What is PSG?
Posted on March 13, 2009
While I was reading the recent issue of Twins Magazine there was a letter to the editor stating that twins were going to be a thing of the past due to the PGS technology doctors are starting to use with IVF cycles. I had heard of PGS, but didn’t know much about it so I did a little research. While I do think that PGS will improve the success rates of IVF as it is more widely adopted, it will have to be used in tandem with eSET in order to reduce the rate of twinning. To do otherwise, might actually increase the rate of twins.
Here is what I’ve learned. Preimplantation Genetic Screening (PGS) tests an embryo for abnormalities. This technology has been around since the 1980′s! With PGS the healthy embryo is transferred, usually only one at a time, for the best changes of a singleton pregnancy. It does not appear that PGS will determine the “healthiest” embryo, but instead determine if an embryo has a chromosonal abnormaility, such as Cycstic Fibrosis, Hemophilia, or Down Syndrom. PGS has been shown to reduce the miscarriage rate for women over 35 years old. It can be used in women over 40 years of age so that their doctors only transfer only healthy embryos, reducing the risk of abnomalities for this age group.
The procedure for PGS appears to be fairly safe. According to the articles I read there is little or no risk of damage to the embryo when a cell is removed at day 3, one articled stated less than 1 percent risk of damage. However, there is a fairly high rate of misdiagnoses, around 10 percent, whether it be false positives or false negatives. The really good news is that the use of PGS increases implantation rates. Since only a healthy embryo is transferred, there is a higher probably that implantation will actually take place.
Should you use it? According to Care-Life.com you should consider PGS when you have had multiple miscarriages, you’ve had at least two failed IVF cycles, you are older than 40 (i.e., advanced maternal age), family history with chromosonal abnormailities or diseases (such as breast cancer or alzheimer’s), severe male factor infertility, or unexplained infertility.
PGS is of great debate as it has been deemed the technology that can determine the gender of your baby. Want a girl? Use PGS with IVF to acheive your goal. Seriously, while I know people are using it for this, I think the majority of women/couples just want a healthy baby.
To read a more scientic explanation of PGS, visit ivf-infertility.com.
What do you think of PGS? Have we gone to far with technology? Or is this a good thing for couples who must resort to IVF to have a baby?
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