Health: New Technology Helps Local Couples Get Pregnant
By Stephanie Stahl
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Modern medicine for people in search of a miracle. Cutting edge technology is helping local couples get pregnant more easily. 3 On Your Side Health Reporter Stephanie Stahl shows you the amazing pictures.
It's a pregnancy that Toni and Ryan Carlson never thought would happen.
This new technology made it happen.
EmbryoScope is a new age incubator that's making in vitro fertilization more successful.
"It's a combination of amazement and relief," said Ryan.
"I'm going to cry. It's not very real yet," said Toni, who is 12 weeks pregnant.
They've been dreaming of having a baby since they were married three years ago. They're both in their early 30's, with no medical problems, but she couldn't get pregnant.
"We were meant to have a family together. Everybody thinks it's so easy and when it's not, it's heartbreaking," said Toni.
They eventually ended up at Shady Grove Fertility in Chesterbrook. The Carlsons liked it's money back guarantee program, impressive results, and lower rates of multiple births, a common risk with traditional IVF.
"I think this is cutting edge technology. This is like the leading edge of medical science," said Dr. Isaac Sasson, with Shady Grove Fertility. He says embryos have to be analyzed every day. Getting them in and out of an incubator can be harmful. EmbryoScope eliminates that.
"From the time of fertilization through five to even seven days of culture those embryos are kept in the incubator without ever being removed, so the environment is perfectly controlled," said Dr. Sasson.
A camera inside the EmbryoScope takes continuous pictures, so the development can be analyzed.
Stahl asked, "So you can find out if it's growing correctly?"
Dr. Sasson replied, "That's right. We can actually get the data from how they got from point a to point b and identify benchmarks that would allow us to pick better quality embryos."
Toni and Ryan's embryo is photographed as it multiplies for five days before it's transferred.
"I'm a little sick now and a little fatter, but um yeah it's kind of hard to believe it," said Toni. The baby is due January 15th, and if it's a boy he'll be named Linc Isaac, for the doctor who made their dream come true.
"I just hope it's healthy. And I hope we're good parents," said Toni.
A representative from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine say's they're very excited about this kind of promising technology, but because it's so new, there's not enough data on outcomes.
For more information, visit the links below:
EmbryoScope Information- http://www.fertilitech.com/en-US/Home.aspx
Shady Grove Fertility at Chesterbrook- http://www.shadygrovefertility.com/
