Hopes raised for IVF blood test

2009-07-02
Newsfeed

The chances of a woman becoming pregnant through fertility treatments may soon be predicted with a simple blood test.

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The chances of a woman becoming pregnant through fertility treatments may soon be predicted with a simple blood test.

It follows the discovery of genetic "fingerprints" in the blood that indicate the likely success or failure of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).

The test measured the activity levels of more than 30,000 genes by reading patterns in a molecule known as messenger RNA, which relays genetic code instructions.

Study leader Dr Cathy Allen, from the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin, says it may help women with a history of IVF failure who face "very difficult decisions" about whether to continue with the treatment.

She says: "There does seem to be a particular signature that goes with early human pregnancy."

Although at an early stage, the research may lead to an affordable and predictive test within a few years.

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