Nashville Fertility

PGD

PGD provides peace of mind

For patients who are concerned about passing a heritable disease on to their children, our Tennessee fertility center can provide peace of mind through preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD. This advanced genetic study of embryos created through in vitro fertilization, or IVF, allows for healthy embryos to be separated from those with specific genetic disorders. This makes it possible to break the chain of certain diseases that run in families.

With PGD, a cell group from each embryo is removed and sent to our in-house genetics lab for advanced testing; then the embryos are frozen until results are available. Geneticists test for the specific gene related to the disorder being studied, identifying whether each embryo is normal or a carrier of the disease.

Only embryos that are unaffected by the genetic disorder are selected for transfer to the woman’s uterus by our Tennessee fertility center physicians. This greatly improves the chances that any babies born from the IVF cycle will be healthy and disease-free.

What diseases can PGD identify?

This test looks for the genes that are known to be linked to specific inherited diseases, which can be either sex-linked or single-gene disorders. Through our Tennessee fertility center, patients can have their embryos tested for hundreds of genetic diseases, including:

  • Hemophilia
  • Cystic fibrosis
  • Duchennes muscular dystrophy
  • Tay-Sachs disease
  • Sickle cell anemia
  • Thalassemia
  • Spinal muscular atrophy
  • Fragile X syndrome

As scientists continue to study the human genome and develop more advanced genetic testing techniques, the list of available tests grows.

Is this test a good choice for you?

Because having a healthy baby is important to the men and women who have a history of heritable diseases in their families, many patients come to our Tennessee fertility center hoping to grow their families through IVF with PGD, even when they do not suffer from infertility.

For our patients who need IVF to overcome fertility challenges, PGD is an extra step that can add peace of mind if a disease is known to run in either partner’s family and results from preconception testing identify gene mutations in both partners.

If you or your partner is a known carrier of a genetic disease, or if you’re concerned about a genetic disease that runs in your family, talk to a fertility specialist at our Tennessee fertility center about PGD.

Contact us to schedule a consultation.

(615) 321-4740