Our North Dallas fertility center specializes in the preventive treatment of PGD
Men and women rely on Dr. James Douglas to increase pregnancy chances, as well as to help safeguard the health of the baby. With advanced reproductive technologies (ART), we have the ability to biopsy embryos in the IVF lab to greatly reduce the odds for passing along devastating inheritable genetic diseases and unbalanced chromosomal defects.
Preimplantation genetic diagnosis, PGD, is performed in a cycle of IVF, after egg retrieval and fertilization and before Dr. Douglas transfers the embryo(s). After the embryo implants, you have fewer choices. Rather than wait for an amniocentesis during pregnancy, PGD gives parents the ability to transfer only unaffected embryos.
Our North Dallas fertility center provides patients access to a fully accredited IVF lab under the direction of some of the most accomplished embryologists in the country. Genetic diagnosis involves removing cells from a growing embryo, usually on Day 5, 6 or 7, so experience with a laser technique is critical to success.
You should also choose a fertility center with an established ARTS program and an IVF lab with demonstrated proficiency in culture medium (the environment in which the embryo resides), cryopreservation and IVF success rates.
Who benefits from PGD?
Dr. Douglas will consult with you about having PGD if you have a family history of inheritable genetic disease or fall into a high-risk category. Certain populations are more prone to gene mutations that are passed on from generation to generation. Autosomal diseases can occur when both the mother and the father are carriers.
Examples of inheritable genetic diseases and the vulnerable ethnicities include:
- Alpha thalassemia (Southeast Asian, Middle Eastern, Chinese and African)
- Cystic fibrosis (1 in 25 Caucasians)
- Sickle cell disease (African American)
- Tay Sachs disease (Ashkenazi Jewish and French Canadian)
Another application of genetic testing, preimplantation genetic screening, finds abnormal chromosomal arrangements (a well-known chromosomal defect is Trisomy 21, or Downs syndrome). Read more here about chromosomal or aneuploidy screening.
Patients experiencing recurrent miscarriage, repeated IVF failure or unexplained infertility benefit from PGS/PGD. It is also a widely recognized protocol for helping women overcome advanced maternal age to conceive.
Our North Dallas fertility center performs trophectoderm biopsy
Waiting until Day 5, 6 or 7 of embryo development allows us to take advantage of greater access to genetic data with a minimally invasive approach. At this stage, the embryo has matured to form both the inner cell mass and what will become the placenta (trophectoderm).
We sometimes arrive at the biopsy stage having first analyzed results from preconception testing. Blood or saliva screening that a leading genetics lab provides for our North Dallas fertility center identifies genetic mutations. When both partners test positive for a gene mutation, the chances are 1 in 4 that their offspring will suffer from the active form of the disease.
A genetics counselor and conversations with your fertility specialist will help you weigh the pros and cons of the PGD fertility treatment.
Having answers and options before conception gives our patients peace of mind. What’s more, PGD tends to result in greater IVF success rates because we know that the embryos are genetically sound prior to transfer. Contact our North Dallas fertility center for more information about this preventive fertility treatment.
