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Using 3D and 4D technology to assist in the IVF process.
A few years ago, full color 3D and 4D ultrasound scanning was invented so that expectant parents could see startlingly clear moving images of their unborn baby in real time. Since then, hundreds of baby scanning services have opened across the USA and the UK. But this new technology is for more than just pretty pictures. Doctors have now discovered how to use it to increase the chances of success with IVF. Doctors at the Southern California Reproductive Center have been using 4D imaging to locate the place which is most favorable for the embryo to implant. Dr. Robert Gergely has identified a target point where the fallopian tubes would join together if they were longer, and it is at this point that most embryos would implant in a natural conception. He has named this area the 'Maximum Implantation Potential Point', or MIP. The pregnancy rates for those couples using MIP, guided by 4D imaging, increased, opposed to those who used standard IVF procedures. According to Fertility and Sterility, volume 84, no. 2, August 2005, between October 1 2002 and August 27 2004, a total of 1,222 subjects used MIP. Pregnancy rates were 40.34% which is 10.04% higher than the usual rate achieved at the clinic. Pregnancy rates in those with an average age of 37 or older, were 36.66%. Transfers were done anywhere between 2 and 6 days after egg retrieval by 16 different physicians. All of these physicians were positive about using 4D imaging and all of them reported greater visualisation during the transfer. MIP guided embryo transfer is now set to over take old methods of transfer. Previously, it was done using 2D black and white ultrasound where it was not possible to see the whole uterus and the picture quality was poor, so essentially doctors had to guess when trying to guide the embryo to an optimal place. In the new technique, the embryo is guided in real time via a catheter to the exact location for transfer. When the embryo is released, the 4D imaging shows a definite flash, identifying the moment that embryo is placed. Each woman's MIP point can be different because there can be variations in the shape of the uterus, so the technique is used to find the MIP point of each individual woman. Despite its success at increasing the pregnancy rate in those couples who took part in the study, doctors are cautious and say there is still a lot to be done to improve the pregnancy rates in IVF in general.
The copyright of the article New 4D Implantation Techniques in In Vitro Fertilization is owned by Joanna Karpasea-Jones. Permission to republish New 4D Implantation Techniques in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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