Manchester fertility clinic offers new IVF boosting technique

5th October 2012

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A procedure which may help to double the success rate of IVF is being offered by a Manchester fertility clinic.

Manchester Fertility (www.manchesterfertility.com) at Cheadle Royal has been offering the ‘endometrial scratching’ technique to patients who have suffered from embryo implantation failure, or those who need to use a donor egg.

A recent study by Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in London showed almost twice as many women who had the procedure became pregnant (48%) than those without (26%). Endometrial scratching involves the endometrial lining being ‘scratched’ using simple equipment before an IVF cycle starts. It is a simple and quick procedure, with minimal risk of complications, similar to undergoing a smear test.

Gidon Lieberman, of Manchester Fertility, says: “Endometrial scratching is something we already discuss as an option with our patients whose IVF cycle fails because the embryo didn’t implant properly, despite it being good quality and all other aspects showing a good prognosis, or those who are using a donor egg.

“Studies have already shown that by scratching the endometrial lining, it changes the way it grows back following the procedure. This seems to make it more receptive to any embryos which are later transferred – which the latest research from Guy’s and St Thomas’ confirms through the increase in pregnancy rates in their study.

“We don’t routinely use it for all IVF and infertility treatment procedures, but for those patients who may benefit it’s certainly something we offer. If larger-scale studies now show that the boost in pregnancy rates transfers to live birth rates, then endometrial scratching could be routinely used for all patients in the future.”

Endometrial scratching is just one of the techniques Manchester Fertility offers to help increase the chances of IVF success. It was the first clinic in the region to use a new breakthrough product, EmbryoGlue, which helps embryos adhere to the uterus  – at no extra charge to patients.

Manchester Fertility is one of the UK’s leading private infertility clinics. Established in 1986, more than 4,000 babies have been born thanks to its treatments and expertise of its team. For more information visit www.manchesterfertility.com

ENDS

Notes to editors

  • Manchester Fertility (www.manchesterfertility.com), based in Manchester city centre, has over 25 years experience in treating all forms of infertility and is now one of the UK’s leading private infertility clinics 
  • Over 4,000 babies have been born to date thanks to the expertise of the team which includes embryologists, andrologists, urologists, consultants and counsellors, many of whom are leaders in their field 
  • Latest IVF/ICSI success rates for the clinic (July 2011 – June 2012): 40% of women aged under 35 achieved pregnancy; almost a third of older women (aged 40-42) achieved pregnancy. Pregnancy rates are only recorded by Manchester Fertility once a foetal heartbeat is confirmed by ultrasound scan. More detailed results can be found here: https://www.manchesterfertility.com/about/success-rates/ 
  • Manchester Fertility treats all patients who need help to get pregnant, including single women and same-sex couples 
  • It has its own successful dedicated egg and sperm donor recruitment programme www.manchesterdonors.com – the clinic has no waiting lists for donor sperm or donor eggs and all donors are from the UK 
  • Treatments at Manchester Fertility include IVF, Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI), egg-sharing, egg-freezing, sperm-freezing, intrauterine insemination, treatment using donor eggs, surgical sperm retrieval and guidance with surrogacy
  • In a recent patient satisfaction survey, 100% of patients felt they had been treated with dignity and respect during their treatment at Manchester Fertility.

Last updated: 27th January 2020