Time-lapse images of embryos for IVF

A new IVF method that takes thousands of pictures of embryos to select the best eggs has increased the likelihood of successful IVF by 25 per cent. The developing embryos are photographed while in incubators every 10 to 20 minutes and then sent to a computer to rank the eggs using algorithms.

Research including 24,000 documented treatments led by leading fertility expert Professor Simon Fishel compared IVF babies born with and without the new technique. A new IVF treatment photographs developing embryos in incubators every 10 to 20 minutes and then sent to a computer to rank the eggs using algorithms.

The study found that embryos chosen for use by the time-lapse imaging process were more likely to have a successful birth. The research demonstrates how this new technology will revolutionise the way IVF is carried out. The new IVF treatment that takes time-lapse images of embryos in order to pick the best eggs has increased chances of a successful pregnancy by 25 per cent.

Previous method involved the taking out of embryos from their temperature controlled incubator and takeing a snapshot of it every 24 hours, potentially exposing them to damage. The new IVF treatment that takes time-lapse images of embryos in order to pick the best eggs has increased chances of a successful pregnancy by 25 percent.
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Genetic mutations start after conception

Hundreds of minor genetic mutations start to form in the cells of an embryo after conception, some of these mutations occur as sex cells are forming in the embryo. That means they can become part of the embryo's genome and be passed on to the next generation.

This opens up a larger perspective on human development,  this shows that some of our genome does not come from our parents.These early genetic mutations are also similar to those found in cancers, cancers can occur as a normal byproduct of cell division, this mat be the causes of neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia or autism.

These conditions are primarily the result of genetic abnormalities, but no single gene inherited by parents has been found to cause a large number of cases.The study may also help explain why one identical twin might have a genetic disorder while the other is healthy, or why some members of a family who carry a disease-causing mutation do not get sick.
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Vitamin D boosts fertility

Women undergoing fertility treatment were 33 per cent more likely to have a baby if their vitamin D levels were healthy. NHS recommends taking of vitamin D supplement for women who are pregnant or trying to conceive for the sake of the development of their baby.

The researchers believe vitamin D may help dampen the immune system’s inflammatory response, improving the chances that an embryo successfully implants in the lining of the womb at the very start of pregnancy. Sun exposure and greater sunlight luminosity increases the body’s store of vitamin D, thereby yielding higher conception rates in summer and autumn.

Oily fish such as sardines or mackerel, red meat, liver or eggs are all rich in vitamin D.The vitamin is important during pregnancy because it affect the way a baby’s bones grow in the womb.
women should beware taking very high doses of vitamin D in a bid to conceive - as it is possible to overdose.

The NHS recommended dose of 10 micrograms a day is considered to be safe. Women should beware that taking more than this without medical advice can lead to too much calcium building up in the body, which can weaken bones and damage the heart and kidneys.
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Effects of long, mysterious strip of RNA on sperm count

Scientists have discovered part of genetic material known as lncRNAs that help sperm develop. Male mice lacking a particular lncRNA have low sperm count, this shows that lncRNAs could represent novel infertility drug targets.

The strands, called long non-coding RNAsor lncRNAs don't seem to encode proteins, but have been implicated in everything from cancer to brain function. Many are located in the testes, suggesting they could contribute to infertility.

Researchers collected and measured lncRNA levels during the process of cellular differentiation that leads to sperm production. They found that specific lncRNAs are associated with each stage of sperm development.

The researchers also identified lncRNAs and mRNAs that are testes-specific -- that is, not found in other human or mouse tissues. Genetically-modified male mice lack one particular lncRNA. They used these mice to assess how the loss of this one lncRNA affects overall mouse fertility.

 Mice provide a model to study human sperm development as the process is highly conserved between the two species. Researchers discovered massive changes in lncRNAs produced in cells that eventually increase mouse sperm. Each stage of sperm development was associated with different lncRNAs. This shows that lncRNAs are important for creating complex biological process.

Many of the lncRNAs were strictly found in mouse testes, a subset of lncRNAs are able to escape gene silencing processes that help turn off unnecessary genes on the X and Y sex chromosomes during sperm development. The X and Y sex chromosomes determine whether a sperm will produce a male or female embryo. lncRNA could serve as a potential therapeutic target for male infertility drugs.
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Lockdown gene to increase IVF success rate

In Vitro Fertilization IVF is an assisted reproductive technology, it is the process of fertilization by extracting eggs, retrieving sperm and manually combining an egg and sperm in a laboratory dish. The embryo is then transferred to the uterus.

Human egg and sperm cells have their genes trained to fertilize. After fertilization, the developing embryo begins the genetic program that turns a single cell into a healthy fetus.

Epigenetic changes to the DNA, like the removal of methyl group locks by enzymes, which allows many more genes to be read. Some genes need to be locked down during development, as their genetic messages cause problems for the embryo.

Everything that goes wrong in embryos has the potential to cause infertility or early pregnancy abortions. The scientists sequenced the RNA of more than 30 embryos lacking Trim28 and discovered that Rbmy1a1 gene was unusually active.

The enzyme encoded by Rbmy1a1 produces mRNA transcripts which are harmful to the developing embryo. Detecting the activity of detrimental genes like Rbmy1a1 before an embryo is implanted could improve rates of IVF success.
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How an egg changes to embryo

Changing of an egg into a developing embryo is one of life's most remarkable development in human.

As an egg develops, it accumulates large mRNAs from the mother because it will not have time to create new mRNAs during the rapid development into embryo.

Messenger RNA (mRNA ) is a large family of RNA molecules that carries genetic information from DNA to the ribosome, where they specify the amino acid sequence of the protein products of gene expression.

The maternal mRNAs are used for a short period of time before the embryo starts synthesizing its own mRNAs. About two to four cell divisions occur before the change.

When fertilized, the egg becomes an embryo, the egg cell becomes active, development starts and it changes into an embryo.

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HSG fertility method reduces need for IVF

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) has revolutionized fertility treatment. The most common type of ART is in vitro fertilization (IVF), in which a woman's eggs are removed and fertilized in a laboratory, and the resulting embryos are then transferred back into the woman.

A recent study, testing a procedure that dates back 100 years, offers hope of a solution that is significantly cheaper and quicker. Flushing the fallopian tubes with an iodized poppy seed oil.

The procedure was first carried out in 1917. It is a dye test conducted under X-ray and is used to examine the uterus and fallopian tubes of women having trouble becoming pregnant. Either water-based or oil-based solutions are used to flush the tubes.

HSG was designed as an imaging procedure, rather than a treatment.
Pregnancy rates among infertile women has increase after their tubes had been flushed with either water or oil during HSG procedure.

The study involved 1,119 women who were trying for a child. Half of the participants received an HSG using oil- Lipiodol Ultra-Fluid, an iodized solution of fatty acids made from poppy seeds

The other half of the participants had an HSG using water. 40 percent of the women in the oil group and 29 percent in the water group conceived within 6 months of having the procedure.

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