Beautiful dream becomes a reality Lorraine Scholl with her baby Jimmy, 12 weeks / Pic: Andrew Tauber Source: The Daily Telegraph Sally Eagle was part of a trial using new formula for embryo growth at Genea IVF clinic / Pic: Craig Greenhill Source: The Daily Telegraph FERTILITY doctors have uncovered a formula that boosts by 26 per cent the likelihood of a successful pregnancy for couples using IVF. The breakthrough at Genea, formerly Sydney IVF, means women under 38 have a near 50 per cent chance of falling pregnant from a single embryo transfer. The Daily Telegraph has exclusively obtained the preliminary results of a clinical trial conducted by the fertility clinic over the past year. They show the breakthrough will increase the chances of successful pregnancy for women under 38 to 48 per cent, up from 38 per cent in 2010. For women over 38, the new solution could improve their chances of pregnancy from a single embryo transfer to 21 per cent - up from 17 per cent in 2010. The trial of 673 patients aged 23 to 45 reveals the importance of the liquid solution in which embryos are grown before implantation. Genea scientific director Steven McArthur said the solution, called culture media, was made up of proteins, sugars and amino acids which replicates the nutrients in the fallopian tube. This breakthrough follows 20 years of research. "The whole purpose of this lab is to join sperm and eggs to develop an embryo and develop that into a healthy pregnancy and live birth," Mr McArthur said. To do that we need culture medium - the solution that the egg, sperm and embryo grow in. The solution ensures vitality - keeps them alive. Mr McArthur said the nutrients in the solution feed the embryo and help it grow. After five days the embryo is transferred into the woman's uterus, hopefully developing into a healthy pregnancy. "According to our research, this solution improves the chances of pregnancy per embryo transfer by 26 per cent," Mr McArthur said. It means couples have a higher chance of falling pregnant, in fewer cycles. Mr McArthur said the preliminary results, which have not yet been published, signalled a breakthrough: "If you are a patient less than 38 years old having a single embryo transfer at Genea, the chance of getting an implantation for that embryo is about 38 per cent. If we take the 26 per cent improvement on that it's roughly another 10 per cent on top (48 per cent). It is significant. Genea associate professor Dr Mark Bowman said the new solution would be used in all embryo transfers from Monday: "We are very happy with this. I am a big believer. Dr Bowman said the study had run from the end of 2011 to January this year. Results were still being analysed. New mum Lorraine Scholl, 45, thanks the scientists at Genea for the gift of her 12-week-old son Jimmy. After six failed embryo implantations she joined the Genea trial of the new formula: "I met my husband when I was 39. We tried for 12 months naturally and then used IVF. The Scholl family were overwhelmed to learn the first transfer was a success and the pair had a daughter, Jaida, now aged two. When I decided to start trying for a baby I knew there could be complications. It is hard because you do feel like you have failed," she said. I am grateful and very excited. Hard journey to pregnancy now becomes much easier DIAGNOSED with polycystic ovarian syndrome in her late teens, Sally Eagle was warned she might have a hard path to pregnancy. After six-months of trying naturally, the 28-year-old Sydney woman met with Dr Mark Bowman and the team at Genea. She was one of 673 patients invited to join the clinical trial of a new solution which increases the likelihood of pregnancy per embryo transfer by 26 per cent. Now six months pregnant, the 28-year-old said she was "lucky" the advances in IVF have allowed her to reach her goal of motherhood. "I'm six months pregnant and can't believe it," she said. We are so lucky to have access to this technology. The couple are expecting their baby in June this year.