A simple oral swab test before IVF likely to boost success rate

Swedish researchers have developed a groundbreaking oral swab test that can quickly determine the most effective hormone therapy for IVF patients. The simple genetic test, which produces results within an hour, helps identify which women will respond best to biological or synthetic hormone treatments. By mapping the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) receptor gene, doctors can potentially increase IVF success rates and reduce patient risks. The research, published in Frontiers in Endocrinology, aims to make the test widely available by 2026.

"Our hope is that this will reduce the risk of suffering for women, increase the number of successful treatments" - Yvonne Lundberg Giwercman"

Swedish researchers have developed a simple oral swab test, which can help boost the success rate of the in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure.

Key Points

1 Oral swab test reveals optimal hormone treatment for IVF in one hour

2 Genetic test can predict best fertility therapy

3 Study involving 1,466 women shows promising results

4 Gene mapping improves IVF pregnancy chances

 

IVF treatment involves stimulating the woman’s ovaries to mature many eggs, which are then retrieved and fertilised with sperm in the laboratory before being returned to the uterus.

There are two different types of hormone treatments to choose from for egg maturation: biological or synthetic. Besides the risk of serious side effects, the therapies sometimes require women to go into intensive care -- and many attempts at IVF fail. Selecting which therapy is best for the woman has become a major challenge.

While mapping genes is costly and takes time, the new simple oral swab test within an hour shows which hormone therapy is most suitable.

“Our hope is that this will reduce the risk of suffering for women, increase the number of successful treatments, and cut costs for taxpayers. Our goal is for the test to be available by the start of 2026,” said Yvonne Lundberg Giwercman, professor at Lund University.

A total of 1,466 women undergoing IVF treatment in Sweden were included in the study, and 475 were randomised to two different hormone treatments while the rest were controls.

Using gene sequencing, the team mapped the action of the gene follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which is known to play an important role in egg maturation.

The study identified that women with a particular variant of the FSH receptor (FSHR) gene that mediates the action of the hormone responded best to the biological hormone treatment, while others benefited from receiving the synthetic type of hormone.

To decode the genetic profile, the team turned to the oral swab test, which proved to be significantly efficient. Within an hour, it produced results that can be seen with the naked eye as a pink or yellow colour.

By knowing the woman’s genetic profile in advance, we can increase the number of successful pregnancies, said Giwercman, in the study published in the journal Frontiers in Endocrinology.

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