IVF has become one of modern medicine’s most advanced and emotionally significant fields. It combines sophisticated hormonal treatments, genetics, imaging, laboratory expertise and decades of clinical experience.
Yet at one of the most critical moments in the process, an important decision is still largely made by the human eye.
During ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection, the gold standard technique of IVF) an embryologist selects a single sperm cell and injects it directly into an egg. The choice is based mainly on what can be observed under the microscope.
Experienced embryologists are highly skilled, but the limitation is obvious: the human eye can only detect a fraction of the information contained in a sperm cell. The sperm cells are in constant movement, making the selection even more challenging,
This decision is crucial, as fertilization is not guaranteed. Typical fertilization rates following ICSI are often around 65–75%. When an egg fails to fertilize, there is no second chance for that egg. For most couples undergoing fertility treatments, IVF is an emotional (and physiological) roller coaster. For these couples every egg matters. every single fertilization can be the entire difference between a new family member to a failed IVF cycle.
Replacing human variability with AI predictability
This is where artificial intelligence may have a meaningful role.
Israeli fertility technology company BetterFit is developing an AI-powered decision-support platform designed to assist embryologists during sperm selection. Rather than relying solely on visual assessment, the system uses advanced computer-vision models to analyze high-resolution images of individual sperm cells, in real time, and measure dozens of morphometric characteristics and features that are not visible to the human eye.
Within seconds, the platform provides an additional layer of information, in fact a recommendation, to support the embryologist’s decision. The distinction is important: BetterFit is not trying to replace the embryologists. It empowers them, and helps turn a subjective visual judgment into measurable, consistent and data-driven decision.
In an initial proof-of-concept using clinical data from an IVF unit in Israel, the company reported fertilization-prediction accuracy of approximately 85-87%. These are early results and still require broader prospective and multicenter clinical validation, but they suggest that better sperm selection may improve one of the most fundamental steps in the IVF process.
Why fertilization matters
The potential impact extends beyond fertilization itself: published clinical studies clearly correlated higher fertilization rates with higher accumulative live birth rates. More fertilized eggs lead to more embryos and more blastocysts available for transfer or freezing. That, in turn, could reduce the need for repeat egg-retrieval procedures, shorten time to pregnancy and improve the efficiency of IVF treatment.
The economic implications are also significant. IVF is expensive, particularly in markets such as the United States, and many patients require more than one cycle. Even modest improvements in efficiency can potentially reduce costs for patients while improving outcomes and economics for fertility clinics.
BetterFit also reflects an Israeli advantage that is often overlooked. Israel has an unusually strong fertility ecosystem, combined with expertise in medical devices, artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship.
One of the company’s co-founders is Prof. Zeev Shoham, a veteran fertility specialist, former head of an IVF unit and professor of gynecology. He is also the founder of IVF-Worldwide, a global professional network that connects more than 100,000 fertility professionals, and has spent decades building relationships with leading physicians and opinion leaders in reproductive medicine.
The company is led by CEO Tsvi Bahat, a medical-technology executive with 25 years of experience in building and commercializing healthcare companies, including expansion into the US, European and Asian markets.
That combination matters. In healthcare, a strong algorithm is not enough. A technology must solve a real clinical problem, fit naturally into existing workflows, clear regulatory hurdles and demonstrate enough value for physicians and clinics to adopt it.
A long term strategic vision
But perhaps BetterFit’s most interesting opportunity is not only the immediate product...
Each IVF procedure generates valuable biological information, yet much of the data surrounding individual sperm cells disappears after fertilization. BetterFit’s longer-term vision is to build a proprietary dataset linking high-resolution sperm images with downstream outcomes: fertilization, embryo development, pregnancy and eventually live birth.
Such a dataset could become a new intelligence layer in reproductive medicine.
Today, the question is relatively simple: which sperm is more likely to fertilize an egg?
Over time, answering that question at scale may unlock much broader insights.
The next major advance in IVF may not come from another expensive piece of laboratory equipment. It may come from learning how to extract information that has been sitting under the microscope all along.
Prof. Zeev Shoham, M.D. is an IVF consultant, founder of IVF‑Worldwide.com and co‑editor of Textbook of Assisted Reproductive Techniques