{"id":3931,"date":"2025-07-03T13:57:56","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T13:57:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usamedicarestore.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/03\/a-couple-tried-for-18-years-to-get-pregnant-ai-made-it-happen\/"},"modified":"2025-07-03T13:57:56","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T13:57:56","slug":"a-couple-tried-for-18-years-to-get-pregnant-ai-made-it-happen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usamedicarestore.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/03\/a-couple-tried-for-18-years-to-get-pregnant-ai-made-it-happen\/","title":{"rendered":"A couple tried for 18 years to get pregnant. AI made it happen"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/action-bar\/instances\/cmcm3v09t005927pf6129c95b@published\" data-label-id-prefix=\"action-bar-start-of-article\" class=\"action-bar\" data-dynamic-breakpoint-placement=\"{&quot;extraLarge&quot;:{&quot;placement&quot;:&quot;.layout-article-elevate__left&quot;}}\" data-expand-conditions=\"{&quot;follow&quot;:{&quot;extraLarge&quot;:{&quot;alwaysExpand&quot;:true}},&quot;shareOptions&quot;:{&quot;large&quot;:{&quot;maxNumOfActions&quot;:1},&quot;medium&quot;:{&quot;maxNumOfActions&quot;:1},&quot;extraLarge&quot;:{&quot;withAction&quot;:&quot;follow&quot;,&quot;maxNumOfActions&quot;:2}}}\">\n<div class=\"action-bar__overlay\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"action-bar__action-sheet\">\n<div class=\"action-bar__action-sheet--header\">\n<div class=\"action-bar__action-sheet--header-title\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"action-bar__action-sheet--header-close\">                            <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div 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class=\"social-share_labelled-list__share\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dialog\/share?app_id=80401312489&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2025%2F07%2F03%2Fhealth%2Fai-male-infertility-sperm-wellness&amp;display=popup\" data-type=\"facebook\" aria-label=\"share with facebook\" title=\"Share with Facebook\">                                <span class=\"social-share_labelled-list__share-links--label\">Facebook<\/span>        <\/button>        <button class=\"social-share_labelled-list__share\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Check%20out%20this%20article%3A&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2025%2F07%2F03%2Fhealth%2Fai-male-infertility-sperm-wellness\" data-type=\"x\" aria-label=\"share with x\" title=\"Share with X\">                                <span class=\"social-share_labelled-list__share-links--label\">Tweet<\/span>        <\/button>                                        <span class=\"social-share_labelled-list__share-links--label\">Email<\/span>                <button class=\"social-share_labelled-list__share\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/07\/03\/health\/ai-male-infertility-sperm-wellness\" data-type=\"copy\" aria-label=\"copy link to clipboard\" title=\"Copy link to clipboard\">                                <span class=\"social-share_labelled-list__share-links--label\">Link<\/span>        <\/button>        <\/p>\n<div class=\"social-share_labelled-list__copied\" data-type=\"message\">                        Link Copied!        <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>    <button class=\"social-share_labelled-list__open\" data-type=\"open\" aria-label=\"open social share\" title=\"Open social share\">            <\/button>    <button class=\"social-share_labelled-list__close\" data-type=\"close\" aria-label=\"close social share\" title=\"Close social share\">            <\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"action-bar__buttons\">            <button class=\"action-bar__button\" data-title=\"follow\">                                        Follow            <\/button>            <button class=\"action-bar__button\" data-title=\"share options\">                                <\/button>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3v09t005b27pff67p1v28@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            After trying to conceive for 18 years, one couple is now pregnant with their first child thanks to the power of artificial intelligence.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljn000k3b6nrr2y9w57@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            The couple had undergone several rounds of in vitro fertilization, or IVF, visiting fertility centers around the world in the hopes of having a baby.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcmf201m00053b6m9awjjxfe@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            The IVF process involves removing a woman\u2019s egg and combining it with sperm in a laboratory to create an embryo, which is then implanted in the womb.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcmbu8oa00093b6nf0ghsnlj@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            But for this couple, the IVF attempts were unsuccessful due to azoospermia, a rare condition in which no measurable sperm are present in the male partner\u2019s semen, which can lead to male infertility. A typical semen sample contains hundreds of millions of sperm, but men with azoospermia have such low counts that no sperm cells can be found, even after hours of meticulous searching under a microscope.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljn000l3b6n3lvqcy8p@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            So the couple, who wish to remain anonymous to protect their privacy, went to the Columbia University Fertility Center to try a novel approach.