Gentler form of IVF found to improve success rates

A gentler form of IVF that can improve success rates is set to become more widely available, after the largest Australian study into the breakthrough technology delivered promising findings.

The ‘soft touch’ technique, known as Piezo-ICSI, works by gently penetrating an egg using high-speed vibration, rather than the standard cutting action used in conventional ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection). Hundreds of babies have been born as a result of Piezo-ICSI since Monash IVF introduced the Japanese-developed technique to Australia as part of a set of clinical trials in 2019.

In its latest study, Monash IVF recruited 108 patients from NSW, Victoria and Queensland to take part in the biggest study into Piezo-ICSI in Australia comparing Piezo-ICSI to standard ICSI. Half of the participants’ eggs were fertilised using standard ICSI technology and the other half through Piezo-ICSI. The type of injection used first was randomised to prevent bias.

The researchers found Piezo-ICSI resulted in a fertilisation rate of 71.6%, compared with 65.6% for standard ICSI. The results, published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, also showed half as many eggs suffered damage after fertilisation with the gentler method, while the quality of the embryos produced was higher.

“While pregnancy and birth rates are similar for both forms of ICSI, our research has found the soft touch technique can potentially reduce the number of rounds of IVF a woman needs to conceive,” said Dr Jinny Foo, Monash IVF Parramatta fertility specialist and researcher.

“We now have strong evidence from three separate trials that Piezo-ICSI can improve fertilisation success rates and hopefully help more couples and single women achieve their dreams of having a family.”

The technology is currently available at some of Monash IVF’s clinics in NSW, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia, with plans to introduce it into more clinics and states where it is currently not available. The treatment can only be accessed by eligible patients who may benefit from a gentler form of ICSI via the Therapeutical Goods Administration (TGA) special access scheme.

“For our fertility patients, particularly those who are older and do not have time on their side, it’s exciting to be able to offer this technology,” Foo said. “Even one extra embryo could make the world of difference to them — it could just be the one that makes their baby dreams come true.”

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