EmbryoScope® time-lapse system
Continuous video monitoring, 24 hours per day, of embryos can increase the chances of becoming pregnant
Since the beginning of 2018 our Kinderwunschzentrum in Berlin has been using an EmbryoScope for cultivation of embryos. The EmbryoScope makes it possible to photograph the development of the fertilised egg cells and embryos continuously (time-lapse monitoring) and is considered one of the most advanced incubator systems world-wide. The resulting film provides additional prognostic information about the development of the embryos. Optimal embryonic development can increase the chances of becoming pregnant.
In standard embryo cultivation, each embryo is usually evaluated only once a day. However, this one “snapshot” per day cannot record all the important information which accumulates throughout the course of 24 hours. Furthermore, cultivation in conventional incubators without cameras means that it is necessary to remove the embryo from the incubator for every examination under a microscope. This procedure can result in disturbances, e.g. fluctuations in temperature, to which embryos react very sensitively.
The EmbryoScope therefore offers two important advantages in comparison with conventional incubators. It enables completely undisturbed embryonic development under extremely stable culture conditions with continuous monitoring of embryo growth. This results in more favourable conditions for becoming pregnant. Scientific studies have found that with the time-lapse incubator the rate of pregnancy can be increased by more than 10% with more than 5% fewer miscarriages (Time-lapse culture with morphokinetic embryo selection improves pregnancy and live birth chances and reduces early pregnancy loss: a meta-analysis; Csaba Pribenszky a,*, Anna-Maria Nilselid b, Markus Montag c; Reprod Biomed Online. 2017 Nov;35(5):511-520. doi: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2017.06.022. Epub 2017 Jul 10. Review).
The EmbryoScope can be used for a fresh IVF/ICSI cycle as well as for a cryo cycle procedure, regardless of the duration of culture.
