Our Long Island New York fertility center offers Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) to patients at risk for genetic diseases and to help reduce the incidence of miscarriage. Using PGD, embryos suspected of genetic abnormalities are examined prior to transfer and only normal embryos are placed into the uterus. PDG is performed as a part of an IVF Cycle.
PGD helps reduce the incidence of genetic disease in some couples. Many genetic diseases are sex-linked meaning they can only be transferred to a child of a particular gender. Hemophilia is an example of a sex-linked disease that is transferred to male children. Using PGD, only female embryos will be transferred to the uterus thus eliminating the chance for hemophilia in the child.
Preimplantation Genetic Screening (PGS)*
Chromosomal abnormalities are responsible for a substantial proportion of early pregnancy losses and increase with maternal age. Egg quality is considered to be the major cause of reduced implantation rates, and therefore viable pregnancy rates, with advanced maternal age. Pregnancy rates drop with increasing age of the female partner.
Preimplantation Genetic Screening (PGS) involves testing individual cells removed from embryos before their replacement back into the uterus, with the intention of selecting normal embryos. PGD can screen for aneuploidy (abnormal number of chromosomes), broken chromosomes, translocations and others.
PGD uses two methods to examine embryos. Fluorescent in situ hybridization involves labeling the chromosomes with a fluorescent dye. PCR, the polymerase chain reaction, enables the embryologist to make multiple copies of the DNA for evaluation.
Patients entering our New York PGD program undergo similar protocols. After consulting with our PGD program director, the patient is referred to our geneticist. Blood will be drawn from both partners and sent to the genetics laboratory. In the meantime the patient is prepared to undergo an IVF cycle.
Once PGD preparations are completed (about 2 months), patients start an IVF cycle. After the eggs are fertilized in the lab and developed into embryos, our specially trained embryologists will remove a single cell from each viable embryo (embryo biopsy). After further processing by our
skilled staff, all the biopsied cells will be shipped to the genetics lab for testing.
Once the PGD results are obtained, we choose healthy embryos which are transferred into the uterus. Unused, normal embryos may be frozen (cryopreserved) for future use.
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