Biomechanics and IVF success

According to new research, the physical positioning of a woman and the size and shape of her womb make all the difference to IVF outcomes, along with gravity and the mechanics of the womb.

Researchers at Tel Aviv University are studying how embryos implant into the wall of the womb, and say that the mechanics of what happens during this process can play a vital role in whether it is successful. This is a key factor in IVF, as we still don't know quite why some embryos implant and others don't.

You can read more about the research at www.aftau.org

Research into implantation rates after ICSI

A team from the University of Bonn in Germany have been researching implantation rates after ICSI, and believe they may have found a way of identifying the fertilised eggs that are most likely to implant successfully.

The German researchers have just published their findings, and suggest that by inspecting the outer layer of the egg in a particular way under the microscope, they may be able to identify the embryos that are most likely to implant and to result in a pregnancy. They have now developed software to analyse the data from the microscope and help select the best embryos.

The major stumbling block for scientist and medical teams when it comes to IVF is implantation. Eggs and sperm can produce wonderful-looking embryos, but once they are transferred to the womb, no one really knows why some implant and others don't. There's more about this new research on the University of Bonn website