IVF incubator boosting pregnancy rates by 25 per cent
A “revolutionary” IVF incubation system that “mimics the natural environment of a woman’s body” is boosting pregnancy rates by a significant amount compared to a traditional incubator. Plus model Nikki Phillips reveals her life with two sons.
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A “revolutionary” IVF incubation system that “mimics the natural environment of a woman’s body” is boosting pregnancy rates by almost 25 per cent compared with a traditional incubator.
It’s also lessening the significant financial and emotional toll the IVF process takes on couples by reducing the number of “stimulation cycles” — where medication is used to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs — needed to make a baby.
“If you develop a system of improved … processes, it means that per that original egg collection you’re going to end up with more high grade embryos and more babies,” said Dr Mark Bowman, medical director at Australian fertility company Genea.
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The company’s “Geri incubation system” — which is now being sold globally to clinics in Europe, Asia and North America — minimises disturbance to the embryo during vital stages of development.
New camera technology that takes digital images of embryos eliminates the need for scientists to take them out of the incubator every couple of days for checking.
Scientists also don’t need to change fluid surrounding the embryos at different stages of development with a new continuous fluid that can be used for all stages.
The Geri also has individual incubation chambers, compared to traditional incubators which have multiple embryos in the one chamber that are exposed every time a single embryo needs checking.
Genea scientific director Steven McArthur said the goal was for patients to be able to create their whole family from one stimulated egg collection cycle.
“What we are trying to copy in our IVF laboratory is as close as possible copying what the embryo would be exposed to in nature,” he said.
“In effect, what an IVF lab is trying to be is a fallopian tube and a uterus … our lab is getting as close to mimicking the fallopian tube and uterus as compared to any time in the history of IVF.”
Earlier this month, Genea presented new peer-reviewed research to the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction showing the Geri system had led to a 24.3 per cent increase in pregnancies compared to the traditional incubator.
The study was conducted over the period from 2015-2018.
And patients on average have 27 per cent more embryos which can be transferred or frozen for future use due to the lack of interruption during development.
Mr McArthur said couples spend about $8000 on average per IVF cycle but are left $4000 out of pocket following Medicare and health insurance rebates.
Clovelly mum Erin Sullivan, 37, never thought she would be able to celebrate being a mum on Mother’s Day.
But after countless unsuccessful IVF cycles at different clinics, Ms Sullivan fell pregnant on her first cycle using Genea’s Geri system and gave birth to baby Aspen in January.
“Motherhood is awesome — it’s far more than I ever hoped it would be in every good way,” Ms Sullivan said.
BEING A MUM IS THE WORLD FOR NIKKI
Motherhood changed model Nikki Phillips — and she loves it.
Seven weeks after giving birth to her second child, she is more than grateful for her lot in life.
“I love my body more now than I did before I had kids,” Phillips told The Saturday Telegraph.
“It is full of imperfections and I think they are the most beautiful things because they are the scars that show what is possible.”
Phillips, 36, describes both her children as miracle babies, having been told she may struggle to fall pregnant after cervical cancer 12 years ago.
Mother’s Day is a reminder of the joy she feels every day with her boys.
“All my issues with fertility and then finally getting Jett and now having Luca, it symbolises so much for me,” Phillips said.
“Mother’s Day is always going to be something that will automatically put a smile on my face.”
Phillips, husband Dane Rumble, Jett, who turns two in July, and Luca will celebrate Mother’s Day just by being together.
Phillips said that having a little brother is taking some getting used to for Jett.
“Jett calls Luca ‘Oh No’ — that is his name,” she explained.
“He just doesn’t think that he should exist. Life before Luca was perfect in Jett’s mind and now there is this baby brother that is taking up all of Dad and Mum’s time so he is called ‘Oh no’.”
Phillips said it was still too soon to think about a third child.
“I would love to maybe have another one but right now the juggle of two is hard, I am not going to lie,” she said.
“You are learning everything over again. You are learning patience again. It can be hard.”
Originally published as IVF incubator boosting pregnancy rates by 25 per cent
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