Fertility Scotland

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Fertility Scotland supports the Edinburgh Assisted Conception Programme which has been providing high quality Assisted Conception Treatment since 1991. They bring together a unique combination of medical, scientific and embryological staff from the NHS and outstanding local academic communities.

ABOUT US:

Despite spectacular advances in IVF technology over the past 30 years, the reason why so many couples fail to conceive after assisted conception treatment is still not fully understood. We have developed a successful research programme to investigate the physiology, genetics, cryopreservation and culture of the mammalian oocyte and embryo in an attempt to understand why so many embryos fail to implant after transfer to the womb. This programme includes the following projects.

• Clinical trials with new IVF drugs to try and improve how the ovary is stimulated.
• Investigations into how oocytes naturally grow within the follicles of the ovary.
• Studies on the nurse cells around the oocyte, which nurture it prior to ovulation.
• Looking at how different embryo culture conditions can effect implantation.
• Development of novel techniques for genetic diagnosis in embryos, for which we hold an HFEA research licence.

We are also currently developing new cryopreservation procedures for oocytes and embryos and a new viability assay which we hope could determine the health of a given embryo prior to transfer. We hope our research could lead to substantial increases in our basic understanding of the oocyte and embryo, leading to a healthy pregnancy for many more of our couples.