Screening Technique Improves In Vitro Odds

Scientists have discovered a way to greatly increase the chance of success for in vitro fertilizations, Time reports. Under current procedures, fresh eggs yield only a 25% success rate, necessitating multiple—and expensive—attempts. Many eggs hold chromosomal defects that make them incapable of conception, but it has, until now, been impossible to analyze an egg without destroying it.

A group of UK scientists has found a way to check an egg's viability by extracting something called the polar body, which contains a copy of its genetic code. The procedure will be expensive, about $2,750, but it could save money in the long run if cuts down on failed procedures that cost $5,000 apiece. Critics say it further blurs the line in how much we screen eggs for perfection.
(More egg stories.)