Infertility affects approximately 8% to 12% of couples of reproductive age worldwide, and IVF (in vitro fertilization) is often the go-to treatment option. Typically, to increase the odds of a successful pregnancy, doctors need to retrieve as many eggs (oocytes) as possible. Current approaches to recovering eggs from follicular fluid, such as manual screening under a microscope, are not foolproof and can sometimes miss viable oocytes.

 In a study published in the journal Nature Medicine, researchers describe how they have developed a novel technology that automates the process and may improve the number of eggs recovered.

The team created a microfluidic device called the FIND-Chip that searches follicular fluid to find and clean eggs. Follicular fluid is guided into the chip, which contains a network of tiny channels and an array of microscopic pillars. These act like a sieve to catch the eggs while smaller waste and fluid pass through.