Musical vibes improve in vitro fertilisation according to a Catalan study

Barcelona (ACN).- The exposure to music during in vitro fertilisation has a positive impact on the fecundity rate of egg cells according to a study developed by the assisted reproduction centre Institut Marquès, based in Barcelona. The study concludes that the micro vibrations in the music shake the culture liquid in which the ovum swims and this improves the distribution of nutrients and also avoids the accumulation of toxic products around the cell. As a result, the fertilisation of the ovum is facilitated by the effects produced by the vibes, and the fecundation rate is improved by 4.8%. Three styles of music were tested (pop, heavy metal and classical) but no significant differences were observed in relation to the different frequencies. The study was carried out on 985 egg cells from 114 patients. It is the first study of this kind made on human egg cells.

The main conclusion of the study 'Impact of exposure to music during in vitro culture on embryo development' is that the micro vibrations produced by the music facilitate fertilisation. The Head of Assisted Reproduction of the Institut Marquès, Marisa López-Teijón, explained that “the vibes shake the cultures in which the ovum swims and this gives a more homogeneous dissemination of nutrients and makes toxic products scatter, avoiding their accumulation”. The study concludes that the egg cells which have been stimulated by music have a 4.8% higher chance of being fertilised.

A 4.8% increase in the fertilisation rate

The study was carried out on 985 ova from 114 patients. The egg cells of each patient were randomly split into two different incubators: one with music speakers and another one without. After exposing half of the eggs cells to music and the others going through a conventional process, results showed that the first group showed a 4.8% higher fertilisation rate.

The style of music has no effect

Three different styles of music were chosen, in order to analyse if the different musical frequencies had an impact on the fertilisation rate. The egg cells were exposed to pop, heavy metal and classical music. The results showed no significant differences between the three different styles and the fertilisation rate of the egg cells.

The study’s egg cells were treated in a lab that reproduces the exact same conditions of temperature, darkness and CO₂ and oxygen levels than the human uterus. As Marisa López-Teijón says, the novelty of the study “is in using music as a source of vibrations during the in vitro development of human embryo”. With the exposure to music, ovocytes make peristaltic movements as if they were in a real uterus, avoiding the static situation they are in in the lab and meaning that the consequent accumulation of toxic products does not build up around them.

The first study of this kind on human egg cells

The effects of musical vibration have not been tested in human embryology before. Studies had only focused on cellular growth in plants and animals. Therefore, according to the Instituto Marqués, this new system that increases fertilisation rates by almost 5% is “an inflection point in the innovation applied to assisted reproduction”.