Increasing IVF Success Rates Through Comprehensive Chromosome Screening

Image source: seeker.com

Patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) have the option to have the embryo assessed through Comprehensive Chromosome Screening (CCS). The primary purpose of CCS is to transfer embryos that possess the appropriate number of chromosomes after thorough analysis and selection.

Due to tremendous improvements in CCS, genetic screening of embryos can help those patients who had undergone multiple IVF cycles, patients who have a history of miscarriage, and women 35 years of age or older whose eggs are at a higher risk of chromosome errors. CSS helps patients achieve higher implantation rates and less pregnancy terminations.

When the embryo created by the IVF process reaches the blastocyst stage (day 5-6), the doctor removes a few cells from the embryo. The chromosomes present in an embryo’s cell are then counted.

Image source: mentalfloss.com

Normally, each cell contains 23 pairs of chromosomes. Aneuploidy is the condition in which there is a presence of abnormality in the number of chromosomes. Studies show that aneuploidy causes over 60 percent of miscarriages and reduces the success rate of IVF. The risk of producing an embryo with aneuploidy increases as a woman ages. Thus, the risk of miscarriage also increases as a woman ages. Implanting embryos with the correct number of chromosomes then improves the success rate of pregnancy and IVF.

Patients who will be freezing all of their embryos and those who wish to have only one transplant can also benefit from CCS. This preimplantation genetic screening can truly make a positive impact on IVF.

High Quality Affordable Fertility Centers provides individuals and couples with state-of-the-art pregnancy and fertility services. For more information about the clinic, visit this website.

PGD: Lowering The Risk Of Babies Inheriting Genetic Disorders

One of the many wonders of conceiving via fertility treatments is that babies can be healthier through such methods. This is because a process known as Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) is undertaken before the embryo is attached to the mother’s womb. PDG is a laboratory procedure performed in conjunction with in vitro fertilization (IVF) to detect genetic diseases. This prevents certain parental disorders from being passed on to the child. In fact, even families in search of a bone marrow donor can have recourse to PGD to bring a child into the world by providing matching stem cells.

Image source: nature.com

PGD is done concurrent to egg retrieval and fertilization in the laboratory. Over the next few days, the embryo will divide into eight cells. One or two cells are then removed from the embryo. The cells are carefully examined to identify problematic genes, or to determine their presence. After which, the embryo is placed back in the uterus, and implantation is performed. Remaining embryos free of genetic problems can be frozen for later use while those with problematic genes are destroyed.

While PGD is not necessarily compulsory in an IVF treatment, it is best done for individuals who have genetic conditions. Candidates are usually carriers of sex-linked genetic disorders, single gene disorders, those with chromosomal disorders, women aged 35 and over, women experiencing recurring pregnancy loss, and women with more than one failed fertility treatment.

Image source: americanpregnancy.org

Visit the High Quality Affordable Fertility Centers website to know more fertility options.