Infertility is defined as a failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse.
A number of assisted reproductive techniques are available to help intended parents to complete their family like IUI, IVF or ICSI of which IVF & ICSI is thought to be most advanced techniques, but success of an Infertility treatment cycle (IVF or ICSI) depends upon endometrial receptivity and quality embryo to be transferred.
The selection of embryos for transfer is crucial to the successof IVF – both for a healthy delivery and to ensure a singleton pregnancy.The selection procedure includes morphological assessment of embryo under microscope by embryologist every 20 to 24 hrs. This short glimpse of Embryos leads to insufficientinformation about embryo development & growth and associated uncontrolled exposure on embryos like change in pH, temperature & light effect etc. which leads to poor or compromised Embryo development.
The new technique of ‘time-lapse imaging’ is being quickly adopted by IVF clinics throughout the world. The time lapse technology allows them to inspect the development of their embryos with great frequency but without disturbing them or exposing them to outside air conditions. At Akanksha IVF Centre, we are using time lapse imaging system from VITROLIFE (SWEDEN).So here at the Akanksha IVF Centre we can now culture embryos and monitor their progress in totally safe and stable conditions, with an image of their composition at every tiny stage of development.
Scanning and analyzing embryo development is a breakthrough approach in assessing human embryos in a culture medium. It is performed by a computer which continuously monitors the embryo’s development. The embryos are not disturbed during their extracorporeal development by constant examinations as the entire monitoring process happens behind closed doors of the incubator. Subsequent analysis is based on acquired digital records.
The developmental abilities of human embryos can be predicted by measurement of their cell cycles. Continuous non-invasive embryo monitoring allows an exact measurement of these phases of human embryo development. The information provided by time lapse technology and the criteria by which embryos are selected for transfer relates mainly to the rate at which the embryos progress from embryonic stage to the next – so the time between these stages is crucial. It is the rapid sequence of images available to the embryologist which allows analysis of these changes, and thus the assessment of which embryo has the best chance of implantation in the uterus.
Studies so far suggest that embryos selected with the help of time-lapse imaging have a high chance of forming a healthy pregnancy, so the technology will be especially welcome for patients with a poor reproductive record – that is, women who have already been unsuccessful in IVF and/or those of an older reproductive age.
Akanksha IVF centre is one of a few centres in INDIA having this advanced technology of TIME LAPSE EMBRYO MONITORING and it has really helped couples in completing their family with more transparency where patient themselves can see the growth of their own Embryos