After nearly two decades of heartbreaking fertility struggles, Rosie finally saw two pink lines. It was the 16th IVF cycle she and her husband had undergone, and by then, they had grown used to disappointment. But this time was different, and the key was a powerful new AI technology that could find what human eyes couldn’t.
Developed at Columbia University Fertility Center, the STAR system short for Sperm Track and Recovery, has just made history.
In March 2025, Rosie became the first person known to become pregnant through this revolutionary method, which uses artificial intelligence to detect and isolate extremely rare sperm in men with a condition called azoospermia.
The Hidden Challenge: Azoospermia
Infertility affects about 1 in 6 couples globally, and male factors are responsible for around 40% of cases. One of the most difficult male infertility conditions to treat is azoospermia, the absence of sperm in the ejaculate.
While it sounds definitive, some men with azoospermia do produce a tiny number of sperm. Hence, they’re often too scarce and too hidden in the sample for even expert embryologists to detect under a microscope.
That was the case for Rosie’s husband. For years, the couple explored every possible option, from surgeries to consultations with top fertility specialists around the world. After 15 unsuccessful IVF cycles, they were told that donor sperm was likely the only way forward. But for the Orthodox Jewish couple, that wasn’t a viable option.
“There really was nothing else out there,” Rosie, now 38, told TIME Magazine. “In fertility years, I was reaching my end.”
How the STAR System Works
AI Fertility Technology: How STAR Helped a Woman Conceive
Enter STAR, a system inspired by astronomy. Dr. Hemant Suryawanshi, Assistant Professor at Columbia, led the development of the technology, drawing on techniques used by astrophysicists to find new stars and planets hidden in vast data sets. Together with Dr. Zev Williams and a dedicated team, they adapted this idea to the microscopic world of sperm detection.
STAR combines an AI-powered image recognition algorithm with a fluidic chip that processes the semen sample. As the sample passes through, the AI scans millions of cells in real-time. If it detects sperm, it directs that microscopic portion of fluid into a separate channel for collection.
“I liken it to finding a needle hidden within a thousand haystacks,” says Dr. Williams. “But it can do that in a couple of hours, and so gently that the sperm that we recover can be used to fertilize an egg.”
In one stunning test, the embryology team spent two full days searching a sample and found nothing. STAR found 44 sperm in less than an hour.
A History-Making Pregnancy
Rosie and her husband learned about STAR through a community group. After studying the science and meeting with Dr. Williams and his team, they decided to try one more IVF cycle.
It wasn’t much different from their previous attempts except this time, the STAR system was used to analyze and recover sperm. The system worked. Within two hours, doctors had fertilized Rosie’s eggs. A few days later, they implanted a healthy embryo into her uterus.
“I still wake up in the morning and can’t believe if this is true or not,” Rosie said. She is now four months pregnant and receiving standard prenatal care.
What This Means for the Future of Fertility
The STAR system is now being offered as routine care at Columbia University Fertility Center for patients with azoospermia. But its potential may reach far beyond this condition. As Dr. Williams explains, AI could soon help detect other hidden causes of infertility, factors doctors are currently “blind to.”
“The dream is to develop technologies so that those who are told ‘you have no chance of being able to have a child’ can now go on to have healthy children,” says Williams.
With AI offering both precision and gentle handling of sperm, it could become a game-changer for couples who’ve nearly given up hope. For Rosie and her husband, it already has.
Sources:
TIME Magazine article on STAR
Columbia University Fertility Center
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