Blood thinning jab could offer IVF couples chance of a baby

Nearly half of infertile couples could dramatically improve their chances of becoming parents by using a cheap angina drug, specialists have shown.

Scientists discovered two years ago that 44 per cent of IVF patients carry a gene mutation linked to pregnancy loss, dangerous blood clotting and foetal growth problems.

Now researchers at CARE Fertility have shown that injections of the blood-thinning drug heparin can help couples who have struggled to have children for more than a decade to become parents. 

The drug raises the chance of becoming pregnant from virtually non-existent to the same level as normal IVF couples, which can be up to 40 per cent per cycle.

The study is also the first to show that a man can cause a woman to miscarry because his gene mutation can be passed on to the embryo, which will eventually split into the baby and the placenta. The mutation stops the placenta developing properly.

Mike, 53, and Nicola Abberley, 41, of Chesterfield had been trying for 16 years to have a family. They conceived following IVF treatment but lost the baby at 16 weeks.  

When they were tested by doctors at CARE Fertility, Britain's largest private fertility clinic, they were both find to carry the gene mutation. 

Mrs Abberley was prescribed Heparin injections from embryo transfer and their twins Amelia and James were born in the next cycle.

“After waiting so many years and having so much heartache, we were elated when the twins were born," said Mrs Abberley.  "To finally have our family was incredible”

 The mutation, called C4M2 is found on the Annexin 5 which keeps the blood thin enough for pregnancy to progress successfully. When mutated, the gene fails to work adequately causing blood clotting, which eventually leads the body to abort the foetus.

Simon Fishel of CARE Fertility, who led the research, said: “For the first time we have shown that when this genetic marker is identified, treatment matters.

“Giving heparin early enough when indicated can help restore live birth rates in patients who have endured unsuccessful IVF cycles."

Couples with unexplained infertility are offered a blood test which looks for the ‘miscarriage marker’. 

The study examined 103 couples where one or both partners carried the C4M2 mutation, all who had previously failed during IVF. 

These patients were treated during their following IVF and compared to 103 controls who were younger and had a more favourable prognosis.

The live birth rate was 37.9 per cent for the treated group compared with 33 per cent in the control group. When it was the male only who carried the mutated gene, the success rate for treated women rose to 47.7 per cent. 

Normal blood thinning drugs like as aspirin can be harmful during early pregnancy and are unlikely to reach the placenta where they are needed. But injecting heparin directly into the abdomen allows the drug to get quickly to where it is needed. The drug costs around £6 per day.

Dr Fishel, who was part of the team who carried out the first IVF procedure in 1978, said: “I think this is very significant. The women in this study could never deliver babies, they just lost them. But now their delivery rate is comparable to any good prognosis.

“We know that the biggest cause of infertility is chromosomal abnormality but even when you screen for that and you know that healthy embryos are being implanted we were still finding large numbers who were failing to carry full term.

“For women who conceived but then miscarry, that is heart-breaking.  But this is a very simple, inexpensive treatment which has a big impact.

“Couples who have struggled to get pregnant for years are amazed that something so simple can allow them to become parents. I believe that all parents who are struggling to get pregnant through IVF should be offered a genetic test to see if they carry this mutation.”

The research was published in The Lancet journal BioMedicine Online.

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