Twins born after new treatment
IVM is quicker, safer and less expensive than IVF
Thursday, 25, Oct 2007 11:13
A mother has given birth to twins after receiving a new fertility treatment that does not require the drugs used in IVF.
The boy and the girl were delivered at John Radcliffe hospital a minute apart on October 18th weighing 6lb 11oz and 5lb 14oz respectively.
Their mother, who has chosen to remain anonymous, received a technique known as in-vitro maturation (IVM).
This treatment is a suitable alternative for women aged under 38 who have polycystic ovaries on ultrasound scan.
During IVM immature eggs are removed from unstimulated ovaries and then matured in the laboratory before they are fertilised.
Women receiving IVM do not need to receive the same drugs as those having IVF; there is no need to take daily injections for two weeks and to sniff a drug for three weeks before that.
The Oxford Fertility Unit, the first unit to be granted permission to carry out IVM in the UK by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), said this lack of drugs makes IVM quicker, safer and less expensive than IVF.
About 400 babies have been born by IVM worldwide but the treatment is not as well established as IVF.