natural nourishment from the womb.
The process may prove popular with women keen to have a physical connection with their child from the outset – as well as being more acceptable to the Catholic Church, which disapproves of conventional IVF because fertilisation takes place outside the body.
Fertility doctor Nick Macklon, from the Complete Fertility Centre in Southampton, hopes the first British AneVivo baby will be born this year.
He said: ‘The introduction of this device signals a real breakthrough in IVF treatment as it enables women to care for an embryo in its earliest stages of development for the first time.’
During conventional IVF, the male sperm fertilises the female egg in a laboratory Petri dish.
With AneVivo, the reproductive cells are instead put in a clear capsule smaller than a matchstick – which is then placed painlessly in the woman’s womb where fertilisation occurs.
The device, which is just 1cm long and 1cm wide, is studded with tiny holes which allow the womb’s natural fluids to flow in and out. The proteins and hormones can then feed and nurture the early-stage embryo. It is removed a day later and the best embryos are chosen to be returned to the woman’s womb, in the hope of making her a mother.
It is thought that using the body’s own nutrients to nourish the cells, rather than man-made concoctions in a lab, will improve the success of the process – as well as boosting the health of any babies produced.
Professor Macklon said: ‘It could provide many potential health benefits for babies born following fertility treatment. IVF has been around for a long time and is very safe – there are lots of healthy IVF babies. However, they tend to be born at a slightly lower weight and there is a suggestion that as they get older, they have slightly increased blood pressure. The idea is that if we can make the process as natural as possible, we will give the embryo the best start in life.
‘We are trying to go back to nature as much as possible.’
The Swiss-made device is only available to private patients, however, it is hoped that it will eventually become part of NHS treatment.Professor Macklon, who helped develop the device, added: ‘This is a very significant moment in the advancement of British fertility treatment.
‘We are all extremely excited to be able to offer patients the option of a more natural fertilisation process.’
However, another fertility doctor – who trialled an earlier version of the technique – has urged caution around its use.
Professor Simon Fishel, managing director of the CARE chain of fertility clinics, said: ‘A lot of women will like it – but whether it is better for the embryos and whether you get better results, we have no idea.’
Daily Mail