Women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) will soon be offered an optional DNA test that could raise their chances of getting pregnant by 80 percent. The DNA test looks into abnormal levels of mitochondrial DNA (MtDNA) in embryos prior to embedding. Scientists believe that very high levels of MtDNA is a sign that the embryo is struggling and will not lead to a successful pregnancy.
MtDNA are likened to cells batteries. They are crucial in the formation of healthy offspring inside the womb. However, too much of it can mean that the embryo is stressed and in order to compensate, the embryo creates more power, which means more MtDNA.
Scientists from Oxford University proved the theory by filtering out high MtDNA embryos among women aged 35 years old undergoing IVF. By doing so, the scientists were able to raise the women's chances of pregnancy by 75 percent. The rate is the same in a woman trying to conceive the natural way at the same age. In an IVF treatment, one key factor that determines a successful pregnancy is the embryo's health.
Currently, IVF process involves studying the embryos under the microscope and checking the chromosome levels. This process gives IVF women 60 to 65 percent success rate, which means only four out of 10 will result in a successful pregnancy.
"There is a great desire to make IVF less of a roller coaster and give more certainty to the outcome. It's something to do with energy production that isn't quite right. "It's given us a new bio marker. It is likely to raise implanting to 70 to 80 percent," said Professor Dagan Wells from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre.
Apart from increased pregnancy levels, the research team also found the MtDNA levels in IVF embryos increase along with the woman's age.
The new DNA test, with a price tag set at around £200 (a little over $300), will allow the doctors to check MtDNA and chromosome levels. At this point, doctors can let go of unreliable embryos.
The new DNA test, which has been dubbed as MitoGrade, is already being used in clinics around the United States. In Britain, genetics lab Reprogenetics is presently applying to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) for an authorization to deploy MitoGrade in the United Kingdom.
Research leader Dr. Elpida Fragouli from Reprogenetics explained how the process works. The test consists of carefully retrieving a few cells from the embryos and measuring it for the levels of MtDNA present. The findings will then aid doctors in choosing the best IVF embryo for implantation.
The study was highly acclaimed that it has been shortlisted at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) conference held in Baltimore for the main prize.
