Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis

In PGD, we screen embryos for specific mutations which lead to genetic disorders and implant only those embryos which do not have those mutations and thus resulting in a healthy pregnancy.

Woman is given fertility injections to produce plenty of eggs. These are then fertilized through direct injection of sperm into egg

Embryos are allowed to develop for 5 – 6 days, and only a few of them will develop into healthy embryos after 5 – 6 days

A few cells are microsurgically removed from the healthy embryos and the embryos are frozen.

The cells are then shipped to a genetic laboratory where they are screened for the specific mutation that leads to the genetic abnormality which we want to avoid. We can thus use only the unaffected embryos which will not pass on the genetic disorder

The woman takes hormones for a few weeks to prepare uterine lining for embryo transfer.

On the day of transfer, the embryo is thawed and transferred.

After embryo transfer you may resume your normal activities, as moving around enhances blood flow to the uterus. However, this is not necessary and you can do what feels right for you. The first pregnancy tests begin two weeks after ET because the hormone used to trigger ovulation is the same as the one used to test for pregnancy, and since it might still linger in the bloodstream it could result in false results. The IVF center would advise you in matters taking into consideration your unique makeup.

Embryos can suffer damage when cells are extracted for testing and this can prevent it from developing after transferring. Also since a few cells need not represent the embryo, a healthy embryo may give a negative test result. There is the added risk that all of the embryos are found to have the genetic mutation and hence no embryos available for implantation.

Success rates vary across individual cases. It depends on many factors, such as the woman’s age, existing fertility conditions, to mention a few.