First pregnancy in Europe through IVF method that screens out defective embryos

Doctors in London have reported the first pregnancy in Europe from a new IVF procedure that checks embryos for genetic disorders before they are implanted.

The technique allows doctors to select embryos that are free of dangerous mutations carried by one or both parents even if the precise nature of the genetic defect is unknown.

Fertility specialists at Britain's Centre for Reproductive and Genetic Health said the anonymous couple, who had a high risk of passing on a lethal disease to their children, were 11 weeks into the pregnancy.

Common embryo testing procedures require months of laboratory work, but the latest tool, known as karyomapping, can be completed within two weeks, meaning a couple can undergo tests without breaking from their IVF treatment cycle.

Paul Serhal, medical director of the centre, said that the technique, which will be available on the UK's publicly funded healthcare system, the National Health Service (NHS), was likely to replace more traditional ways of testing embryos because it was faster, more powerful, and no more expensive. A second couple are 10 weeks into a pregnancy after receiving the same treatment at the clinic.

"Parents at risk of passing on a genetic disorder are faced with heartbreaking implications of potentially creating a life with an inherited illness. The breakthrough we have achieved means that parents affected may be able to pursue treatment confident that their condition wouldn't be handed down," Serhal said.