AI could stop miscarriages during fertility treatment

WOMEN could avoid the heartbreak of suffering a miscarriage or stillbirth during fertility treatment with the use of artificial intelligence.

A study shows that having a baby using IVF would be more likely if clinics used a computer to assess embryo quality. Half of all miscarriages are caused by an abnormal number of chromosomes in the embryo.

Working out which is the best to transfer into the womb is considered key to IVF success.

The study shows that when a computer equipped with AI was shown images of hundreds of embryos, it could predict which would lead to a live birth with 85 per cent accuracy.

Researchers say the technology could be available for use within five years. The team, from Imperial College London and Cornell University in the US, present their findings to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine conference in Denver today.

Dr Nikica Zaninovic, from Cornell University, said: “If AI can recognise embryos that are normal and those that have abnormal chromosomes, that will result in a reduced miscarriage and stillbirth rate.”

The benefits of folic acid should be advertised via Instagram to millennials who want to conceive, scientists say. A survey of 11,000 women found more than half of 18 to 24-year-olds who want to get pregnant do not take the vitamin which can prevent birth defects in babies. Researchers from SPD, a fertility test company, said advice should be shared on Instagram amid fears young women are not receiving information from traditional routes.