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcmdnudj00013b6m68o4dsgg@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            It\u2019s called the STAR method, and it uses AI to help identify and recover hidden sperm in men who once thought they had no sperm at all. All the husband had to do was leave a semen sample with the medical team.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcmbx31v000i3b6n338hjj9h@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cWe kept our hopes to a minimum after so many disappointments,\u201d the wife said in an emailed statement.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljn000m3b6nphdol06y@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Researchers at the fertility center analyzed the semen sample with the AI system. Three hidden sperm were found, recovered and used to fertilize the wife\u2019s eggs via IVF, and she became the first successful pregnancy enabled by the STAR method.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcme7brl00003b6n519tsg40@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            The baby is due in December.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljn000p3b6ne6bxhskd@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cIt took me two days to believe I was actually pregnant,\u201d she said. \u201cI still wake up in the morning and can\u2019t believe if this is true or not. I still don\u2019t believe I am pregnant until I see the scans.\u201d    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcmdkgvw00003b6makwzv38y@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Artificial intelligence has advanced the field of fertility care in the United States: More medical facilities are using AI to help assess egg quality or screen for healthy embryos when patients are undergoing IVF. There\u2019s still more research and testing needed,<strong> <\/strong>but AI may now be making advancements in male infertility, in particular.    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/related-content\/instances\/cmcm43anx001o3b6ndpgmpdfl@published\" data-component-name=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content-elevate related-content--article\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n<header class=\"related-content__title related-content__title-text\" data-editable=\"content.title\">Related article<\/header>\n<section class=\"related-content__body\">\n<div class=\"related-content__image image__related-content\">\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/clv5rv7le000ee0qbdv1763g5@published\" class=\"image-elevate image__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-name=\"GettyImages-1331430837.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--eq-large&quot;: 660}\" data-original-ratio=\"0.667027027027027\" data-original-height=\"1234\" data-original-width=\"1850\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/gettyimages-1331430837.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image__container \" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--show-credits&quot;: 525}\">           <\/div>\n<div class=\"image__metadata-container media__metadata-container\">\n<div class=\"image__metadata media__metadata\">\n<div class=\"image__caption attribution\">    <span data-editable=\"metaCaption\" class=\"inline-placeholder\">Adult female therapist shakes hands with the new unrecognizable mid adult male patient.<\/span>  <\/div><figcaption class=\"image__credit\">ljubaphoto\/E+\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"related-content__headline\">        <span class=\"related-content__headline-text\" data-editable=\"content.headline\">What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility<\/span>      <\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljn00053b6nbppfof31@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Dr. Zev Williams, director of the Columbia University Fertility Center, and his colleagues spent five years developing the STAR method to help detect and recover<strong> <\/strong>sperm in semen samples from people who had azoospermia.<strong> <\/strong>    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcmcocek001g3b6nb5iw4wtz@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            They were struck by the system\u2019s results.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljn00063b6n53a8t9tu@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cA patient provided a sample, and highly skilled technicians looked for two days through that sample to try to find sperm. They didn\u2019t find any. We brought it to the AI-based STAR System. In one hour, it found 44 sperm. So right then, we realized, \u2018Wow, this is really a game-changer. This is going to make such a big difference for patients,\u2019 \u201d said Williams, who led the research team.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljn00073b6n5b0i8yv9@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            When a semen sample is placed on a specially designed chip under a microscope, the STAR system \u2013 which stands for Sperm Tracking and Recovery \u2013 connects to the microscope through a high-speed camera and high-powered imaging technology to scan the sample, taking more than 8 million images in under an hour to find what it has been trained to identify as a sperm cell.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcmdwait000a3b6m9d9vwgat@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            The system instantly isolates that sperm cell into a tiny droplet of media, allowing embryologists to recover cells that they may never have been able<strong> <\/strong>to find or identify with their own eyes.    