Genetic testing allows doctors to identify any potential for gene abnormalities in an embryo. Some testing occurs before beginning your IVF cycle. These tests look at couples who are at risk due to age-related genetic complications or who have a family history of genetic disorders and birth defects. There are also genetic tests that your doctor and an embryologist perform on your IVF embryos before implantation.
Testing Options Available for IVF in Beverly Hills
As you see, testing may occur at two crucial stages in your IVF journey: before your actual IVF cycle begins and after your embryos develop, before the embryo transfer. Here, we take a look at your genetic testing options available in Beverly Hills. We also tell you how your doctor performs these tests and what you may expect from the results.
Pre-Pregnancy Genetic Screening
Pre-pregnancy genetic screening of both parents helps your doctor identify the potential for inherited genetic conditions as well as any condition related to your age. A simple saliva test determines whether or not you or your partner carry a genetic inherited condition. You may be a carrier and not have the condition yourself.
If both you and your partner carry the genetic mutation, your future children are at grave risk of developing the genetic condition. Because pre-pregnancy genetic screening takes place before IVF begins you’re able to make informed decisions as to how you may proceed.
Pre-pregnancy genetic screening identifies genetic conditions related to ethnic and racial background, such as Tay-Sachs, sickle-cell anemia, thalassemia, and certain neural tube defects. Your doctor apprises you of the risks based on your ethnic and racial background before recommending pre-pregnancy genetic screening.
Some couples have a family history of certain genetic diseases like cystic fibrosis, cleft palate, spina bifida, and certain heart and blood vessel disorders. The risk for chromosomal disorders such as Down syndrome, trisomy 18, trisomy 13, and others, is greater with a mother of advanced maternal age.
No single test identifies all of the risks that may lead to birth defects. Genetic screening doesn’t uncover birth defects such as those related to toxic and environmental exposure or random and unexplained issues.
Pre-Implantation Genetic Screening
Pre-implantation genetic testing, or PGT, helps identify those embryos with chromosomal abnormalities before the embryo transfer. This lowers your risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, and delivering a baby with serious birth defects. The embryologist performs PGT around day 5 after fertilization. The test does not damage the embryo in any way and involves cells taken from the pre-placenta portion of the developing embryo. The lab analyzes the cells’ DNA for genetic abnormalities.
The two types of PGT most commonly performed are PGT-A, which tests for aneuploidy, and PGT-M, which tests for monogenic diseases. Both testing provides highly reliable results, greater than 97% accuracy. Here are the differences in these pre-implantation genetic screening tests available for IVF in Beverly Hills and the surrounding area.
testing kit
PGT-A: Aneuploidy occurs when the embryo has the wrong number of chromosomes. A normal human embryo has 46 chromosomes, 23 from each biological parent’s genetic material (egg and sperm). If the embryo has 46 chromosomes, there is very little risk of chromosomal abnormalities. Some conditions caused by an abnormal number of chromosomes. Down syndrome, Turner syndrome,
This test offers older mothers the opportunity to avoid the issues associated with chromosomal disorders for which they are especially at risk. Others who benefit from PGT-A:
- Those who already have or had, a child with chromosomal abnormalities
- Those who suffered multiple miscarriages
- Those who’ve had more than two failed IVF cycles
- Those who wish to reduce the risk of a chromosomal abnormality in their child
PGT-M: Monogenic diseases are those which run in families. There are certain conditions linked to ethnicity, such as Tay-Sachs, sickle cell anemia, or thalassemia. PGT-M uncovers other monogenic conditions like cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, and fragile-X syndrome. Couples identified as carriers through pre-pregnancy genetic screening but have opted for IVF using their genetic material benefit from PGT-M as a means for identifying embryos with the monogenic condition.
Your Doctor May Require A Third Pre-Implantation Genetic Test
PGT-SR is a third pre-implantation genetic screening test that benefits a specific group of IVF patients. Those patients who’ve experienced multiple miscarriages and those who have had several failed IVF attempts may themselves suffer from a chromosomal structural rearrangement. A much more complex test, PGT-SR checks the embryos for structural rearrangements and abnormalities in the chromosomes, such as translocation, deletion, inversion, and insertion. If your doctor deems it necessary, they advise PGT-SR.
The Journey of A Lifetime
For more information on your genetic testing options for IVF in Beverly Hills, please contact LA IVF. We partner with you for the journey of a lifetime and do everything to make your dreams come true. Schedule your Beverly Hills consultation today and let’s begin together.
