Groundbreaking IVF study turns 'discarded' embryos into 70 babies, including twins Ella and Ruby
A groundbreaking new Australian study is helping couples fulfil their dream of becoming parents.
The research, conducted by Genea Fertility, led to the birth of 70 healthy babies from the use of embryos that would have previously been deemed unfit for use and discarded.
Instead, thanks to additional genetic tests, they were considered viable and went on to achieve successful pregnancies.
Two of these miracle babies are twin sisters, Ella and Ruby Brent.
Watch the video above.
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Mum Louise Brent with her miracle twins, Ella and Ruby. Instagram
And their parents Nick and Louise could not be more grateful.
"The whole IVF journey is a blessing and a miracle in itself," Louise told Sylvia Jeffries and David Campbell on TODAY Extra. "You never know how many embryos you're going to get at the end, whether those chances are slimmer or not."
"So having these extra tests just gives even more of a chance that it will work."
"This really does change the game."
New dad Nick agrees.
"It gives everyone a little bit more hope in the process," he said. "It's a hard thing to go through, so anything to increase those odds is good."
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Genea Embryologist Clare Ussher pictured in Genea Fertility's Melbourne laboratory. Picture: Adam Taylor Supplied
According to Scientific Director at Genea Fertility Steven McArthur, the study findings are significant as they increased the number of embryos available for use in an IVF cycle.
"Our aim is always to maximise the number of viable embryos created in any IVF cycle because the more embryos that are available for transfer, the higher the chance of achieving a successful pregnancy and consequently a healthy live birth," he said.
Up until now, a lot of these embryos would have been discarded and considered unviable without this additional layer of testing.
"In fact, for every 100 eggs fertilised, we could potentially generate five additional embryos for parents to use," he said on TODAY Extra.
"This really does change the game."
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More about the genetic testing
Embryos created during fertility treatment are graded on their appearance during the early stages of development.
Traditionally embryos classified as 1PN (one pro-nuclei) were believed to have insufficient genetic material to be viable and were therefore discarded.
However, Genea Fertility embryologists believed a number of 1PN embryos had the potential to achieve successful pregnancies, despite the lack of genetic material seen during early development.
Genea Fertility Scientist Clare Ussher presented the findings at the Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand annual conference on the Gold Coast last month.
The genetic testing is available in all Genea clinics across the country.
