A new revolutionary non-invasive embryo screening test will reduce miscarriages and the time it takes to achieve a healthy live birth for the one-in-six Australian couples affected by infertility.
In a world-first scientific breakthrough, Australia’s leading fertility scientists have developed an embryo DNA screening test that is non-invasive and will be available to more patients at a lower cost.
The existing biopsy technique — the standard across the world — can only be used on the strongest embryos, meaning many embryos are never DNA tested. Embryos that do not contain the correct amount of chromosome pairs often result in miscarriage or a child born with a genetic abnormality. That risk increases rapidly when a woman gets older. Genetic testing allows those embryos to be identified before they are transferred back to the womb.
It’s a significant step forward in making IVF genetic testing more widely available.
Monash IVF Group Medical Director Luk Rombauts said it’s an exciting development for patients — particularly those at a higher risk of miscarriage or failed pregnancy.
“This has long been the holy grail for genetic testing as many embryos were not strong enough for a biopsy,” says Professor Rombauts.
“The current practice of pre-implantation genetic screening of embryos has seen improvements in pregnancy rates, but we felt there was a better way of screening that could be applied to more embryos.“
“Older patients who would benefit the most were missing out because most or all of their embryos were not suitable for the embryo biopsy — with this new breakthrough these embryos can be screened, improving their chance of successful pregnancy.”