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/interactive-video\/instances\/cmcm53yt000043b6nzngab88y@published\" class=\"interactive-video-elevate\" data-component-name=\"interactive-video\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"interactive-video__container\">            <video class=\"interactive-video__player\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" autoplay=\"\" playsinline=\"\"><\/video>        <\/div>\n<div class=\"interactive-video-elevate__metadata media__metadata-container\">\n<div class=\"interactive-video__caption media__metadata\">                    <span data-editable=\"metaCaption\" class=\"inline-placeholder\"><\/span><figcaption class=\"interactive-video__credit\">Columbia University Fertility Center<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljn000a3b6nr2rsfwqm@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cIt\u2019s like searching for a needle scattered across a thousand haystacks, completing the search in under an hour and doing it so gently, without any harmful lasers or stains, that the sperm can still be used to fertilize an egg,\u201d Williams said.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljn000b3b6neqpgfn97@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cWhat\u2019s remarkable is that instead of the usual [200 million] to 300 million sperm in a typical sample, these patients may have just two or three. Not 2 [million] or 3 million, literally two or three,\u201d he said. \u201cBut with the precision of the STAR system and the expertise of our embryologists, even those few can be used to successfully fertilize an egg.\u201d    <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subheader inline-placeholder subheader-elevate vossi-subheader vossi-subheader--size-h2\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/subheader\/instances\/cmcm3z7z2001h3b6nobm6mw1c@published\" data-component-name=\"subheader\" id=\"shocking-and-unexpected-diagnosis\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">        \u2018Shocking and unexpected diagnosis\u2019<\/h2>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljn000c3b6njwx4o87g@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            It\u2019s estimated that the male partner accounts for up to 40% of all infertility cases in the United States, and up to 10% of men with infertility are azoospermic.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljn000d3b6n566ixjxe@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cThis often is a really heartbreaking and shocking and unexpected diagnosis,\u201d Williams said. \u201cMost men who have azoospermia feel completely healthy and normal. There\u2019s no impairment of their sexual function, and the semen looks normal, too. The difference is that when you look at it under a microscope, instead of seeing literally hundreds of millions of sperm swimming, you just see cell debris and fragments but no sperm.\u201d    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljn000e3b6n2kkpl6pw@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Treatment options for azoospermia traditionally have included uncomfortable surgery to retrieve sperm directly from a patient\u2019s testes.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljn000f3b6n1f32g6kj@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cA part of the testes gets removed and broken into little pieces, and you try to find sperm there,\u201d Williams said. \u201cIt\u2019s invasive. You can only do it a couple of times before there could be permanent scarring and damage to the testes, and it\u2019s painful.\u201d    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljn000g3b6nlayijq6r@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Other treatment options may include prescription hormone medications \u2013 but that will be effective only if the person has an imbalance of hormones. If no other treatment options are successful, couples may use donor sperm to have a child.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljn000h3b6nfazdmddn@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Williams said the STAR method can be a new option.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljn000r3b6nzmr8x1iz@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cIt really was a team effort to develop this, and that\u2019s what really drove and motivated everybody, the fact that you can now help couples who otherwise couldn\u2019t have that opportunity,\u201d he said.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcmd0ojx001k3b6nboa02uji@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Although the method is currently available only at the Columbia University Fertility Center, Williams and his colleagues want to publish their work and share it with other fertility centers. Using the STAR method to find, isolate and freeze sperm for a patient would cost a little under $3,000 total, he said.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljn000s3b6n77914d6x@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cInfertility is unique in a way in that it\u2019s such an ancient part of the human experience. It\u2019s literally biblical. It\u2019s something we\u2019ve had to contend with through all of human history,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing to think that the most advanced technologies that we currently have are being used to solve this really ancient problem.