Screening technology can boost IVF live birth rate, Chinese study finds
- Live birth rate went from less than 30 per cent to 72 per cent using method known as PIMS, according to researchers
- It comes as China is facing a demographic crisis after the population shrank for the first time in six decades last year
By using a method called preimplantation DNA methylation screening (PIMS), the research team said the live birth rate of assisted reproductive technology increased from less than 30 per cent to 72 per cent.
The study, led by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Shandong University, was published in the peer-reviewed journal Cell Research on May 8.
“Increasing the live birth rate of IVF and reducing birth defects is extremely important in solving population problems,” the team told state-run China News Service.
Screening with PIMS could result in more than 100,000 new births in China per year, and reduce by 10,000 the number of birth defects, saving tens of billions of yuan in clinical costs every year, according to the report.
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The government has in recent years relaxed its family planning policy – couples can now have up to three children – and introduced incentives to encourage people to have more kids, including better maternity leave and pay, and financial aid for new parents to buy homes.
Assisted reproductive technology is an effective treatment for infertility issues that is making an increasing contribution to the total birth rate. IVF is the most popular and effective method, accounting for 99 per cent of all assisted reproductive technology procedures worldwide, according to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology in the US.
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But the current live birth rate of assisted reproductive technology globally is under 30 per cent. According to the Chinese study, that rate could reach 50 per cent if a test called preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) is done on embryos before they are transferred to the uterus.
One of the most common reasons an embryo transfer does not result in a pregnancy is abnormal embryo genetics, and the test can ensure the embryo selected for transfer has the correct number of chromosomes, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
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However, the Chinese study found that another method – preimplantation DNA methylation screening, or PIMS – was more effective than PGS.
DNA methylation plays an important role in the formation and development of an embryo. The process can affect gene expression, which can have an impact on how cells develop and function.
Some 182 families took part in the study – the world’s first clinical trial of PIMS – and it involved 800 blastocysts, or early stage embryos.
The researchers found that the embryos with DNA methylation levels of between 0.25 and 0.27 produced significantly higher live birth rates than the embryos with other methylation levels. They said using PIMS achieved a live birth rate of 72 per cent.
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PIMS technology can be used to screen for genetic disorders including Down’s syndrome and imprinting disorders, according to the study. It said imprinting disorders occurred in about 0.2 per cent of the population and could not be detected by the current screening process.
“Therefore, PIMS can potentially increase the live birth rate of [assisted reproductive technology] and decrease the birth defect rate,” the researchers concluded.
