Hyderabad: Inserting healthy embryos for in-vitro fertilisation is important to ensure that the pregnancy as well as the baby is healthy. For this, a new embryoscope technology has been put to use by the Prasad Hospital at Nacharam here which monitors the health of the embryo.
With two successful surrogate pregnancies, Dr K. Suma Prasad of Prasad Hospital, said, “The new technology has helped us understand the health of embryos. Earlier, it was not possible to see the embryo continuously. It would be monitored from time to time and then inserted in the womb. But the failure rate was also high as some women would go through four to five cycles and still fail. Now, with a camera attached to the incubator, the division of cells and the embryo’s health can be monitored.”
This has helped understand the early stages of life and division of cells. The embryo is observed for 72 hours wherein it’s every moment is recorded on camera. They have also been able to see why some embryos get “arrested” after 48 hours. This shows that the embryo is not healthy and would not survive in the womb.
Dr Prasad said, “We are now able to understand what is going wrong. With the egg and sperm being fertilised in the lab, there are times we find that the sperm is not that healthy and the fertilisation is not at the optimum level.”
With this new technology, two surrogate cases were successfully taken up by the hospital. Meanwhile most gynecologists say more studies are required. A senior infertility specialist said, “For clinical evaluation, it is good, but from a viewpoint of improving pregnancy rates, it is still to be proven.”
Yes, we can view the process of the division of cells in the incubator but that does not mean that the first stages of life will ensure that the outcome will be healthy till the delivery. It has often been found that patients are poor responders and later stage infections and exposure to certain chemicals has led to miscarriage. For clinical evaluation, it is good but from a viewpoint of improving pregnancy rates, it is still to be proven.”
