Johannesburg - There is a new ray of hope for South African couples trying to conceive.
Fertility clinic Vitalab has brought into the country the Embryoscope, an advanced incubator that allows for minute-by-minute observation of an embryo from the moment it is fertilised to the point when it is transferred to the uterus.
“We are the first unit using this technology on the continent. Our commitment has always been to combine the latest techniques with the highest level of patient care,” Vitalab’s Dr Merwyn Jacobson said.
Before the Embryoscope, the embryos would have to be removed from incubators to access their progress, this would cause stress to the embryo by reducing its temperature and changing the acidity of the environment.
“The Embryoscope also improves the embryo culture and incubator conditions. Incubators feature the very best gas and temperature conditions for embryos to develop … Now that the embryos can be assessed from inside the incubator, the embryos remain in an undisturbed condition, resulting in higher pregnancy rates,” Jacobson said.
Furthermore, continuous images of the embryo are captured as a video, meaning they can be monitored more closely at every stage of development.
“It gives fertility specialists, embryologists and parents-to-be more information about the embryos… The duration of each cell division can now be measured and critical observations about the embryos can be confirmed,” he added.
Fertility specialist Dr Herman Netshidzivhani said traditionally doctors only chose the “best looking” embryo on the day before it transfer into the uterus, without information on cell division. Now, with the information available from the Embryoscope, he said, “it will help us in choosing the embryo that had the most normal development, indicating the best chance of implantation”.
He said infertility was a big problem in the country. Infertility rates had been rising due to factors such as couples starting their families late and more people were reporting to doctors whenever they experienced problems conceiving, as opposed to the “old days” when most people were too shy to consult with doctors because being infertile was seen as an embarrassment.
No exact statistics on infertility exist.
Netshidzivhani said that generally 40 percent of infertility was due to female factors, another 40 percent was due to male factors, and 20 percent was due to both partners being infertile.
“It is unfortunate that currently our public hospitals do not offer any fertility treatment and the medical aids, following the example of the government, do not pay for infertility treatment,” he said.
“It is also sad to realise that some families break down because of infertility and some patients end up in depression.”
In vitro fertilisation (IVF), the most common type of assisted reproduction technology, during which the sperm fertilises the egg outside the body and doctors implant it in the uterus, costs between R35 000 to R50 000.
It will cost between R3 500 to R4 000 additionally to use the Embryoscope.
“Couples need to know that it may be a prolonged process… cost need not be a deterrent since the cause and treatment may be simple in a lot of couples,” Netshidzivhani added.
* Last week, Belgian doctors announced that they had developed a low-cost technology for use in developing countries.
The “simplified” process announced at the Genk Institute for Fertility Technology, costs about US$260 (R2 650) per cycle of treatment and is said to have delivered results that were not much different to those achieved with conventional IVF and based on an “embryo culture method” using carbon dioxide incubators, medical gas air supply and air purification systems.
However, the treatment is still at an experimental stage and is suitable for a select group of patients. - The Star