In Vitro Fertilization and Preimplantation Genetic Screening
At The Center for Fertility and Gynecology, our foremost goal is to make the dreams of couples come true by helping them to have healthy, happy babies. To help promote the health of these babies, we offer preimplantation genetic screening, or PGS, as a method of testing for chromosomal normalcy of an embryo prior to in vitro fertilization, or IVF. Although PGS does not guarantee a successful IVF cycle, the selective transfer of embryos most likely to have a normal number of chromosomes does improve IVF success rates while reducing the rate of miscarriages.
Dr. Michael Vermesh and Dr. Vuk Jovanovic are happy to discuss the benefits and risks associated with combining IVF and PGS during consultations at our Los Angeles, CA fertility clinic. If you would like to learn more about preimplantation genetic screening and it could improve your chances of becoming pregnant through IVF, please schedule your initial consultation with one of our esteemed, double-board-certified fertility specialists at The Center for Fertility and Gynecology today.
What Is Preimplantation Genetic Screening (PGS)?
Preimplantation genetic screening, or PGS, is a genetic test that is performed to determine whether an IVF embryo has the normal number of chromosomes for a human, namely 23 pairs, or 46 in total. This is done through the removal and testing of one or more cells from an IVF embryo. While PGS does not test for specific diseases, it is able to detect abnormalities in all 23 pairs of chromosomes, with a relatively low error rate of approximately 2 percent.
Chromosomal abnormalities in IVF embryos are extremely common, especially among women above the age of 35. By the time a woman reaches the age of 38, the average IVF patient has about 50 percent chromosomally abnormal embryos; at 42, this number rises to approximately 70 percent. The average 44-year-old woman has roughly 90 percent chromosomally abnormal embryos, which helps to explain why IVF success rates decline sharply with each passing year after a woman reaches the age of 40.
Chromosomal abnormalities are largely responsible for both the failure of embryos to implant and miscarriages early in pregnancy among IVF patients.
Benefits of PGS
Again, it is important to stress that PGS does not guarantee successful pregnancy. However, especially among patients over the age of 35, it certainly improves the odds that IVF will be successful. It also allows our physicians to transfer single embryos that have high chances of success, which reduces the risk of multiple births and related complications. For older patients, patients who have had a history of miscarriage, and patients who have undergone IVF without success in the past, a fertility treatment plan that combines PGS and IVF may be the best possible solution.
Learn More about IVF and PGS
If you are interested in learning more about IVF and PGS, or you would like to schedule a consultation with Dr. Michael Vermesh or Dr. Vuk Jovanovic, please contact The Center for Fertility and Gynecology today.
