New Study Could Boost IVF Success: 3D Video Shows How Embryos Implant

Scientists have recorded a real-time 3D video of a human embryo implanting into the uterus for the first time. They have used a synthetic uterus model to show how the process happens naturally in the body.

The artificial embryos were donated by Dexeus University Hospital in Barcelona, and the research was done by the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC). 

Researchers have analysed how the video of embryo implantation can help improve the success rates of fertility treatments such as IVF, reported The Guardian.

Samuel Ojosnegros, principal investigator for the Bioengineering for Reproductive Health Group at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) in Spain and study co-author, said, "We have observed that human embryos burrow into the uterus, exerting considerable force during the process." He called it a surprisingly invasive process.

He said that when an embryo implants, it has to push into and merge with the tissue of the uterus to begin the pregnancy. Many women feel cramps or have light bleeding when it happens, but until now, nobody had seen the process, said Ojosnegros.

According to Live Science, when implantation happens, the embryo sticks to the inner lining of the uterus and then starts growing by making more cells. He said that when implantation fails, the pregnancy cannot continue, and researchers say this is one of the biggest reasons for infertility. It is responsible for about 60 per cent of miscarriages.

When a fertilised egg attaches to the uterine lining six to twelve days following ovulation, this is known as embryo implantation.

Researcher Amelie Godeau told The Guardian, stated that the embryo pulls and reshapes the uterus lining while trying to implant. She said, "It also reacts to external force cues. We hypothesise that contractions occurring in vivo may influence embryo implantation."

According to the study's findings, these contractions might be a crucial factor in a successful implantation. During the menstrual cycle, the type of spontaneous contractions that occur in the human uterus varies, often occurring one to two times per minute. 

The researchers said that this implies that there might be a frequency range that is ideal for embryo implantation.