By Sandy Hemphill, Contributing Writer, BabyMed
Some people claim music is the rhythm of life. At an Irish fertility clinic, the deep-throated romantic sounds of 1970s superstar Barry White seems to be the music favored by the embryos in the lab being cultivated for implantation for in vitro fertilization (IVF). When the soulful purring of White’s voice is pumped into an incubator, the embryos thrive, developing more rapidly and robustly than embryos incubated without music or with music by other artists.
Dr. Hans Arce, a consultant at the Institut Marques Ireland, County Kildare, says the science behind the music is all about trying to create in the incubator an environment that more closely resembles the environment in the female reproductive tract. In the lab, embryos spend five days in petri dishes placed in incubators with temperature and humidity closely matching the fallopian tubes but there‘s more going on in the real-world setting.
“The embryo is never static in the fallopian tubes in a woman. It's like being in a river where the water is constantly washing your skin away,” according to Arce. In addition to the fluid flow, embryos are surrounded by the rhythmic movement of the woman’s bloodstream, the beating of her heart, the digestion of food, movement of muscles and bone, her voice, her laughter. This constantly moving river creates vibrations that may stimulate mechanical changes within the embryo that make it more viable than embryos cultivated in a quiet, static environment.
With IVF, a live birth is the measure of success. The typical success rate is 20% to 35% per cycle. When Arce’s embryos are serenaded by Barry White, the success rate skyrockets to 89%.
Arce isn’t the first fertility specialist to link music to gestation. In a recent interview published in the Daily Mail, he describes a study that monitored fetal activity when different kinds of music was played. Babies became most active in the womb when listening to Mozart and Bach. Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” got 80% of the fetuses moving, making it #3 on this list of prenatal hit songs. Adele and Carlos Santana were almost tied for 4th most invigorating music for dancing in the womb.
Dr. Jason E. Swain, of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, also appreciates the value of music on embryonic incubation. In a 2014 article in the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, he describes several techniques that have been explored to create a more life-like environment in a lab setting. He writes: “. . . one could say that a little ‘rock and ‘roll in the IVF lab may be beneficial to in vitro embryo development.”
Swain maintains the music theme as he describes bringing shake, rattle, and roll to the IVF lab. He recommends limiting the music to “a gentle waltz” and “rock-a-bye-baby” vibe rather than “head-banging heavy metal or fervent swing-dancing music,” which he likens to “don’t shake the baby!” scenarios.
Back in Ireland, in Arce’s lab, Barry White tops the charts. Arce mentioned a study that attributed a mini baby boom in the mid-1970s to White’s music. Perhaps he sees Barry White leading another little baby boom in Ireland, too.
Sources:
Matthews, Stephen. "Can't get enough of you baby': IVF clinic says vibrations from Barry White's deep soul tracks 'help embryos to develop.'' Daily Mail. Associated Newspapers Ltd, 11 July 2016. Web. 11 July 2016.
Swain, Jason E. "Shake, rattle and roll: bringing a little rock to the IVF laboratory to improve embryo development." PMC. Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics / Springer, 31 Jan. 2014. US National Library of Medicine / National Institutes of Health. Web. 12 July 2016.