• Treatment
  • In vitro fertilisation (IVF)
  • Intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)
  • Intrauterine insemination (IUI)
  • Donor insemination (DI)
  • Genetic testing
    • Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD)
    • Pre-implantation genetic screening (PGS)
    • Pre-implantation tissue typing (PTT)
  • Gamete intra fallopian transfer (GIFT)
  • In vitro maturation (IVM)
  • Reproductive immunology
  • Surrogacy
  • Fertility drugs
  • Surgery
• Storage
• Using donated sperm, eggs or embryos in your treatment
• When treatment fails, what next?
• Risks of fertility treatment

What is pre-implantation genetic testing?

Pre-implantation genetic testing involves carrying out tests on embryos created through in vitro fertilisation (IVF) or intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) to detect certain inherited conditions or abnormalities.

This helps to ensure that only unaffected embryos are selected before they are transferred to the womb.

Conventional pre-natal tests for genetic diseases cannot be carried out until the 12th week of pregnancy.

Testing embryos before they are implanted could help you and your partner to avoid having to make the difficult decision whether to have an abortion if either of you is the carrier of a genetic condition and the embryo is affected.

 

Pre-implantation genetic testing options:

• Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) 
• Pre-implantation genetic screening (PGS)
• Pre-implantation tissue typing ('saviour siblings')

 

Page last updated: 23 October 2009

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