Fertile Chip for the first time in Poland!.
Fertile Chip can be compared to a complex labyrinth, the passage of which requires strength, cleverness and speed. The sperm let into it, do not have it easy. Only the best ones reach their destination. It is they who get the chance to form an embryo.
- The path that sperm travels in the female reproductive system is downright impossible for abnormal sperm. The scientists developing the Fertile Chip method have tried to reproduce similar conditions in order to obtain the most structurally and functionally normal sperm. In this way, the Fertile Chip increases the chance of obtaining an embryo that is genetically healthy and at the same time shows a higher developmental and implantation capacity, says Dr Ricardo Faundez, Director of Embryology at InviMed Infertility Treatment Clinics.
What is the Fertile Chip?
The Fertile Chip is a specialised tool. It resembles a plate made up of microscopic channels, built on known hydrodynamic principles (microfluidics) that guide the interactions between the sperm and the surrounding microchannel structure. This method - at the intersection of biology, physics, nanotechnology and engineering - makes it possible to replicate the sperm's behaviour during its natural journey through the female reproductive system. By using the Fertile Chip, the embryologist can select sperm of the highest genetic quality, thereby increasing the chances of obtaining normal embryos.
The method, which was developed between 2016 and 2017, is the result of the work of many researchers from different scientific fields. Clinical trials were conducted in the United States, Spain, Turkey, Switzerland and Italy. Their results, which are very promising, were presented at the 34th annual meeting of the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE).
How effective is the Fertile Chip?
The results of a study conducted at Stanford University showed that semen sorted using the Fertile Chip microfluidic device not only has higher motility, but also has a significantly higher percentage of morphologically normal sperm with high DNA integrity. Other studies have also shown an increase in the pregnancy rate at first embryo transfer to 56% compared to 33% (European average) for IVF procedures using standard sperm selection methods. This is possible because, by using the Fertile Chip, the percentage of fertilised oocytes is significantly higher, the embryos obtained develop better and mostly implant, thus significantly increasing the chance of achieving a pregnancy.
The use of the Fertile Chip increases the chances of infertile couples achieving normal embryos and a healthy pregnancy.
Fertile Chip at InviMed
The Fertile Chip is now available at all InviMed clinics as an optional procedure for IVF. Until the end of March 2019, InviMed clinics will not charge their patients extra for the use of the Fertile Chip during the insemination procedure in vitro.
After the promotion ends, the use of the Fertile Chip in an IVF procedure will incur a cost of £800.
Attention! Fertile Chip sperm selection can only be used by couples qualified for the IVF procedure with Fertile Chip by the treating doctor. Therefore, if you want to use this method, ask your doctor at InviMed about it.