Artificial Intelligence and Embryo Selection
How A.I. can be used to improve fertility care is a very active area of research right now.
We at Merrion Fertility Clinic are monitoring the topic closely.
Recent Research in Nature Medicine
In August of this year, new research was published in Nature Medicine looking at the difference in pregnancy rates when the embryo for transfer was selected either by an embryologist or A.I. A lot of studies have been published looking at this question, but many were performed retrospectively, using information from previously performed treatments. This study looked at transfers for over 1000 patients actively undergoing fertility treatment, and randomly assigned them to have their embryo for transfer selected by either an embryologist or A.I. The process was explained to the patients involved, and they could agree to be involved or opt out of the study; they did not know which group they were placed in.
Key Findings
For both groups, pregnancy rates were not significantly different. This means that the selection of the embryo for transfer by an embryologist or A.I., did not impact the chance of getting pregnant.
What This Means for Our Patients
For us at Merrion Fertility Clinic, this result tells us the skill of our embryologists is still the best option for patients when it comes to selecting which embryo to transfer.
Our Commitment to Evidence-Based Practice
Our policy is to monitor new developments in fertility medicine and science, but to only implement new practices when they have been clearly shown to improve patient outcomes. For our clinic this would mean that there is high quality evidence that proves the efficacy of the new practice, or we have carried out our own trial which has demonstrated improved patient outcomes, or the practice has been endorsed by the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE).
