EmbryoScope®

EmbryoScope is an incubator with an inbuilt recording device and microscope. It is capable of capturing images of embryonic development, providing a record in pictures and videos of the biological beginnings of a baby’s life. This cutting-edge technology also allows embryo cell division to be monitored in real time, which can present valuable information about the developmental health of the embryos and their potential ability to implant.

• Time-lapse monitoring provides crucial information about the developmental potential of the embryo. This information can aid embryo selection and increase pregnancy rates.
• It improves the efficacy of the embryo transfer procedure. By allowing us to closely monitor exactly when cell divisions occur, we’re able to determine the optimum division periods in which embryos have up to 20% higher probability of implanting successfully.
• It removes environmental stress factors, providing a sealed, stable culture environment similar to the human body. With traditional incubators, embryologists were required to manually remove embryos at intervals to check their morphological development. EmbryoScope allows clinicians to monitor embryos while leaving them undisturbed in the incubator’s optimum gas and temperature conditions. This can contribute towards improved embryo competence.
• It gives parents-to-be more information about their embryos. Embryoscope captures the very beginnings of a baby’s development and provide a physical record that parents can take home.

EmbryoScope™ can be used by any patient who is undergoing an assisted reproduction treatment, but it might not be suitable or beneficial for everyone. The HFEA classifies EmbryoScope as a treatment add-on, as there is not yet enough research to support its routine use for all patients but acknowledges the current research shows promise. Your consultant will assess your specific case and advise whether it is appropriate for you, allowing you to make an informed decision about whether to include EmbryoScope in your treatment plan.

EmbryoScope™ is only recommended in specific cases, including:

• Women or couples who produce multiple embryos during IVF treatment.
• Women or couples who have experienced recurring implantation failure during IVF treatment.
• Women or couples who have experienced recurring miscarriage.
• Women of advanced maternal age.

With EmbryoScope technology, we can study of the kinetics of embryonic development. There is a relationship between the speed of cell division and embryo viability and by studying these events, it can help us select the embryos with the best potential for implantation. The time that elapses between fertilisation and the first cell division is an objective parameter and easy to determine, with predictive value in terms of embryo competence.

Traditionally, approximations for identifying the best embryos prior to transfer were based on manual monitoring conducted by an embryologist once a day. Time-lapse incubation and imaging has revolutionised the process of morphological evaluation, allowing embryology teams to study embryonic development in real-time and gain important information about their potential to implant. With this information, we can help choose the most viable embryos for transfer, improving both implantation and ongoing pregnancy rates.