Pioneering IVF treatment offers hope to childless couples
A couple have become the first in the UK to have a baby using a pioneering IVF technique which fast-freezes embryos called “vitrification", doctors in Cardiff say.Ian and Rebecca Bloomer of Cwmbran had been trying for a baby since they married in 2001 but tests revealed Mrs Bloomer, 28, had endometriosis, a condition which was making it difficult for her to conceive.
Vitrification was offered to the couple in the hope of giving Mrs. Bloomer’s embryos a better chance of survival until the couple were ready to try IVF again. The method uses liquid nitrogen to freeze embryos quickly thereby reducing the risk of damage when they are thawed
Mrs Bloomer became pregnant almost immediately using one of the fast-frozen embryos and gave birth to Evie at the Royal Gwent Hospital, in Newport, on 23 July.
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"We were willing to try anything really, we'd both always wanted children. It's overwhelming. I'm still staring at her now thinking 'wow, she's ours - it's actually happened for us'," said Mrs Bloomer.
"It's been a real emotional rollercoaster. There's been ups and downs, but you get through it and to have Evie now, you forget what you went through. It makes it all worthwhile."
Lyndon Miles, head of embryology and andrology for IVF Wales, said 17 out of the 39 women offered the treatment so far had fallen pregnant and four of those were expecting twins.
He said the process would also be helpful to women diagnosed with cancer who wanted to freeze a number of eggs in case chemotherapy left them infertile.
"Though this is a new technique for the UK, early results and publications in Japan and the USA have been extremely encouraging," Mr Miles added.
August 2008
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