The selection of eggs has been improved largely by a new method developed by a research team supervised by Marc-Andre Sirard, scientist of Université Laval, in France. Sirard and his team identified genetic markers that allow the selection of eggs with better chance of leading to pregnancy after in vitro fertilization (IVF). Thanks to this, the rate of success for single embryo transfer could be increased, and also the risk of multiple pregnancies diminished.

           

The research team compared follicular cells from eggs that afterwards led to successful pregnancies to those that didn´t. According to Sirard, in the ovaries, the eggs and these follicular cells that surround them are “in very close interaction”. That means that the cells can contain useful information about the quality of an egg.

 Up to the moment, the way to determine what embryos are used to be implanted into the woman’s uterus is based only on visible criteria, such as appearance or division rate. This method, according to Sirard, has proved to be inexact, due to the fact that “at least 30% of embryos that look normal through visual examination nonetheless show chromosome abnormalities”. The method developed by Professor Sirard and his team will improve egg selection since it will, according to the researchers, be a way of finding the most suitable eggs and the ones with more chances of being successful, without altering the embryos´ health.

 Moreover, the method could be used to help prevent multiple pregnancies, since it will differ from what is done somewhat often in clinics nowadays: implanting more than one embryo, expecting that way to increase chances of pregnancy. If the embryos with best potential are selected, fewer will be needed to carry out a successful pregnancy.