\u201d    <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subheader inline-placeholder subheader-elevate vossi-subheader vossi-subheader--size-h2\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/subheader\/instances\/cmcm3x002001c3b6nep6irneq@published\" data-component-name=\"subheader\" id=\"ai-is-helping-us-see-what-our-eyes-cant\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">        \u2018AI is helping us see what our eyes can\u2019t\u2019<\/h2>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljo000u3b6nqagmocpi@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            It\u2019s not the first time doctors have turned to AI to help men with azoospermia.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljo000v3b6nb4j8uy2q@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            A separate research team in Canada built an AI model that could automate and accelerate the process of searching for rare sperm in samples from men with the condition.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljo000w3b6nvrjhuvqr@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cThe reason AI is so well-suited for this is AI really relies on learning \u2013 showing it an image of what a sperm looks like, what the shape is, what characteristics it should have \u2013 and then being able to use that learning algorithm to help identify that specific image that you\u2019re looking for,\u201d said Dr. Sevann Helo, a urologist at Mayo Clinic with specialty interest in male infertility and male sexual dysfunction, who was not involved in the STAR method or the research in Canada.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljo000x3b6n6g3k9zc2@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cIt\u2019s very exciting,\u201d she said. \u201cAI, in general, at least in the medical community, I think is a whole new landscape and really will revolutionize the way we look at a lot of problems in medicine.\u201d    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/related-content\/instances\/cmcm41140001k3b6nxdr93l56@published\" data-component-name=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content-elevate related-content--article\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n<header class=\"related-content__title related-content__title-text\" data-editable=\"content.title\">Related article<\/header>\n<section class=\"related-content__body\">\n<div class=\"related-content__image image__related-content\">\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cm2p100l8001j26pdg2q54x00@published\" class=\"image-elevate image__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-name=\"processed-D441AA38-3A0B-4ED6-BFB1-32A9411703A3.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--eq-large&quot;: 660}\" data-original-ratio=\"0.75\" data-original-height=\"1815\" data-original-width=\"2420\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/processed-d441aa38-3a0b-4ed6-bfb1-32a9411703a3.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image__container \" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--show-credits&quot;: 525}\">           <\/div>\n<div class=\"image__metadata-container media__metadata-container\">\n<div class=\"image__metadata media__metadata\">\n<div class=\"image__caption attribution\">    <span data-editable=\"metaCaption\" class=\"inline-placeholder\">Jessica Schneider and her husband, Adam, in Florida.<\/span>  <\/div><figcaption class=\"image__credit\">Jessica Schneider\/CNN<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"related-content__headline\">        <span class=\"related-content__headline-text\" data-editable=\"content.headline\">The mysteries \u2014 and sometimes miracles \u2014 of the fertility fight<\/span>      <\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljo000y3b6nreexycws@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            The STAR method is a novel approach to identifying sperm, but AI has been used in many other ways within fertility medicine too, said Dr. Aimee Eyvazzadeh, a San Francisco-based reproductive endocrinologist and host of the podcast \u201cThe Egg Whisperer Show.\u201d    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljo000z3b6nhoja2dm4@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cAI is helping us see what our eyes can\u2019t,\u201d Eyvazzadeh, who was not involved in the development of STAR, wrote in an email.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcmd8au2001n3b6n70uul4j5@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            For instance, AI algorithms, such as one called Stork-A, have been used to analyze early-stage embryos and predict with \u201csurprising accuracy\u201d which ones are likely to be healthy. Another AI tool, CHLOE, can assess the quality of a woman\u2019s eggs before she may freeze them for future use.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljo00103b6nwywzue4g@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cAI is being used to personalize IVF medication protocols, making cycles more efficient and less of a guessing game. It\u2019s also helping with sperm selection, identifying the healthiest sperm even in difficult samples. And AI can now even predict IVF success rates with more precision than ever before, using massive data sets to give patients personalized guidance,\u201d Eyvazzadeh said. \u201cThe common thread? Better decisions, more confidence, and a more compassionate experience for patients.\u201d    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljo00113b6nosmdqou5@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            The new STAR system is \u201ca game-changer,\u201d she said.