Many women could soon be spared the heartache of miscarriage, say scientists who claim to have found evidence that a soya-based fertility treatment can boost pregnancy up to sixfold. A new study has found that the experimental fertility treatment not only raises the chance of pregnancy but can also inhibit chemicals which cause miscarriages.

In the experiment, the British scientists found that when women who'd gone through IVF time and time again without success were given a soya-based substance, half got pregnant. In contrast, fewer than one in 10 of those who'd conventional fertility treatment alone conceived,the 'Daily Mail' reported.

The scientists behind the remarkable study believe the Intralipid liquid, a fat and calorie-rich potion normally used when tube-feeding very sick patients, could help many more women achieve their dream of motherhood.

Improving success rates would spare women the emotional and financial pain of going through repeated IVF treatments, only for them to fail. The liquid also stems the production by the body of harmful chemicals which can lead to miscarriage, say the scientists.

At around 200 pounds per woman, Intralipid, which is given through a drip around a week before a woman has IVF, is much cheaper. It is also more effective at stemming production of the harmful chemicals, say the scientists.

George Ndukwe, of Care fertility clinic in Nottingham, said: "This infusion is inexpensive, well tolerated and easy to administer. We're devoting our attention to finding answers when nature goes wrong."

The fertility expert ran his trial on a group of women who had failed to become pregnant despite enduring an average of six IVF attempts each. One woman had tried and failed at IVF 12 times. Half of those treated became pregnant, compared with just 9 per cent of those not given the fatty substance.