The first British babies - boy and girl twins - to be conceived using a new fertility technique have been born at the John Radcliffe hospital, Oxford.
Scientists said in vitro maturation (IVM) is potentially safer, faster and cheaper than standard IVF because it does not require women to use fertility drugs. It could help the 40% per cent of women undergoing treatment who have polycystic ovaries.
In IVM, eggs are collected from the ovaries while they are still immature. They are then matured in a laboratory for up to 48 hours before being injected with a single sperm - a process called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). A few days after fertilisation, the embryos are implanted into the mother's womb. Because fewer drugs are used, the cost of each IVM cycle is lower - at £1,700 - than standard IVF which can reach £4,300 per attempt.
Mr Child said that IVM would initially only be available for women under 37 and for those with polycystic ovaries.
clipped from: www.guardian.co.uk 