12:48pm UK, Wednesday June 21, 2006

Doctors are helping women become pregnant - by sending in the clowns.

Women undergoing treatment at a fertility clinic in Israel began falling pregnant after a bedside performance by professional clown Shlomi Algussi.

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Laughter is the best medicine

Dressed in a chef's hat and yellow and white vest he told jokes, did magic tricks, and played the fool in front of patients, asking them: "Did you order steak flambe or chocolate gateaux?"

The women, who had been implanted with embryos, saw theirpregnancy rates shoot up from 20% to 35%.

Dr Shevach Friedler, who came up with the idea, said: "We know that fertility patients are very stressed, and laughter could have an effect on the immune system."

Dr Friedler has a theatrical background himself, having graduated from the Jacques Lecoq school of mime in Paris.

"A clown with a red nose is fine for children, but we had to invent a new character for these adult women," he said.

The restaurant chef character was found to produce the desired response from patients.

A study of the effect of "medical clowning" was presented to the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Fertilisation and Embryology in Prague.

"After embryo transfer, stress could be critical, so we think this is a good time to use clowning," said Dr Friedler.

"I didn't expect such a good result. The response from the women was wonderful."