A fertility clinic in Dublin is now offering patients the option of using technology, which has been shown to improve the success rate of IVF by up to 20%.

With IVF, a woman's eggs are fertilised with sperm outside the body in a test tube and then placed back inside her womb. The first IVF baby was born in the UK in 1978 and since then, more than four million children have been conceived worldwide using this treatment.

Success rates with IVF can differ greatly depending on a couple's particular circumstances. However, according to Beacon CARE Ferility, this marks the ‘biggest breakthrough in IVF technology in over a decade'.

The new technology is an Embryoscope incubator, which incorporates use of a microscope, camera and computer. It is a time lapse incubator, which allows those working in the field to better monitor how the embryo is developing. It also means that the healthiest embryo can be identified for implantation.

"Crucially the system allows the embryo to grow in a protected environment and minimises the need to disturb the embryo through human handling, something that happens frequently with conventional IVF," Beacon CARE explained.

Recent research published in the journal, Fertility and Sterility, found that in 1,300 IVF cycles, the use of this technology improved the probability of a pregnancy by 20% per egg collection and 15% per embryo transfer, compared to standard IVF treatment.

According to Sandra Brett, medical director of Beacon CARE in Dublin, IVF is one of the most common procedures it offers.

"Research by CARE Fertility UK has already shown an increased success rate using the Embryoscope compared to using standard incubation techniques, particularly for those over the age of 36.

"Currently, within CARE Fertility UK, there are hundreds of ongoing pregnancies and many babies have been born after utilising this new technology. This improvement in successful outcomes is hugely significant and one which we look forward to replicating here in Ireland," she said.