IVF with PGD

PGD is generally used to detect anomalies in the number or structure of the chromosomes of embryos.

Genetic screening is one of the latest and most sophisticated techniques used to test for genetic disorders by direct examination of the DNA itself.

The method of genetic screening used in In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) is Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD).

PGD is generally used to detect anomalies in the number or structure of the chromosomes of embryos. When embryos have abnormal chromosomes, this may prevent implantation to the uterine lining, lead to pregnancy loss, or result in the birth of a child with physical and/or mental disabilities. PGD may help prevent these adverse outcomes by identifying affected embryos as they are developing in the laboratory before being transferred back to the patient’s uterus during the IVF Cycle.

Two options are available for PGD of embryos. The PGD team of doctors, geneticists and embryologists will decide which procedure to use.

 Polar Body Biopsy

The maturing egg produces two small cells, known as the polar bodies, which degenerate after fertilisation. The chromosomal content of these cells allows us to infer the chromosomal content of the egg. To test the polar body, an opening is made in the shell (zona pellucida) of the egg. The polar body is carefully removed and analyzed while the egg is kept in culture in an incubator.

Analysis of polar bodies provides information only from the mother. Chromosome abnormalities that may occur after fertilisation, when the sperm meets the egg, will not be detected via polar body biopsy.

Embryo or Blastomere Biopsy

To test an embryo, some blastomeric or embryonic cells are removed via a microscopic opening made in the outer shell of the embryo during its fifth day of development (blast cyst stage). The embryo is then frozen and kept in storage while the cells are analyzed by PGD