Many couples struggling to get pregnant turn to in vitro fertilization when all other methods have failed. Now a new study may help predict the success of the procedure.
In Vitro Fertilization involves taking a woman's eggs, combining them with sperm then reinserting viable embryos back in the woman's body.
It works 18 to 45 percent of the time, depending on the age of the woman and other factors.
Researchers at Stanford University found calculating factors including the total number of embryos, their quality, as well as certain hormones, can predict pregnancy success 70 percent of the time.
While they say more studies need to be done, these findings could help couples decide whether or not to try another cycle of IVF an expensive and often emotional procedure.
And in other medical news...
Women may live longer than men, but new data shows women over ninety are twice as likely to have dementia compared to men the same age.
Researchers at the University of California Irvine came to this conclusion after studying 900 adults over age 90.
The likelihood of developing dementia doubled every five years in the women, but not in men.
However, the study also found women with higher education had a 45 percent reduced risk for the disease.