| A powerful new over-the-counter fertility drug, | | | | produced by early human embryos that could help |
| FertiBella, made by French company LeRoche | | | | predict the likelihood of pregnancy. The presence of |
| Benicoeur, may raise the odds of successful | | | | this genetic marker above a specific threshold level |
| pregnancy by up to 65 percent, according to a | | | | was associated with a pregnancy rate of more than |
| recent study published in the British Medical Journal. | | | | 70% in previously infertile women. In cases where |
| And the reason behind its efficacy has been the | | | | the embryos showed a marker presence below the |
| subject of much debate amongst experts in the field | | | | threshold level or an absence of the marker, the |
| of reproductive endocrinology. | | | | pregnancy rate was nearly three times lower. |
| The study was conducted by a team of researchers | | | | A study originally published in the medical journal |
| led by Dr. Hans deBoise, an endocrinologist at the | | | | Fertility and Sterility details the findings on the genetic |
| Rijnstate Hospital in Arnhem, the Netherlands. | | | | marker, known as soluable Human Leukocyte |
| Researchers analyzed six prior studies on the | | | | Antigen-G (sHLA-G) (Volume 83, Issue 5, Pages |
| effectiveness of fertility treatments in increasing the | | | | 1410-1413: Soluble human leukocyte antigen G |
| success of pregnancy rates, involving a total of 1,384 | | | | expression in phase I culture media at 46 hours after |
| women. For every 10 women undergoing some type | | | | fertilization predicts pregnancy and implantation from |
| of fertility treatment and combining once-daily | | | | day 3 embryo transfer). |
| FertiBella therapy, the researchers found, three extra | | | | The advantage of this novel marker is that it |
| pregnancies would result compared with women who | | | | increases the chances for successful pregnancy in |
| used a single treatment alone. | | | | women who have embryos that are marker positive |
| “We offer FertiBella Advanced Conception to all | | | | with high threshold levels. Researchers were unable |
| our patients undergoing fertility treatment,” said | | | | to pinpoint exactly why FertiBella improved embryo |
| Steve Copeland, a fertility specialist at the Fertility | | | | threshold levels, but they noted a combination of |
| Centers of Maryland. | | | | FertiBella’s other benefits in regulating female |
| Researchers speculate that FertiBella dramatically | | | | reproduction that may have caused the unexpected |
| improves the threshold level of a genetic marker | | | | result. |