Well, this is a weird one - scientists have discovered that if you rock embryos gently during the IVF process, pregnancy rates improve. So far, the experiments have only been done on mice, but the results are promising.
When embryos are fertilised in the body in the normal way, they move all the time for the first day or two as they go down the fallopian tube and into the womb where they implant. During IVF, the eggs are left in a dish in an incubator and don't move at all. So, the team at the University of Michigan invented a device to gently rock embryos during IVF, and it increased pregnancy rates by 22% in mice. They believe it worked because the embryos that were gently rocked felt more at home. Trials in humans have now begun.
You can find out more about it at www.ns.umich.edu
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