PGDlab : For Physicians : What is PGD

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is a reproductive technology used with an in-vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle. Until recently, PGD was typically used for diagnosis of a genetic disease in early embryos prior to implantation and pregnancy. Now, the major application of PGD is in the field of assisted reproduction for aneuploidy screening and diagnosis of unbalanced inheritance of chromosome abnormalities (translocations). The most common type of PGD today involves testing of embryos for a panel of the most common chromosome abnormalities (aneuploidy screening) and using only normal embryos to attempt a pregnancy. Each IVF cycle, therefore, has a better potential outcome, since embryos screened in this way have been shown to have a higher rate of implantation in the uterus, lower spontaneous loss rate, and a reduced risk of trisomic offspring (i.e. Down syndrome).

Many couples have benefited from the use of PGD. If you answer yes to any of the following questions, PGD may be helpful for you.

Please click on the appropriate question for more information.

• Is your patient a woman over 35?
• Has your patient experienced several miscarriages?
• Has your patient had a prior pregnancy with a chromosome abnormality?
• Has your patient experienced several failed IVF cycles?
• Is your patient conceiving a pregnancy been difficult due to a low sperm count?
• Does your patient or patient's partner carry a balanced structural chromosome rearrangement?
• Does your patient have a family history of Huntington disease?
• Does your patient or patient's partner carry a recessive genetic disease such as cystic fibrosis?
• Does your patient or patient's partner carry an X-linked genetic disease such as hemophilia or Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy?
• Does your patient want to balance the gender in your family?

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