Intended Parents

Embryo Genetic Testing Risks and Benefits

Genetic testing can help identify chromosomal abnormalities to ensure that only the healthiest embryos are transferred. This increases your chances of pregnancy with fewer embryo transfers and reduces the likelihood of passing on genetic conditions.

However, as with any medical procedure, there are potential risks.

Contact us online if surrogacy could be right for your journey to becoming a parent. You must have embryos secured before you can move on to the next stage of the process, finding a surrogate.

If you already have your embryos, you can start looking at surrogates right now.

This article will look at the genetic testing of embryos and its pros and cons more in-depth so you can make the decision that’s best for your circumstances.

Genetic Testing of Embryos: Pros and Cons

Knowing the types of PGT is one thing, knowing the pros and cons of genetic screening of embryos can help you make an informed decision whether that’s the type of PGT or whether to utilize it or not.

The benefits of genetic testing of embryos include:

Only the highest quality and graded embryos are chosen for transfer. PGT identifies which embryos have the best chance to implant and develop into a pregnancy.

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine published this September 2019 report that found PGT-A reduced clinical loss risk amongst recurrent pregnancy loss patients (32% vs 15%).

PGT-M can alleviate the fears and concerns you may have about your child inheriting genetic disorders from your or your partner’s families.

While the risks of embryo genetic testing could be:

Cost: The cost varies and is dependent on your professional but PGT can cost anywhere from $4,000-$10,000 on top of the fees that come with IVF.
Emotional Impact: Whether PGT has identified embryos that are not viable for transfer or produces false positive or false negative test results, this risk of genetic embryo testing opens you up to a wide range of negative emotions depending on what you learn from the tests.
Ethical Concerns: PGT is an established practice to help those looking to grow their family but ethical concerns such as creating ‘Designer Babies,’ informed consent and more exist.

Does Genetic Testing Damage Embryos?

Genetic testing can damage embryos, from how the embryos are handled to the biopsy itself and the freezing and thawing process, but the risk is small.

Only about 5% of embryos are lost as a result of PGT.

What Types of PGT Are There?

Different types of PGT address different aspect of the embryo.

The type of PGT determines the risks and advantages of PGT. There are three primary types of PGT when it comes to IVF:

PGT-A identifies the number of chromosomes in an embryo. Too many or too few chromosomes can lead to Down syndrome, Turner syndrome and Patau syndrome.

PGT-M finds single gene mutations that you or your partner may carry and could pass on to your child. Common disorders, among others, that PGT-M can look for include cystic fibrosis, Tay-Sachs and Huntington’s disease.

PGT-SR ensures that an embryo has the right amount of DNA so that when it’s transferred, it can be either a genetically normal embryo or a genetically balanced embryo.

Is Embryo Genetic Testing Worth It?

PGT can be worth it depending on your goals with IVF and your specific situation. Especially if:

You are over the age of 35
You or your partner have a family history of inherited genetic disease
IVF has failed multiple times
You want to select the gender of your child
You or your partner have had recurrent miscarriages due to chromosomal abnormalities

Learn more about what the results of PGT mean

Is Surrogacy Right For Me?

I want to become a...

Have you had at least one healthy pregnancy before?

Are you between the ages of 21-41?

Did you enjoy being pregnant?

Are you currently parenting a child?

Are you motivated by the idea of helping someone else start a family?

Would surrogacy compensation be beneficial to yourself and your family?

Would you like to speak with a surrogacy professional about the first steps of the process?

Have you explored several family-building options?

Have you chosen a fertility clinic for your surrogacy process?

Have you created an embryos, or begun the process of creating embryos, for your surrogacy journey?

Have you looked into the cost of surrogacy and thought of a financial plan for the process?

Are you interested in learning more about the surrogacy process?

Yes!

Why?

Yes!

Why?

Is Surrogacy Right For Me?

I want to become a...

Have you had at least one healthy pregnancy before?

Are you between the ages of 21-41?

Did you enjoy being pregnant?

Are you currently parenting a child?

Are you motivated by the idea of helping someone else start a family?

Would surrogacy compensation be beneficial to yourself and your family?

Would you like to speak with a surrogacy professional about the first steps of the process?

Have you explored several family-building options?

Have you chosen a fertility clinic for your surrogacy process?

Have you created an embryos, or begun the process of creating embryos, for your surrogacy journey?

Have you looked into the cost of surrogacy and thought of a financial plan for the process?

Are you interested in learning more about the surrogacy process?

Calculating...

Yes!

Why?

Yes!

Why?

Intended Parents

Embryo Genetic Testing Risks and Benefits

Genetic Testing of Embryos: Pros and Cons

Does Genetic Testing Damage Embryos?

What Types of PGT Are There?

Is Embryo Genetic Testing Worth It?

Is Surrogacy Right For Me?