All embryos resulting from in vitro fertilisation (IVF) should be routinely checked for genetic abnormalities before implantation, a conference on human genetics heard this week.

New evidence indicates that screening embryos vastly improves the chances of producing a healthy baby in women aged over 35 who undergo IVF.

Dr Yury Verlinsky, a leader in the field of preimplantation genetic diagnosis and director of the Reproductive Genetics Institute, Chicago, told the sixth international symposium on preimplantation genetic diagnosis in London that the findings should lead to only normal embryos being used in treatment.

In a study of 709 couples Dr Verlinsky's team found that the percentage of couples who …