Preimplantation Genetic Screening (PGS) / Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD)

In the last decade, many if not most of our patients are utilizing pre-implantation genetic screening (PGS) as a means of lowering the number of transferred embryos to achieve live birth, reducing the overall number of transfers to achieve live birth, and decreasing the likelihood of miscarriage.  For patients at risk of transmitting a genetic disease to their offspring, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) can improve the chance that a healthy baby will be born. PGD, or pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, is a technology that improves the likelihood of having a healthy baby. These techniques should be performed only by individuals with a high level of comfort and experience, such as our scientists at Austin Fertility Institute.

IVF is required as a precursor to PGS or PGD, since it allows embryos to be readily available for assessment. Five to six days after egg retrieval, a majority of the embryos have usually grown to about 100 or more cells in size. Three to five cells are removed from each embryo through embryo biopsy, and a genetic evaluation is performed on the DNA obtained from each of these cells. The results are available within a week; since the embryos are frozen on the day of biopsy, a frozen embryo transfer (FET) is recommended to maintain synchronization between the embryo and the uterus.

Since PGS and PGD are not a routine part of IVF, there is an additional cost for the service that is variable dependent upon the type of genetic testing performed. Patients considering this procedure should undergo an in-depth consultation with our physicians (and a genetic counselor as needed) before proceeding with treatment.