AI could be used to improve success of IVF as many struggle with infertility
Artificial intelligence (AI) could be used to help boost the success rate of in vitro fertilisation (IVF), according to a new study.
IVF involves removing an egg from a woman’s ovaries and fertilising it in a laboratory with sperm.
If the fertilisation is successful, the embryo can then be placed in a uterus, where babies develop.
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The eggs, contained in small sacs called follicles, are prepared with an injection of a hormone called the "trigger" ahead of collection.
Using data from over 19,000 patients and AI, researchers discovered that delivering injection when a greater proportion of follicles were sized between 13 and 18 mm was linked to improved rates of getting mature eggs and future births.
Currently, ultrasound imaging is used to assess the dimensions of the largest follicles.
"IVF produces so much rich data that it can be challenging for doctors to fully make use of all of it when making treatment decisions for their patients. Our study has shown that AI methods are well suited to analysing complex IVF data," Dr Ali Abbara, a reader in endocrinology at Imperial College London and co-senior author of the study, said in a statement.**
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"In future, AI could be used to provide accurate recommendations to improve decision-making and aid in personalisation of treatment, so that we can give each couple the very best possible chance of having a baby," he added.
The team published their findings in the journal Nature Communications and is planning to leverage this research to create an AI tool and attempt to take it into clinical trials.
1 in 6 people experiencing infertility
"Explainable AI can be a valuable resource in healthcare. Where the stakes are so high for making the best possible decision, this technique can support doctors’ decision-making and lead to better outcomes for patients," said Dr Thomas Heinis, a reader in computing at Imperial College London and one of the study’s authors.
"Importantly, we expect computing power to improve exponentially in the near future, enabling us to make decisions using precise data in a way that hasn't been possible previously".
Infertility affects one in six couples, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
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The average success rate of the treatment, meaning that it results in a live birth, ranged from 32 per cent for women under 35 to 4 per cent for women over 44 in 2019, according to the UK National Health Service (NHS).
Infertility doesn’t only concern women, with studies showing an increase in male infertility since the mid-1970s.
One in 20 men currently faces reduced fertility with researchers saying that potential causes include exposure to certain chemicals, "rising rates of obesity, and the trend of delayed parenthood".
