PROFESSOR Tim Child says work being carried out at Oxford Fertility Clinic could help many couples trying for children.

The clinic is taking part in a world-wide study to which could lead to cost-effective IVF treatment.

Professor Child wants to prove that identifying abnormal embryos before implanting them into a woman's womb will not only help couples have children but also be a cost-effective IVF treatment.

He said: "Normally during an IVF cycle we just look and see which embryos look the best but we have no idea what the genetics of it looks like inside.

"The embryologist will choose which embryos look the best to put back into the woman's womb.

"Only half of the embryos that couples make in their 30s will have the right number of chromosomes.

"As humans we are fairly inefficient at making healthy embryos."

Women in their 20s have the highest chance of falling pregnant and on average by the time they reach their 40s there is only a 50 per cent chance of falling pregnant within a year.

But the study will look into the genetics of an embryo using next generation sequencing to see if it has the right number of chromosomes.

Professor Child added: "What we do is use a laser to separate the cells

"Those cells will be passed over to the genetics lab and they will see which embryos have the right number of chromosomes and which don't."

Although the test is already available privately, it costs at least £2,000 on top of an IVF cycle so Professor Child hopes it could be offered on the NHS if the trial shows how it can be cost effective.

He said: "By selecting and implanting the normal embryos there's a much higher chance the IVF treatment will be successful.

"And if it means couples are successful the first time because of this, it hopefully will be cost effective as well."

The study will conclude next year, with the results not expected to be released until the summer.

Currently one cycle of IVF treatment can cost between £5,000 and £6,000.

Professor Child said there is a new scheme where couples can pay £10,000 upfront for three IVF cycles.

He said: "It is a bit of a gamble but if after three cycles you do not fall pregnant you get your money back.

"But if you fall pregnant on the first cycle, effectively you have paid for two extra that you do not need."

On Thursday a national study showed that only one in six trusts will give couples three cycles of IVF treatment, as recommended by health watchdog NICE.

Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group only finance one cycle of treatment for couples.

All ten CCGs in the Thames Valley have the same one-cycle policy.