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Embryo testing and treatments for disease
Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis can be used by people who have a serious inherited disease in their family to avoid passing it onto their children. This page explains how the treatment works and which conditions you can check for.
PGD, also known as preimplantation genetic testing (PGT-M), is a treatment which involves checking the genes or chromosomes of your embryos for a specific genetic condition.
Because the embryos need to be tested in a lab, you will need to have IVF, even if you and your partner have no fertility problems.
Embryos which have been tested and are free of the condition will be placed back into your womb to hopefully continue to develop. Historically, the embryo was usually transferred two to six days after being created (ie, a fresh embryo transfer) but now, the embryo is more often frozen and transferred at a later date.
Your doctor may discuss PGD with you if:
PGD can be used to test for almost any genetic condition where a specific gene is known to cause that condition.
If there’s a genetic condition you’d like to be able to test for that hasn’t already been approved, your clinic will need to apply to us to add it to the PGD list.
There are strict criteria for deciding which conditions should be permitted so bear in mind it could be a lengthy process and you may not be successful.
Read our guidance on embryo testing for clinics
The PGD treatment itself is thought to be very safe – there is no evidence that babies born following PGD suffer from any more health or developmental problems than babies born using IVF alone. There are risks from having IVF though.
Find out more about the risks of IVF
Although an embryo can develop normally even when it has had a cell removed, there is a possibility that some embryos may be damaged by testing, which means they would need to be discarded and wouldn’t be able to be used in IVF treatment. In addition, PGD is not 100% accurate so there’s a small chance the tests may not work or may give the wrong information.
As with most fertility treatments, success depends on many factors, including the woman’s age and whether there are any existing fertility problems.
While numbers of treatments being carried out are still low, PGD has become more popular.
For the latest statistics on PGD visit our Research and data page.
Unfortunately, sometimes there are no embryos suitable for transfer to the womb. This could be because:
Your first step should be to talk to your GP, who will refer you to a Regional Clinical Genetics Service for further advice about all your options.
In some cases, you can get PGD treatment on the NHS but it depends on your situation and where you live – your GP should be able to advise you.
If it’s been agreed that PGD is the right treatment for you, you’ll be referred to a specialist at a fertility clinic that has a licence from us to carry out PGD treatment. This is a specialist service so your nearest PGD clinic may be far away.
You can also find a list of Regional Clinical Genetics Services in your area by visiting the Genetic Alliance UK website.
Information for people with genetic conditions (Genetic Alliance UK)
Information about PGD (Genetic Alliance UK)
Screening tests in pregnancy (NHS Choices)
Review date: 29 July 2022