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljo00123b6nbahldhut@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cAI isn\u2019t creating sperm \u2013 it\u2019s helping us find the rare, viable ones that are already there but nearly invisible,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a breakthrough not because it replaces human expertise, but because it amplifies it \u2013 and that\u2019s the future of fertility care.\u201d    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/related-content\/instances\/cmcm3w1vk001a3b6nis57pk01@published\" data-component-name=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content-elevate related-content--article\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n<header class=\"related-content__title related-content__title-text\" data-editable=\"content.title\">Related article<\/header>\n<section class=\"related-content__body\">\n<div class=\"related-content__image image__related-content\">\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cm9sy86u4001m2cql4jgpg1r7@published\" class=\"image-elevate image__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-name=\"GettyImages-2174784427.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--eq-large&quot;: 660}\" data-original-ratio=\"0.667\" data-original-height=\"2001\" data-original-width=\"3000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/gettyimages-2174784427.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image__container \" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--show-credits&quot;: 525}\">           <\/div>\n<div class=\"image__metadata-container media__metadata-container\">\n<div class=\"image__metadata media__metadata\">\n<div class=\"image__caption attribution\">    <span data-editable=\"metaCaption\" class=\"inline-placeholder\">FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CA &#8211; FEBRUARY 29:  Illia Brusianskyi, a senior embryologist at West Coast Fertility Centers, in Fountain Valley, CA., prepares embryos for genetic testing, February 29, 2024. (Photo by Jay L. Clendenin\/Getty Images)<\/span>  <\/div><figcaption class=\"image__credit\">Jay L Clendenin\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"related-content__headline\">        <span class=\"related-content__headline-text\" data-editable=\"content.headline\">US fertility rate hovers near record low as Trump administration pushes for a baby boom<\/span>      <\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljo00133b6n259x5wq6@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            But there is also a growing concern that the rushed application of AI in reproductive medicine could give false hope to patients, said Dr. Gianpiero Palermo, professor of embryology and director of andrology and assisted fertilization at Weill Cornell Medicine.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljo00143b6n7vkza32k@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cAI is gaining a lot of traction nowadays to offer unbiased evaluation on embryos by looking at embryo morphology,\u201d Palermo said in an email. \u201cHowever, current available models are still somewhat inconsistent and require additional validation.\u201d    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljo00153b6nlg6c7r0x@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Palermo said the STAR approach needs to be validated and would still require human embryologists to pick up sperm and inject them into an egg to create an embryo for patients undergoing IVF.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm5nlno00003b6mtrtqj5v0@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cMaybe the AI addition may help to retrieve the spermatozoon a little faster and maybe one more than the embryologist,\u201d said Palermo, who was not involved in the development of STAR but was the first to describe the method of injecting sperm directly into an egg. Since he pioneered that method, it has become the most-utilized assisted reproductive technology in the world.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmcm3vljo00163b6nmy8typeo@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cIn my opinion, this approach is faulty because inevitably some men will have no spermatozoa,\u201d Palermo said of the STAR method, \u201cdoesn\u2019t matter how their specimens are screened whether by humans or a machine.\u201d    <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<div>This post appeared first on cnn.com<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AI Maternal health Women&#8217;s health See all topics Facebook Tweet Email Link Link Copied! Follow After trying to conceive for 18 years, one couple is now pregnant with their first child thanks to the power of artificial intelligence. The couple had undergone several rounds of in vitro fertilization, or IVF, visiting fertility centers around the <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3932,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3931","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usamedicarestore.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usamedicarestore.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usamedicarestore.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usamedicarestore.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usamedicarestore.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3931"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usamedicarestore.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3931\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usamedicarestore.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usamedicarestore.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usamedicarestore.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usamedicarestore.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}