Preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy can help you make informed decisions about fertility
Preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) was once called preimplantation genetic screening (PGS). Our Nashville fertility clinic team recommends this type of testing to patients who are concerned about chromosomal abnormalities. It’s also a great option for women are over 35, patients who have had recurrent miscarriages or repeated IVF failure, or have unexplained infertility. PGT-A provides valuable information that can help men and women have healthy families.
What is preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy?
PGT-A involves multiple steps at our Nashville fertility clinic. First, our embryologists biopsy an embryo. This involves removing a sample of multiple cells from the outer layer of Day 5 or Day 6 IVF embryo. This process does not touch the inner cell mass, which will become the baby. As a result, the risk to the embryo during the biopsy is very low.
After our embryologists remove a sample of cells, the embryos are frozen using a process called vitrification. The embryos stay frozen in the IVF laboratory and the biopsied cells are sent to a reference genetics lab for testing. The reference lab for our Nashville fertility clinic is Ovation® Fertility, a leader in preimplantation genetic testing.
At the reference lab, the embryologists count the number of chromosomes in each sample. Most humans have a total of 23 pairs of chromosomes. If an embryo has too many or too few chromosomes, it may have chromosomal problems.
It generally takes seven to 10 days before the results are ready and arrive at the fertility clinic. After the fertility clinic receives the report, the team will discuss the results with the patient.
The purpose of screening
Preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy can screen embryos to ensure each one contains the correct number of chromosomes. However, it cannot detect specific genetic disorders.
By utilizing preimplantation genetic testing, our Nashville fertility clinic can determine which embryos are genetically normal. This helps prevent the transfer of embryos that have a higher likelihood of resulting in a variety of problems.
- Miscarriage
- Implantation failure
- Chromosomal disorders like Down syndrome or Turner syndrome
- Other issues that may cause a fertility treatment to fail
In addition, PGT-A at our Nashville fertility clinic helps to prevent pregnancies with multiples because physicians are able to transfer one embryo at a time, and the embryo that is transferred will have a higher chance of resulting in a viable pregnancy.
At our Nashville fertility clinic we believe preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy is a helpful tool in identifying embryos that are good candidates for transfer, and will continue our research as the field of PGT-A evolves. Contact us for more information.
