Freddie is the first British child born using musical IVF, in which the egg is played songs from Michael Jackson to Nirvana to help with the fertilisation process
The first British baby has been born using music-assisted fertility treatment.
Freddie was conceived using a method in which music is played to a dish containing the eggs and sperm during the IVF process.
His parents, Isabelle and Stephen, from Liverpool, had been trying to conceive for four years when in desperation they turned to a Spanish clinic which used the innovative method, the Daily Mail reported.
Studies suggest vibrations produced by the music increase the chance of the egg being fertilised.
Freddie's parents decided to try the method at the Institut Marques fertility clinic in Barcelona after two miscarriages and a failed attempt at conventional IVF.
Since he was born Freddie, now one, has been drawn to music and is more relaxed when listening to songs.
His mother said: “We hope that when we tell Freddie about the musical element of his beginnings it will help him feel extra- special.”
The clinic began offering the treatment after studying whether playing music in IVF labs affected fertilisation rates.
They injected sperm into almost 1,000 eggs and put them in dishes in incubators.
Half the incubators included speaker playing songs from Michael Jackson and Madonna, Nirvana and Metallica, and classical works by Bach, Mozart and Vivaldi.
They found a five per cent increase in fertilisation rates in the incubators which were played music.
And, unlike adults, the eggs were not fussy about the type of music they listened to, as heavy metal worked just as well as pop or classical songs.
As embryos do not develop the ability to detect sound until at least 14 weeks it is believed that the vibrations are the key.
They may ease the passage of nutrients into the egg, while speeding the removal of toxic waste, in a similar way that a fertilised egg is rocked in the womb.
Several other British women are pregnant after having 'musical IVF', which has helped couples in 16 other countries become parents.
Music could also help women trying to conceive naturally as it is “beneficial for everything”, Spanish researcher Carolina Castello said.
Hayley Dixon - telegraph.co.uk
