(July 1) - A simple test may be able to determine a woman's success or failure in getting pregnant through in vitro fertilization, BBC News reported Wednesday.

According to new research conducted in Ireland, a group of genes in women who got pregnant and those who did not showed marked differences at the start of fertility treatment.

A blood test based on the activity of this group of some 200 genes could help women and their doctors decide whether to keep going with IVF, a researcher said. However, experts cautioned that more research would be needed on a larger group of women to determine if the test really works.

"It's going to be a while before we have a clinical test but my gut feeling is it will be useful for identifying the unfavorable profile -- those who won't get pregnant," one expert said.

Read the full story on BBC News.