IVF treatment, which is frequently used for women who are over 35 and want a baby, can in fact reduce the chances of fertilization, said British scientists.

These women are recommended heavy and strong drugs so as to produce good number of eggs for IVF (in-vitro fertilization). The logic is that more the number of eggs more are the chances of pregnancy.

But scientists have said that there are also chances that these eggs will contain genetic faults called as chromosomal abnormalities.

These abnormalities are related to number of chromosomes known as aneuploidy- it can create lifelong problems like Edwards and Down’s syndrome.

More frequently, embryo can collapse in initial months only causing miscarriage.

Scientists headed by Prof Handyside high intensity FSH can create eggs with chromosomal problems. For women near to menopause, these deficiencies are quite common.

Prof Handyside, who will present the research at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Stockholm today (MON), said: “This suggests that the stimulation process to maximise the number of eggs you get, may be causing some of these abnormalities, because this pattern is different from normal pregnancy. The stimulation process may be triggering more errors.”