PGD – Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis

What Is PGD Testing?

During your IVF cycle, your doctor and fertility specialists perform PGD testing. This happens after egg retrieval and fertilization but before embryo transfer. PGD testing allows your doctor to examine the embryos for genetic flaws.

PGD aims to detect specific genetic disorders that could be inherited by your biological child. By analyzing the embryos’ DNA, doctors can reduce the risk of passing hereditary diseases like HIV to your child in case of a successful pregnancy. In this process, embryos with defective genes are separated from those without. The healthy embryos are then implanted into the uterus.

PGD can diagnose various diseases, including BRAC 1 & 2, Cystic Fibrosis, Huntington’s disease, Hemophilia A, and more.

Of course, Dr Matthaios Fraidakis and the medical team of Chania Fertility Unit, will completely inform you about the whole procedure. With their 35 years of experience, they can provide every information needed regarding the PGD Testing.

Who should undergo the PGD Test?

The aim of PGD testing is to lower the chances of your child inheriting chromosomal abnormalities or genetic diseases. If you and your spouse both carry the same genetic abnormality, there is a 25% risk of passing it on through reproduction.

PGD testing is particularly important for potential parents with specific medical conditions. These include:

  • Women over the age of 37.
  • Parents with hereditary disorders like cystic fibrosis.
  • Those with a history of chromosomal abnormalities leading to repeated miscarriages.

What PGD testing has to offer

PGD is commonly chosen by parents-to-be, especially those using IVF, to reduce the risk of passing specific genetic illnesses to their children. With PGD testing, you and your medical team can:

  • Identify embryos with one or more genetic diseases and disorders, avoiding their fertilization.
  • Allow parents carrying genetic illnesses to conceive with a significantly lower risk of passing these issues to their children.
  • Increase the likelihood of a healthy pregnancy by transferring the strongest and healthiest embryos into the uterus. This prevents genetically defective embryos from being implanted.
  • Reassess your decision to proceed with the pregnancy based on the quality of the available embryos, as implantation has not yet occurred.
  • Determine the sex of the embryos and choose which to implant. This is known as gender selection in some reproductive clinics. However, remember that genetic selection is unpredictable. You can influence the odds, but there are no guarantees.

Remember, PGD doesn’t screen for all potential genetic diseases. While it reduces the risk of having a child with specific known genetic diseases, it doesn’t eliminate this danger. Additional testing may still be necessary during pregnancy.

If considering PGD, be prepared for the possibility that none of your embryos may be suitable for implantation due to genetic defects. Although this outcome can be devastating, your doctors will guide you on the next steps toward a healthy pregnancy.

For parents without known genetic illnesses, preimplantation genetic screening (PGS/PGT-A) might be more suitable. It allows investigation of chromosomal abnormalities and the option of sex selection.

Despite potential drawbacks, many parents find the benefits of PGD to be substantial and worthwhile.

 

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