It is estimated that around one in four couples around the world have trouble conceiving . For a small proportion of them , In Vitro Fertilisation ( IVF ) is a technology that can restore the dream of parenthood . IVF is the fertilization of an egg by sperm outside the body , where it is cultivated in a lab environment , and if an embryo results it is implanted into the mother 's womb . Now the chances of IVF treatment being successful are being boosted by a machine called the Embryoscope . A record number of babies are being born through IVF -- with over 60,000 IVF babies born in the United States alone in 2012 . But since the inception of IVF in the 1970s , monitoring embryos has been a difficulty . In order to examine them , the embryologist must remove them from the safe environment of the incubator and expose them to environmental hazards such as temperature changes and contaminants . Embryos are removed and examined just once a day , which limits the information available to embryologists , as well as the chances of picking the embryo with the best chance of delivering a viable pregnancy . Embryo development . But these longstanding issues are being addressed by the Embryoscope . The device combines an incubator that maintains perfect conditions , with a tiny camera that takes photos every 10-15 minutes -- creating a time-lapse video of the embryo 's development . This removes the need to expose the embryo to the outside atmosphere , and provides embryologists with far greater information with which to make decisions . `` I think this is the most exciting breakthrough since IVF started , '' says Dr. Simon Fishel , managing director of the UK 's CARE Fertility , responsible for the first Embryoscope baby born in the UK , in 2012 ( as well as the first ever IVF baby back in 1978 ) . `` The information that we are gathering with the Embryoscope with the time-lapse is far superior , '' he says . `` We have much , much more information on which to base the crucial decision as to which embryo is the one to transfer back to the patient . '' Embryos that show early abnormalities can be immediately ruled out , and learning algorithms have been created that recognize positive or negative patterns at key development points thereafter -- meaning patients can be implanted with embryos that have an optimal chance of success . `` We have a predictive scale ( for evaluating ) the likelihood of an embryo to give the best chance of a live birth , '' says Fishel . `` It 's a complex procedure and it uses very complex technology and some mathematics . But using this whole process , it really changes the way the embryologists work in the lab . And I think it 's changing the face of how we do IVF , in fact . '' Improving the odds . The extra information is particularly beneficial for patients with the lowest chances of pregnancy -- such as older women , or those with reduced egg counts . CARE estimates its use of the Embryoscope and algorithms broadly increases the chance of a pregnancy by around 20 % . `` The images also allow you a higher level of assurance to pick an embryo with the highest chance of being genetically normal , '' says Dr. Jason Barritt , lab director at the ART Reproductive Center , in California . The technology can also provide insights into early-stage development beyond the need to conceive . A recent Spanish study conducted with an Embryoscope showed differences in growth patterns between male and female embryos , which could potentially allow gender to be more rapidly determined . Use of the Embryoscope has spread to IVF facilities around the world , but some barriers remain : the vast amount of extra data requires greater resources for analysis , and the technology itself is expensive . But much of IVF is about trying to beat the odds , and as technology progresses , so do the chances of parenthood for couples who ca n't conceive naturally .
Embryoscope gives time - resolved images of IVF embryos . It gives valuable insight into their development . The most viable cells can be chosen for implantation . The technology is improving IVF success rates .