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A new technique for monitoring embryo health could increase the chance of IVF couples having a healthy baby, according to researchers at a private fertility clinic in the journal Reproductive BioMedicine Online.

The method involves taking thousands of pictures of embryos to track their development before they are implanted in the womb. The clinic, one of the few in the UK to offer this technique, claims that this can boost IVF success by more than 50 percent.

IVF is extremely costly, and typically has a low chance of success. One of the most common causes of failed IVF is aneuploidy, when implanted embryos have too many or too few chromosomes. Currently, the only way to check an embryo for chromosomal abnormalities is to remove a cell, which then undergoes genetic screening. This procedure costs about £2,500, and the act of removing a cell can cause developmental problems further down the line.

Now, scientists at CARE fertility clinic in Nottingham, UK, have developed an alternative approach based on time-lapse imaging. Fertilised eggs are placed in an incubator, which is hooked up...