An embryo needs to ‘stick’ to the inner lining of the uterus in order for it to implant; and to help it, we can use a special substance called EmbryoGlue®. Embryo Glue is a hyaluronate enriched medium utilised in the laboratory where the embryo is kept prior to the embryo transfer. A hyaluronate enriched medium contains a substance called hyaluronan, which may improve the chance of the embryo implanting in the womb. It is added to the solution in the dish in which the embryos are kept before being transferred to the patient.
The HFEA has deemed this treatment add-on to be ‘Amber’, under the traffic light system. This is due to current conflicting evidence on whether Embryo Glue is significantly effective in IVF treatment and therefore further research is necessary. There are no known risks from using hyaluronate enriched medium. One high quality study demonstrated that Embryo Glue significantly improves live birth rates (Urman, 2008). Presently, Embryo Glue is utilised within King’s Fertility laboratory as part of the routine embryology for every patient at no additional costs.