First 'fast-freeze' IVF baby born

A couple have become the first in the UK to have a baby using a pioneering IVF technique which fast-freezes embryos, doctors in Cardiff say. Evie, who was conceived through "vitrification", was born to Ian and Rebecca Bloomer on 23 July. The method uses liquid nitrogen to freeze embryos quickly, reducing the risk of damage when they are thawed.
The couple, of Cwmbran, had tried for a baby for seven years and say their success should offer hope to others.
The couple had been trying for a baby since they married in 2001 but tests revealed Mrs Bloomer, 28, had endometriosis, a condition which was making it difficult for her to conceive.
They attended the IVF clinic at the University Hospital of Wales, in Cardiff, and after a failed attempt, the hospital offered the Bloomers a new way of freezing their unused embryos.
The technique - vitrification - gives embryos a better chance of surviving until couples are ready to try IVF again because the fast-freeze method prevents the formation of crystals that can damage embryos when they are thawed.
It's overwhelming. I'm still staring at her now thinking 'wow, she's ours - it's actually happened for us'
Mrs Bloomer became pregnant almost immediately using one of the fast-frozen embryos and gave birth to Evie at the Royal Gwent Hospital, in Newport, on 23 July.
"We were willing to try anything really, we'd both always wanted children. It's overwhelming. I'm still staring at her now thinking 'wow, she's ours - it's actually happened for us'," said Mrs Bloomer.
"I hope that if anybody going through treatment sees us and sees Evie it gives them one last little bit of hope to go for it.
"It's been a real emotional rollercoaster. There's been ups and downs, but you get through it and to have Evie now, you forget what you went through. It makes it all worthwhile."
The Cardiff hospital was the first in the UK to begin offering embryo vitrification, in August 2007.
Lyndon Miles, head of embryology and andrology for IVF Wales, said 17 out of the 39 women offered the treatment so far had fallen pregnant and four of those were expecting twins.
He said the process would also be helpful to women diagnosed with cancer who wanted to freeze a number of eggs in case chemotherapy left them infertile.
"Though this is a new technique for the UK, early results and publications in Japan and the USA have been extremely encouraging," Mr Miles said.
Lyndon Miles said he was delighted to have helped the Bloomers. "The first published study on babies born from vitrification shows no adverse effects of the technique and there are no implications to Evie's health as a result of the vitrification process.
"I'm delighted we have been able to help Ian and Rebecca."
Vitrification involves rapidly cooling and storing embryos at very low temperatures for future use.
"An IVF cycle produces a number of embryos. Those that aren't immediately transferred back to the patient and that are of good enough quality are cooled slowly to the temperature of liquid nitrogen (-196C) and stored until needed.
"Conventional, slow freezing creates ice crystals which can damage the embryo as it is thawed," Mr Miles said.
"Vitrification differs from traditional cooling and storing techniques in that it allows instantaneous 'glass-like' solidification of eggs and embryos without the formation of ice crystals.
"Since no ice crystals form, a much greater percentage of embryos survive thawing following vitrification."
He said with conventional freezing methods, post-thaw survival rates varied from 50% to 80% whereas with vitrification they had achieved 98%.
"In addition, since the introduction of the technique, our pregnancy rate has more than doubled compared to conventional freezing methods," Mr Miles added.