International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

A test which can predict how successful a second attempt at in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment will be has been developed by scientists from the University of Stanford in the US.

The new patented test is apparently 1,000 times more accurate than any existing methods, and experts believe it could help couples decide whether they want to undergo a second round of treatment.

At present, age is used as the determining factor as to whether IVF will be successful or not.

The new test relies on data from the first IVF treatment cycle and it can only be used to predict the second round.

Writing in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists said: "Our findings show that the first IVF cycle can provide quantitative, customised prediction of the live birth probability in a subsequent cycle.

"This concept is radically different from the current paradigm, in which age is a major predictor."

Infertility affects an estimated one in six couples in the UK, which is around 3.5 million people, at some point, according to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.

Posted by Martine Ward