A study by Institut Marques in Ireland has shown that playing music, specifically Barry White, to embryos in petri dishes during the first five days of incubation increases the success rate of IVF. It is conjectured that the vibrations mimic the movement of the embryo from Fallopian tubes to the womb in the days after fertilisation.

A second claim, made by the same Institute, suggests that babies as young as 16 weeks respond to music played by a "Babypod" - a speaker inserted in the vagina. And that some parents at the Institute use the "Babypod" as part of their fertility treatment.

Update 2016-07-13